Tirupati temple authorities plan to get help from fashion companies to increase the shelf-life and quality of hair shed by devotees.
BANGALORE: Devotees’ hair may get better care after they shed it at the Tirupati temple than when they had it on their heads, if the temple’s plans take root.
Growing demand and rising prices for hair in the world’s wig market is making the temple look for ways to enhance the shelf life and quality of hair with help from leading fashion and hair-care companies. One of the brands that is being actively considered is Garnier.
“Short hair decomposes faster and becomes useless and we are particularly trying to preserve it for longer periods,” Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) deputy executive officer Bhaktavatsalam told DNA.
The TTD is initiating discussions with experts on how to improve the quality of the dark, long shining Indian hair that is already in demand worldwide.
However, the spokesperson for L’Oreal (brand for Garnier products in India) said that the TTD officials were yet to communicate with them.
The concern of the TTD is not surprising considering that the revenue from the hair has tripled in the last five years to Rs33.3 crore.
While the number of people shedding their hair has been steadily on the rise—the increasingly popular practice of people tonsuring their kids soon after their birth is adding to the volumes-the price the hair fetches in the market too has climbed.
The price has been increasing steadily at a rate of about 40 per cent every year, said an official. Last year, it was Rs6,000 per kilogram of hair and this year it has gone up to Rs10,000 per kilogram.
“India has developed into one of the largest hair export markets due to the sale of temple hair,” a TTD official said.
Hair exporter R Ravindranath said the demand for temple hair-called Remi Hair in the market-was increasing and it was popular among celebrities abroad. The Jews who had earlier shunned Indian hair saying it symbolised idolatry have since returned to it, contributing to the rise in demand.
“Asian countries top the list of customers who buy Indian hair, followed by Europeans and Americans,” Ravindranath said.
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