To this brotherhood of bearded men, facial hair is not a nuisance that needs to be shaved off every morning.
Love for their goatees and whiskers brought men of all ages together at 'No-Shave November', a beard and moustache competition hosted by Bangalore Beard Club and Fitness Fight Club at UB City.
Handlebar, Comb and the Great Indian were some of the categories in which they competed. For beards, the men competed for the title of fullest and longest.
Vishal Singh, founder and president of Bangalore Beard Club, dedicates one hour every morning to grooming his shiny beard. "My beard sets me apart in a crowd. I can carry off any kind of fashion," he said. When he worked as a hotelier, Singh had to be clean-shaven every day but since he left, he has not shaved in a year.
The competition was more than about just showing off well-pruned facial hair. The intention was to raise awareness about prostate cancer and depression among men. "Women talk to their colleagues, friends and sisters about whatever is on their mind. But men being men, they don't talk about their feelings because of the stereotype. Through this event, we want to try to change that," Singh said.
Actor Kennedy Gopalan, known for his role in the Kannada film U-turn, has been growing his salt and pepper beard for 12 years now and uses more shampoo than his wife does. "The men whom I idolise, Tagore and Osho, had long beards. They were men with brains," he said.
But sporting a beard does not come without its challenges. "There are many hurdles in the form of parents, friends, wives and girlfriends. Sometimes, I am stopped and subjected to extra scrutiny at the airport because of my beard," Kennedy added.
Many youngsters came all the way from Udupi and Tiruchirappalli. "A competition like this will never happen in Udupi, so I came here over the weekend just for this," said Gurunandan Bhat, who is sporting a handlebar moustache.
Manikandan G, an engineering graduate from Tiruchirappalli, is so dedicated to his beard that he has postponed job interviews for its sake. "No company will entertain a guy with a beard but I do not want to shave it just yet," he said. His obsession is inspired by Malayalam actor Nivin Pauly.
The proceeds from the event will be used by VS - The Austin Foundation to raise awareness about prostate cancer.
![]( "Contestants pose for a photograph at a beard and moustache competition organised by the Bangalore Beard Club on Saturday. dh photo")
To this brotherhood of bearded men, facial hair is not a nuisance that needs to be shaved off every morning.
Love for their goatees and whiskers brought men of all ages together at 'No-Shave November’, a beard and moustache competition hosted by Bangalore Beard Club and Fitness Fight Club at UB City.
Handlebar, Comb and the Great Indian were some of the categories in which they competed. For beards, the men competed for the title of fullest and longest.
Vishal Singh, founder and president of Bangalore Beard Club, dedicates one hour every morning to grooming his shiny beard. "My beard sets me apart in a crowd. I can carry off any kind of fashion,” he said. When he worked as a hotelier, Singh had to be clean-shaven every day but since he left, he has not shaved in a year.
The competition was more than about just showing off well-pruned facial hair. The intention was to raise awareness about prostate cancer and depression among men. "Women talk to their colleagues, friends and sisters about whatever is on their mind. But men being men, they don’t talk about their feelings because of the stereotype. Through this event, we want to try to change that,” Singh said.
Actor Kennedy Gopalan, known for his role in the Kannada film U-turn, has been growing his salt and pepper beard for 12 years now and uses more shampoo than his wife does. "The men whom I idolise, Tagore and Osho, had long beards. They were men with brains,” he said.
But sporting a beard does not come without its challenges. "There are many hurdles in the form of parents, friends, wives and girlfriends. Sometimes, I am stopped and subjected to extra scrutiny at the airport because of my beard,” Kennedy added.
Many youngsters came all the way from Udupi and Tiruchirappalli. "A competition like this will never happen in Udupi, so I came here over the weekend just for this,” said Gurunandan Bhat, who is sporting a handlebar moustache.
Manikandan G, an engineering graduate from Tiruchirappalli, is so dedicated to his beard that he has postponed job interviews for its sake. "No company will entertain a guy with a beard but I do not want to shave it just yet,” he said. His obsession is inspired by Malayalam actor Nivin Pauly.
The proceeds from the event will be used by VS - The Austin Foundation to raise awareness about prostate cancer.
Love for their goatees and whiskers brought men of all ages together at 'No-Shave November', a beard and moustache competition hosted by Bangalore Beard Club and Fitness Fight Club at UB City.
Handlebar, Comb and the Great Indian were some of the categories in which they competed. For beards, the men competed for the title of fullest and longest.
Vishal Singh, founder and president of Bangalore Beard Club, dedicates one hour every morning to grooming his shiny beard. "My beard sets me apart in a crowd. I can carry off any kind of fashion," he said. When he worked as a hotelier, Singh had to be clean-shaven every day but since he left, he has not shaved in a year.
The competition was more than about just showing off well-pruned facial hair. The intention was to raise awareness about prostate cancer and depression among men. "Women talk to their colleagues, friends and sisters about whatever is on their mind. But men being men, they don't talk about their feelings because of the stereotype. Through this event, we want to try to change that," Singh said.
Actor Kennedy Gopalan, known for his role in the Kannada film U-turn, has been growing his salt and pepper beard for 12 years now and uses more shampoo than his wife does. "The men whom I idolise, Tagore and Osho, had long beards. They were men with brains," he said.
But sporting a beard does not come without its challenges. "There are many hurdles in the form of parents, friends, wives and girlfriends. Sometimes, I am stopped and subjected to extra scrutiny at the airport because of my beard," Kennedy added.
Many youngsters came all the way from Udupi and Tiruchirappalli. "A competition like this will never happen in Udupi, so I came here over the weekend just for this," said Gurunandan Bhat, who is sporting a handlebar moustache.
Manikandan G, an engineering graduate from Tiruchirappalli, is so dedicated to his beard that he has postponed job interviews for its sake. "No company will entertain a guy with a beard but I do not want to shave it just yet," he said. His obsession is inspired by Malayalam actor Nivin Pauly.
The proceeds from the event will be used by VS - The Austin Foundation to raise awareness about prostate cancer.
To this brotherhood of bearded men, facial hair is not a nuisance that needs to be shaved off every morning. Love for their goatees and whiskers brought men of all ages together at 'No-Shave November’, a beard and moustache competition hosted by Bangalore Beard Club and Fitness Fight Club at UB City.
Handlebar, Comb and the Great Indian were some of the categories in which they competed. For beards, the men competed for the title of fullest and longest.
Vishal Singh, founder and president of Bangalore Beard Club, dedicates one hour every morning to grooming his shiny beard. "My beard sets me apart in a crowd. I can carry off any kind of fashion,” he said. When he worked as a hotelier, Singh had to be clean-shaven every day but since he left, he has not shaved in a year.
The competition was more than about just showing off well-pruned facial hair. The intention was to raise awareness about prostate cancer and depression among men. "Women talk to their colleagues, friends and sisters about whatever is on their mind. But men being men, they don’t talk about their feelings because of the stereotype. Through this event, we want to try to change that,” Singh said.
Actor Kennedy Gopalan, known for his role in the Kannada film U-turn, has been growing his salt and pepper beard for 12 years now and uses more shampoo than his wife does. "The men whom I idolise, Tagore and Osho, had long beards. They were men with brains,” he said.
But sporting a beard does not come without its challenges. "There are many hurdles in the form of parents, friends, wives and girlfriends. Sometimes, I am stopped and subjected to extra scrutiny at the airport because of my beard,” Kennedy added.
Many youngsters came all the way from Udupi and Tiruchirappalli. "A competition like this will never happen in Udupi, so I came here over the weekend just for this,” said Gurunandan Bhat, who is sporting a handlebar moustache.
Manikandan G, an engineering graduate from Tiruchirappalli, is so dedicated to his beard that he has postponed job interviews for its sake. "No company will entertain a guy with a beard but I do not want to shave it just yet,” he said. His obsession is inspired by Malayalam actor Nivin Pauly.
The proceeds from the event will be used by VS - The Austin Foundation to raise awareness about prostate cancer.