Happy New Hair!

This is the story of "The Year of the Hair" and it is not a year in the Chinese calendar...

It is the year of MY hair... For someone who cared two hoots bout his own hair - 2011 was an eye-opener!

Thankfully I was blessed with great hair since I was a kid... And that is nothing special... Cos' like every mother, mine too took care of it... All I had to do was sit down and look cute for the camera as dad clicked away... :)

But (obviously) things changed rapidly once the teenager in me started his revolt... Taking care of your hair (or even takin bath - for those were the times of the body sprays :P) was probably the last thing I would do even if I was stranded alone in an island with nothing else to do... And the effects of that started to show much later...

It is the year 2010 and the final year of my MBA...

"What next?" I sat and thought for most days!

"A Job! A Wedding! Kids! Oh my god!" I was freaking out...

"A Job Interview, A Wedding Album, A Teenage Daughter/Son! Oh my god!" Now I was completely freaked out...

Standing in front of the mirror, I screamed - OH MY GOD! I AM BALD!!!

"Job Interview" - I didn't want to look like a villain in a South Indian movie (sans moustache?) when I sit in front of an HR executive to face me first interview!

"A Wedding Album" - I, most certainly, do not want to look like my bride's uncle!

"A Teenage Kid" - Like hell I want my kids to be embarrassed to introduce me to their friends! (I was a being a little ahead of myself here! I know!)

"After exams I am going to Tirupati!" My roommate chirped. I turned around from the mirror. He didn't even seem to care that I had just screamed.

"Ya! I am going alone! You wanna come?"

"What happened, suddenly?"

"Well, exams aren't going well, bro! Maybe God can help!" He hung his head in shame

I have never been to Tirupati. And my exams weren't going well either. Maybe I can convince god to show me a way. ;)

"When?"

"Exams get over on 31st Dec. We shall leave immediately after and so we can spend the first day of the new year at the temple!" His eyes lit up!

Hmm... Now, my idea of a new year's eve always involves loud music and non-stop refills of you-know-what until I drop dead. This was an interesting change. And the year ahead was quite important too...

"O.K.! Let's do this!"

And, thus began the Year of my Hair!

01 January 2011:

We reached the foot of the seven hills at sometime past midnight. Then decided that we will walk all the way up than taking the bus. This, according to me, is the best thing I ever did! By the time we covered 3500 steps there was nothing in my mind but prayers! (And that is huge for someone who visits a temple hardly once a year!)

"You know that tonsuring is the THAAAANG for the Lord at Tirupati, na?" My friend was smiling!

I have NEVER, EVER, NEVER shaved my head!

"You will get what you pray for when you get yourself tonsured here!" He said

A good job... A peaceful life.. I ain't gonna miss that chance! "Let's do this!" I said to the shock of my friend!

A painfully long queue and just 20 bucks later, I was a new man!!! Or more like a new species!!!

Little did I know of what lay ahead of me!

This was not just a new year for me! But for my hair too...

For my friends, I was the butt of all jokes for time immemorial! And the Arab immigration officer at Sharjah International Airport also took a shot when he pointed to my passport and asked "Who is this?" with a wicked smile on his face!

I kept telling myself - "It is all for a good cause!"

But the thing that amazed me is that! My hair grew back quite rapidly! And then my friends' started giving unbearable number of advises on how to get your hair back - make it more healthy!

Mom made all kinds of pastes with all kinds of leaves, seeds, and oils, and almost all the time I was covered in goo of different colors! Yuck!!!

The time I spent looking at the mirror, lovingly, as each strand of hair grew back on was inversely proportional to the time I spent on preparing for my final semester.

I could not believe that my hair was now thicker and much more healthy! And I was slowly becoming the "metrosexual" (a STRAIGHT metrosexual, mind you!) who spent hours together in front of the mirror! Oh my! Thinking back, those days just scare me! :P

Exactly 3 months later, on 01 April, 2011 - I got up, looked into the mirror and I screamed again - OH MY GOD! I AM NO LONGER BALD! 

The receded hairline was still the same. But whatever was left, was thick, healthy and full of life! And what that did to my confidence was just awesome! 

Now, if you ask me - "What changed your hair?"

I honestly don't know! Maybe it was the blessings of the Lord of Tirupati! Maybe it was the tonsuring! Or maybe it was all those days covered in goo (that made me lose my appetite)!

But I most certainly know this - Your hair is like a Puppy! The more you love it! The MORE it will love you back! Plus, whatever love you show for a small period, it will repay you by being faithful forever!!! Love is a two-way street, honey!!!

HAAAAAAAPPPPPYYYY NEW HAIR ! ! ! :)

This post was written for a contest on IndiBlogger!