Jawed Habib
Jawed HabibFacebook

One of India's leading hairdressers, Jawed Habib, is now proud to call himself a "chowkidar" after formally joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday. Speculations are rife that Habib may contest the Lok Sabha elections from Delhi.

Habib, who has many celebrities as his clients, said that like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he is proud of his background of being a "naai" ( barber) and is elated to serve the country as a 'chowkidar'.

Habib said that he was the chowkidar (guardian) of hair and now, he is the chowkidar of the country. He also said that he is deeply influenced by PM Modi, who has never felt ashamed of calling himself a tea seller.

He further said that if PM Modi is not ashamed of his background, then why should he act like that. "I am happy to join the BJP as I have seen the changes brought in the country by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last five years. I think nobody should be ashamed of their background when the prime minister is proud to state that he was a 'chai wala' then why should I be ashamed of calling myself a 'nai' (barber). Till today, I was a chowkidar of hair but now onwards, I am the country's chowkidar," he said

Although he boasts about his humble background, the fact is that Habib may be one of the richest celeb stylists today with over 550 salons across the country and three international centres.

Habib's tryst with politics is not a new one 

Jawed Habib is not new to politics. His father and grandfather were the favourites of the country's top-notch leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and APJ Abdul Kalam.

Habib's grandfather Nazir Ahmad was a stylist of Jawaharlal Nehru and the last Viceroy of India Lord Mountbatten. After Ahmad's demise, Habib's father Habib Ahmad became a personal favourite with the Nehru family, Modis and many royal dynasties. Thereafter, Habib brought a modern touch to the hairdressing art by studying various courses in London and bringing more respectability as well as poise to the profession.

Twitter explodes with memes

Twitterati went into creative overdrive over reports of Habib joining BJP and soon interesting memes and posts surfaced on social media.