For this HM, it’s scissors before books

Napoleon ropes in hairstylists to groom boys sporting long hair

Fifty-six-year-old M. Napoleon quietly waited at the entrance of Sri Venkateswara Boys’ Higher Secondary School on Infantry Road in Vellore, where he has been working as a headmaster for over two decades now. He picked out students, who rushed through the gate to attend classes, making them form a separate queue on the campus.

They were neither late-comers nor were they not wearing masks. Instead, they were stopped for a strange reason — sporting long and stylish hair. After a long break from classroom learning due to the pandemic, some students were returning to schools with trendy hairstyles. Mr. Napoleon put an end to this on Monday. “Students were given adequate time to get a simple haircut before they attend classes. Many did. But some took it lightly, prompting me take the scissors before books,” the headmaster said.

Under a shady neem tree, two plastic chairs were kept ready to seat these students. Initially, the boys did not like it at all. Some even called their parents and complained.