(L) Javed Habib with his father (R) Habib Ahmed
Mumbai: Habib Ahmed, the hairstylist who shaped the look of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and styled the silver locks of former President and missile scientist APJ Abdul Kalam, passed away in Mumbai on September 25. His son and hairstylist Jawed Habib announced the news on Instagram on Friday.
Born on 2 October, 1940, Habib Ahmed passed away on Friday, leaving a rich legacy. He was 84 years old.
Habib Ahmed’s father Nazir Ahmed was the official hairdresser for Lord Linlithgow, who was Governor General and Viceroy of India from 1936 to 1943 and Lord Mountbatten, the last Governor General and Viceroy of India and the first Governor General of India, first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and first President Rajendra Prasad.
The legacy of Nazir Ahmed and Habib Ahmed is being carried forward by the latter’s sons Jawed Habib, Parvez Habib and Amjad Habib.
Jawed Habib owns Jawed Habib Hair and Beauty Ltd, which operates across the country.
Habib Ahmed was born in Uttar Pradesh - and made Delhi his base. He studied advanced hairstyling training at the Morris School of Hair Design in London during the 1970s and upon return to India worked in a hotel chain. Later, he founded salons and an academy, training generations of stylists across the country, elevating hairdressing from a humble trade to a profession of dignity and creativity.