DABWALI (India): In a small salon in a nondescript town in northern India, a haircut is not just a trim or a crewcut but an opportunity to get some art embossed on the back of your head.

Brothers Rajwinder Singh Sidhu and Gurwinder Singh Sidhu, in Dabwali town in India’s Punjab state, are now famous in their small part of the world for giving haircuts shaped in images of their customers’ choice.

From the Taj Mahal, complete with its many turrets and towers, to a lifelike portrait of pop star Michael Jackson, the brothers use a range of trimmers, scissors and pencils, among other tools, to get every minute detail of the hairdos correct.

“In the beginning we used to give anyone we could get hold of free haircuts so we could practise our skills on them.

“Some days we would practise until 2am, because during the day we would run the regular salon,” Rajwinder, the younger of the two brothers, said.

These days the brothers, aged 29 and 31, charge anywhere between US$20 (RM83) and US$30 for the special hairdos, and say they have plans to take their business outside of India as well.

From requests of images of Bollywood stars to popular sports personalities and even an impression of Mickey Mouse, the brothers’ salon is seeing a steady stream of customers who want to draw attention to themselves at social gatherings or events but do not want something lasting, like traditional tattoos.

“Today, I got a tattoo of the Taj Mahal. The monument is very beautiful and with this tattoo, I will stand out in the crowd,” said salon customer Darbar Singh, showing off his brand-new haircut.