Mangali
Encyclopedia
Mangali or Nayee is a caste from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh
. They are hereditary Barber
root 'Nay'- which means to lead - stands for leadership. Nayees traditionally led wedding parties or carried messages between villages and communities.
Barbers belong to a hereditary caste
or clan
, variously called:
s, like the ones tending to battlefield injuries, were barbers because of their expertise in handling the razor. They were traditionally used as messengers and go-betweens in delicate matters. For instance opening the discussion of an arranged marriage alliance to the father of a prospective groom and bride. Court barbers with direct access to the kings and ministers were obviously men of influence.
Looking at old Indian sculptures we notice most of the men folk were clean shaven, except wandering wise men, and even the ones with beards got them shaped by razors. The Buddhist monk
s had a shaved head, and the various Hindu
sect
priests also shaved most of their heads but kept a pigtail.
A barber was usually attached to a village, and was paid every harvest in sacks of grain, granted some land which he could till, a place to stay and obtained some tips. In turn he had to look after the hair of everybody in the village. In some villages hairy species of water buffalo too needed regular skin shaves.
Village barbers moved around, bringing along their kit as they move from village house to house. Gradually barbers set up shop under a convenient shady tree or crossroads or markets. In small villages today, a ramshackle wooden shed serves as a barbershop. There is usually a big mirror, an ancient wooden chair with an adjustable neck rest for shaving, and a frayed and worn shiny rexine (PVC) cushion, invariably a deep red color with coir curls coyly peeping out at the corners. The red color with yellow piping seems to be mandatory.
In larger towns, one has "Hair Cutting Saloons" which are little shops with a glass front etched with the name of the owner and, stylized pictures of slim, beaky girls. And a large mandatory “Welcome".
The owner employs other barbers and trainee-apprentices. There are really no schools for old style barbers merely watch and learn.
" or "Nadasvaram" and drums, but in cities they are the main musicians of brass bands. It is common to hear them practice in their rooms behind the barber shop.
Younger city barbers are shifting away from learning music, even if they have a family tradition. Now some are doing side business, particularly if their shop has a phone. Cell phones too. Mainly real estate plot business. Several who live in developing suburbs have done well in selling plots of land."
Eminent people belong to this caste are
Dr. G. Ethirajulu, the first qualified Orthopaedic surgeon in A.P.
by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. There are several sub-castes among Mangali, usually regional in origin. These sub castes are found in many states. As an example, in Andhra Pradesh there are two main barber communities.
They'd rather not intermarry, while they are on very good terms with one another. The origin seems to be connected to temple employment. Pilgrims get their scalps shaved for blessings or boons they think they received, and offer their 'vanity' in thanks, like Catholics lighting candles for grace and Muslims offering blanket coverings for prayers answered. The temple barbers are often a harried lot with hundreds demanding get on with it, impatiently.
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
. They are hereditary Barber
Barber
A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
Clan origin
The word Nayee stems from the SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
root 'Nay'- which means to lead - stands for leadership. Nayees traditionally led wedding parties or carried messages between villages and communities.
Barbers belong to a hereditary caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
or clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
, variously called:
- Mangali
- Vostaad
- HajjamHajjamHajjam , alternately pronounced and spelled as Hajaam , are a ethnic group found in North India and Pakistan. In Pakistan, they are settled in Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan. The word Hajaam is derived from the Urdu word Hajaamat which in Urdu means barber and hairdresser...
- Manthri
- Nayee
History
Apart from their barbering they have a few special functions in India. The earliest surgeonSurgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
s, like the ones tending to battlefield injuries, were barbers because of their expertise in handling the razor. They were traditionally used as messengers and go-betweens in delicate matters. For instance opening the discussion of an arranged marriage alliance to the father of a prospective groom and bride. Court barbers with direct access to the kings and ministers were obviously men of influence.
Looking at old Indian sculptures we notice most of the men folk were clean shaven, except wandering wise men, and even the ones with beards got them shaped by razors. The Buddhist monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s had a shaved head, and the various Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
sect
Sect
A sect is a group with distinctive religious, political or philosophical beliefs. Although in past it was mostly used to refer to religious groups, it has since expanded and in modern culture can refer to any organization that breaks away from a larger one to follow a different set of rules and...
priests also shaved most of their heads but kept a pigtail.
A barber was usually attached to a village, and was paid every harvest in sacks of grain, granted some land which he could till, a place to stay and obtained some tips. In turn he had to look after the hair of everybody in the village. In some villages hairy species of water buffalo too needed regular skin shaves.
Village barbers moved around, bringing along their kit as they move from village house to house. Gradually barbers set up shop under a convenient shady tree or crossroads or markets. In small villages today, a ramshackle wooden shed serves as a barbershop. There is usually a big mirror, an ancient wooden chair with an adjustable neck rest for shaving, and a frayed and worn shiny rexine (PVC) cushion, invariably a deep red color with coir curls coyly peeping out at the corners. The red color with yellow piping seems to be mandatory.
In larger towns, one has "Hair Cutting Saloons" which are little shops with a glass front etched with the name of the owner and, stylized pictures of slim, beaky girls. And a large mandatory “Welcome".
The owner employs other barbers and trainee-apprentices. There are really no schools for old style barbers merely watch and learn.
Musical talent
In some parts of India barbers double as musicians. They are very musically inclined. In villages they play the "ShehnaiShehnai
The shehnai, shahnai, shenai or mangal vadya, is an aerophonic instrument, a double reed conical oboe, common in North India, West India and Pakistan, made out of wood, with a metal flare bell at the end...
" or "Nadasvaram" and drums, but in cities they are the main musicians of brass bands. It is common to hear them practice in their rooms behind the barber shop.
Younger city barbers are shifting away from learning music, even if they have a family tradition. Now some are doing side business, particularly if their shop has a phone. Cell phones too. Mainly real estate plot business. Several who live in developing suburbs have done well in selling plots of land."
Population
Mangali population is around 3.8 % of entinre Andhra pradesh population, almost evenly populated across all regions and districts.Eminent people belong to this caste are
Dr. G. Ethirajulu, the first qualified Orthopaedic surgeon in A.P.
Sub-castes
Nayee are classified as OBCOBC
OBC is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, including:*OBC , the DJ/Rapper duo consisting of NowWeJankin and Tweed Blazer*OBC secret society, a secret society at the University of North Carolina at Asheville...
by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. There are several sub-castes among Mangali, usually regional in origin. These sub castes are found in many states. As an example, in Andhra Pradesh there are two main barber communities.
- Konda
- Siri
They'd rather not intermarry, while they are on very good terms with one another. The origin seems to be connected to temple employment. Pilgrims get their scalps shaved for blessings or boons they think they received, and offer their 'vanity' in thanks, like Catholics lighting candles for grace and Muslims offering blanket coverings for prayers answered. The temple barbers are often a harried lot with hundreds demanding get on with it, impatiently.
Surnames
- Paletipati
- Talluri
- Jettipalli
- Kothakota
- Kosuri
- Gurijala
- Mannava
- Chundi
- Kampati