The art of styling hair isn’t just a passion but also a legacy for three generations of the Habib family. Brand Habib has been synonymous with hairstyling for decades. Started in the early 80s by Habib Ahmed, the chain is getting ready for the third generation to take command.
“My father Nazir Ahmed was the personal hair stylist of Lord Mountbatten. We grew up within the precincts of Rashtrapati Bhavan. Initially, I wanted to be a footballer and just hated the word nai (barber) being associated with me,” recalls Habib, who had nine siblings.
After India got independence in 1947, Lord Mountbatten was preparing to return to England. But he was immensely affectionate towards his staff. He gave Nazir Ahmed a choice to stay in Pakistan, London or India. “I don’t want to go to Pakistan or London. I want to die in India where my forefathers lived,” declared Nazir Ahmed. Thus, the family stayed back.
After a few years, Lord Mountbatten came back to the country to shoot for the documentary, Life and Times of Mountbatten. He made it a point to meet Nazir and asked him what he could do for him. “Since I was one of the brightest amongst my siblings, my father said that he wanted me to study hair styling in London. Sir Mountbatten agreed to make arrangements for the same,” says Habib. Eventually due to diplomatic and financial hurdles, it took three years for Habib Ahmed to move to London. But once he reached there, it was a whole new world.
“I was the only guy in a class full of girls and managed to gain attention because of my gender and nationality. Since I had gone with hardly any money in my pocket, I had to work to support myself,” he adds.
After completion of his course he returned to the capital and served at the Oberois for more than a decade. “I met the most beautiful women around this time. Daughters and wives of rich industrialists, film actresses and politicians and many of them were so impressed by my scientific approach to hair styling that they became patrons,” he smiles.
He also travelled extensively in this phase to various parts of the world, acquainted himself with various technology and interacted with foreign hair stylists. Marital bliss soon turned into parenthood and Habib was blessed with three sons — Javed, Pervez and Amjad.
“By the time my sons grew up, I had made a name in hair styling and managed to send them abroad to study. Javed pursued French literature from JNU and eventually studied hair styling from the same institute where I had studied and Pervez completed his education in USA,” he informs. In 1983, Habib Ahmed opened his academy cum salon in Lodhi Hotel. This was the beginning of Habib’s salon chain and rest as they say is history. “My sons were working with me throughout, travelling and conducting workshops. They soon learnt the tricks of the trade and managed to take the name of Habibs to its pinnacle,” asserts Habib.
He feels his three sons have different qualities. “Javed is a showman and can charm everyone with his elegance, Pervez is immensely creative and Amjad is hardworking,” he adds. “It has been a satisfying life and I am glad we could disassociate ourselves from the word nai and bring in the word hair stylist in the Indian common parlance. Now as my grandchildren are gearing up to take charge, I feel proud of myself and our family,” he concludes.