A hairdresser named Pon Mariappan in Thoothukudi wants to encourage more people to invest their time in acquiring knowledge through reading books rather than wasting it endlessly scrolling through their phones.
To make this happen, he devised a plan for customers waiting for their turn to get a haircut in a salon: read books in exchange for discounts, with two conditions:
- When entering the salon, customers must refrain from using their mobile phones. If they want to use them, they have to step outside.
- After finishing a book, they must write a brief summary of it.
Do you think he came up with this idea just to increase sales or gain appreciation?
Definitely not!
So, what inspired him to create this plan?
For Pon Mariappan, being well-educated is of utmost importance. However, due to his financial situation, he had to abandon his aspirations and discontinue his education after Class 8.
Whenever he meets an educated person, he feels a sense of guilt for not having studied or worked in a corporate office like them.
After working as a loader for 18 years, he saved up enough money to set up his own salon. Once he started the salon, he continuously looked for ways to combine his passion for education with his work.
How the idea was born
One day, Pon replaced the TV in his salon with biographies of Periyar, Annadurai, Kalam, Abraham Lincoln, and Karl Marx. He soon noticed that customers waiting for their turn began picking up the books and flipping through the pages. Some even started reading them. This sparked enough motivation and inspiration for him to take action.
And that’s how the idea was born.
Pon started collecting books from stores and second-hand bookstores. At the end of each month, he would use his savings to buy more books.
Today, his salon boasts over 900 books, ranging from autobiographies to fiction, in both Tamil and English. For those who don’t read books, he also offers audiobooks so they can learn something new while waiting.
In recognition of his efforts, the district library in Thoothukudi (Tamil Nadu, India) donated 50 books to his salon. He also received English books for the first time from the publishing house Hachette India.
He said, “Whenever you enter the salon, every nook and cranny is filled with books. I always want people to spend their waiting time learning, instead of staring at their phones or engaging in pointless small talk, which is often meaningless.”
Mariappan also plans to lend books to students so they can read outside the salon and introduce open mic reading for children, helping them overcome stage fright. If the initiative proves successful, he hopes to expand by lending books to the general public.
To make this story even more special, when the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, learned about it, he invited Pon to appear on Mann Ki Baat (People’s Voice – a monthly radio program hosted by PM Modi).
When Pon was invited to the District Doordarshan office, he thought they might donate some books or show appreciation for his collection. But when they told him he was going to speak with PM Modi, he was astonished. During the show, Modi interviewed him in his mother tongue, Tamil, and asked what inspired him to create a mini-library inside a salon. He felt ecstatic as he shared his views with the national audience.
PM MODI about Pon Mariappan in Mann Ki Baat
“My dear countrymen, it is often said that ‘learning is growing.’ Today, in Mann Ki Baat, I will introduce you to a person who has an incredible zeal for learning. His passion is to share the joy of reading and learning with others. He is Pon Mariappan from Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu.”
“My friend, Pon Mariappan, who lives here, runs a small hair salon. He has done something truly inspiring—he has converted a small part of his salon into a library. If a person reads something while waiting for their turn and writes a little about what they’ve read, Pon Mariappan Ji offers them a discount.”
When Modi asked him about his favorite book, he replied, “Thirukkural is my favorite.”
