Vinay Nayudu
Doha
Sporting a Ronaldo t-shirt at the famous Souq Waqif among a ‘sea of red’ Morocco supporters ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 semi-final, the man seemed unfazed. He didn’t bother much. Perhaps, he was among the only few rooting for Portugal. But then his passionate following of football and the stars is something that comes first than anything else for Shivarama K Bhandary.
A celebrated hair-stylist in Mumbai, ‘Shiva’ was back in Doha – a land which saw him take roots towards his growth as an eventual entrepreneur who also styles several top politicians and Bollywood actors and actresses.
Not many, even among his friends, know that it was in Qatar that Shiva arrived as a young man and was an employee with the Al Sadd Sports Club, the football team of which has won 16 Qatar Stars League titles since 1971-72. And from 1986 to 2000, they won four consecutive titles with Shiva accompanying the team during their stays in hotels.
“Those days the players were kept in hotels to maintain discipline and to follow team plans. I used to take care of several things related to the sport. It was also during this phase that I began to do their hair and won big praise for my craft. Many a time, Qataris would gift me with their wrist watches in admiration of my work,” Shiva recalls while admiring ‘Al Fanaar’ (the Islamic Cultural Centre in Doha).
Despite the riches that he was making, Shiva left for home soon to care for his ailing mother after being in Qatar from 1984 to ‘88. Then from his village, he moved to Mumbai to begin his own small venture as a hairstylist. He soon went on to win a contest in London, only to grow in stature as a grooming expert. It wasn’t long before Shiva did popular Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan’s hair and later attended to powerful Mumbai politician Bal Thackeray, who died in 2012.
It wasn’t surprising that many years later that the book – ‘Styling at the Top: The Journey of Shiva, Bollywood’s Celebrated Hairstylist’ – was released at the hands of Bachchan himself. Today, Shiva owns a chain of 20 Shiva’s salons and spas in India’s richest metropolis.
But it was the call of destiny again that pulled Shiva back to where it all began for him – in Qatar. “Never in all these years despite travelling the globe, I ever thought of revisiting Qatar. Though I have always had the people who helped me very close to my heart. But I had been so busy that I couldn’t find the time. Just as the FIFA World Cup gathered momentum, I somehow felt that I had to be here in Doha.
“I remember once an Egyptian club team came to play a Brazilian team in Doha. The match was goalless till the very last before Brazil bounced back to score seven goals! I saw how local coaches would analyse the game and teach the local Qatar players.”
Little wonder then that the first stop after arriving in Doha for Shiva was the Al Sadd Sports Club. “They have a Hayya Card Centre there now so the club was closed, so I took some pictures from outside,” he tells you.
Shiva also watched the quarter-final between Croatia and Brazil. “While it is surely something to watch these players in action, their fans too are something. The symphony they create at the stadium is magical,” he says.
A quick television interview and a breezy shopping session which included some Balmain Paris shirts, Shiva was already packing his bags to be back in Mumbai. “My destiny had brought me here decades ago and it got me back here for my love of football. I have tremendously enjoyed my short stay and the football atmosphere, met people, relived the past. It’s again time to be back home amid our people and among the many who need help and support,” said Shiva as he wished goodbye leaving for the airport.
