As the clock approaches 5:40 in the evening, a bustling hair salon in New Delhi’s New Friends Colony is filled with the sounds of buzzing clippers and lively chatter from customers. The air is heavy with the scent of hair spray and aftershave.
Zaki Marzai, 29, skillfully snips away at a customer’s hair behind a brown barber’s chair. The walls are lined with wooden shelves displaying colorful bottles of shampoo and styling products. In the mirrors, Marzai’s focused eyes reflect back at him as his customer seems pleased with the result.
Despite his current profession, Marzai longs to be back on the battlefield with a rifle in hand rather than a razor. Three years ago, he was a sergeant in Afghanistan’s elite special forces, battling the Taliban in a war that had been ongoing since the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
However, everything changed for Marzai on June 20, 2018, when he was caught in a deadly ambush in Ghazni province. Despite his injuries from the attack, Marzai persisted through nearly a year of treatment before being sent to India for further care due to his deformed jaw.
Having hoped to return to Afghanistan by August 2021, Marzai’s plans were shattered as the Taliban swiftly took control of the country, leaving him stranded in India. Along with fellow Afghan soldiers like Khalil Shamas, who now works as a waiter, Marzai finds himself unable to return home, fearing persecution from the Taliban.
The Afghan soldiers struggle to make ends meet without support from the Afghan embassy in New Delhi, with Marzai resorting to a haircutting course and work in a salon to survive. Living in cramped apartments with other Afghan men, they reminisce about their dreams of serving their country while navigating the challenges of exile in a foreign land.
Despite the difficulties, the soldiers hold on to hopes of seeking asylum in the US or Europe, yearning for a future free from fear and uncertainty. As they adapt to life in India, the memories of their military training and the camaraderie they shared on the battlefield remain etched in their hearts, reminding them of a past they long to reclaim.