HAIR-RAISING EXPERIENCE (29-Jan-2021)

“God only made a few perfect heads, and the rest covered with hair” – Anonymous quote

An ordinary hair-cutting experience morphs into a hair-raising experience and a natural way to mitigate this risk is to orchestrate a fall with a grand entry into the bald club.  The world has only two types of people: one who are bald and the other who are not! 

Many from the former strive for an entry into the latter via a wig here and a toupee there, and modern clinical interventions.  Receding hairline has known benefits - time & money saved; vis-à-vis the clan members who enjoy or suffer a copious full-head of hair - extravagantly spend on a multitude of products such as hair gel, oil, combs, curlers, colors, shampoo, not to mention the high-spend on styling options like the now ubiquitous mohawk cut.

Who said the hot chair is a politician’s prerogative?!  There is indeed a hot chair in a barber’s shop.  One enters the shop with a head held high but once seated subjugated to his mercy.  One prays for his good mood, albeit the sound of the scissors sends a chill up-the-spine!   A miss here and a cut there is an embarrassment with the head held low at exit.

Good old barbers have undergone metamorphosis in their nomenclature - hair stylists.  Then a hair-cutting episode, now an experience - illustrated in an exhaustive menu card and astronomical price tag – no choice but to cough!  Then, one would walk into a salon to get the hair chopped - period, and today one is treated to a variety of experience that spans across magazine-and-newspaper browsing, a cup of hot tea, a good scalp massage, and a pedicure. Drown in the pseudo pleasures for an episode waylaid!

In the 70s and 80s, a step-cut a la Rajesh Khanna style to cover one’s disproportionate ears, long-and-sharp sideburns to resemble the legendary Amitabh Bachchan, long hair at the back to hide the dirty-and-torn shirt-collar – indeed clever variations to a hair-cut.  This stands out vividly in my memory: met a friend outside a barber’s shop who shook his head in utter disbelief; accosted him to gather his hit-by-a-missile suffered look.  He was in despair and left the scene in silence.  The barber inside spilled the beans - apparently his client had aspired for an AB-style haircut, but the barber in a not-so-good mood gave him a cut that resembled the AB of Anand instead of AB of Deewar.  My friend found solace later in looking more like a Dev Anand donning the special cap that covered up the faults.  Today this friend dons the same Dev Anand-style cap, only that it covers now a permanent baldpate!

Then the decision to go to a barber was swayed not by his cutting skills alone but the hygiene of the place.  Once had to leave the hot chair abruptly, since the barber who had started my haircut stepped away only for me to realize that he had stepped out to answer the nature’s call.  A bolt from the blue that led me to bolt from the chair – indeed a ‘hair-rising’ experience!