After reading ‘s post on hair, I got inspired to write a post about my tryst with hair!

Hair age
Long time back when I was school, I had plenty of hair on my head. My hair was jet black and thick and very curly. I used to never comb my hair because it was difficult to comb through the hair and also I did not care much about my looks and hair style. I used envy my (guy) friends who had nice straight hairs that could be easily styled especially during the junior college days. We were young and fresh out of school and for first time got a real taste of freedom especially with the members of the opposite sex. Hormones were playing its sinister games with us. The girls in our group would happily run their fingers through the hair of most of my friends. But my turn never came – I guess the girls did not find my curly locks very enticing! My hate for my hair increased even more.

Losing age
Our family shifted to New Bombay sometime during my junior college. I still do not know if it was the change in water or the climate or place, I started losing my hair. In retrospect I think my hatred for my hair prompted the hair loss. I feel if you hate something too much it will go away – It is all in the mind. Well I had so much of hair that I did not notice the receding hair line till I was in my 3rd year engineering. By that time it was too late. I tried so many things to reverse the process but nothing worked. I tried strange lotions, exotic concoctions of hair oils, ayurvedic medicines, and even rabbit blood! (well not rabbit blood but I have heard it is good for hair!).

Cover-up age
By the time I was done with the four years of undergraduate, I had an almost bald head and a B.E. degree! I think there is very strong cultural pressure in our Indian society that opposes baldness – especially if you are in your youth and not married. I never met an person back home who would not offer me a remedy for hair loss. Older the person was more exotic was the remedy. My family did not like it whenever I would have an ‘army cut’ – the clean crop look. I was constantly advised to grow the hair long so I could cover up the baldness. Fortunately my old girlfriend did not seem to mind my baldnes and the fact that I had a girlfriend shut-up some skeptics who would keep harping that my baldness would make it difficult for me to get married!

Transition period
Then I came to America for my masters and I was pleasantly surprised by people’s reaction to my hair or no-hair head. People here do not care about your looks instead they care about what you can do – what skills you have! This was a welcome relief to me because I did not have strangers offering me remedies or asking me how I lost my hair or what I am doing to stop the hair-loss. In fact I can count on my fingers the number of times I had somebody comment about my hair. But guess what! When I was back home last December for Christmas vacation within 72 hours, I had at least 50-60 people comment about my hair

Age of Self-realization
Now I cut my hair real short – just short of completely shaving off the hair. I feel very good with this ‘hair-style’. I have also realized that hair does not matter in having romantic relationships (I guess some girls find bald head irresistible ). It is ironic that now the only thing that I do not like is when it is time to get a hair-cut! The reason for this because I do not think I get value for the money I pay to get a haircut. It cost around $11 + $1 tip (Yes! In America you tip the hair dresser too!). That amounts to my hard earned $12 (approx INR. 525). I spend more time waiting for my turn at the hair salon than for the time for the actual hair-cut! And this $12 is just for clipper hair cut, two rounds with the clipper and my hair cut is done, easy job for the hair dresser I guess. It hurts even more when I compare INR 525 to the INR 50 that I paid last time back home for a hair cut and a soothing head massage.

It was nice when I was staying with my old roommate, we had become pretty good at cutting hair, we used to give each other a hair cut and save $24 in total! America teaches you many things I do not trust the clipper with my current roommates. The first and for the very last time I asked my present roommate to give me hair cut ended in a near disaster. I guess having very little hair saved the day since many people did not even notice the asymmetrically hairlines. My girlfriend/sweetheart would definitely need to acquire hair cutting skills and save the household tons of money

So much for some hair! I will end my post with a little spin on Shakespeare’s famous quote – What is in the hair?!?