Once when I was travelling it happened that my seat was next to a lady whose face seemed vaguely familiar. She was busy with a book and took no notice of me for a while. Soon however she nudged me and exclaimed, “Imagine bumping into you here!” I gave her a lopsided smile, my whole face a question mark. She laughed, “Oh, you don’t recognize me! I am Sree!” A moment’s pause and she clarified, “My voice has changed due to a cough”. I was taken aback to see my old pal last seen a decade ago. Something was different about her and then it flashed to me – her hair! Where was the sedate plait of those times? She sensed my wonder and said, “ Let me tell you a story.” I nodded and she went on, “ You see, for quite sometime, I had been yearning to let my hair loose with a style to compliment my round face, as the reduced foliage left no scope for a thick braid.” I nodded sympathetically and she continued, “But with my critically wavy hair, any haircut would make it spread out like a banyan tree, with my face seeming stouter than the banyan bark. So I remained satisfied with a bushy ponytail. A few years ago, before my jaunt abroad, I happened to spot a parlour which advertised exclusive haircuts. So off I went one day to try my luck. My most eager aspiration was to be fulfilled by the owner herself. She lifted my tresses here and there to make an expert assessment and declared that she would give me a haircut which I could proudly flaunt abroad. Although slightly sceptical, I agreed, as anyway nobody would need to recognize me over there. The lady started her act of pulling and snipping, and sometimes turning my swivel chair around to assess her work. I saw myself being transformed from a serious looking lady to a hilarious one with clips stuck at odd angles all over my pate. I preferred then to close my eyes and relax.
Her assistants eventually took over and combed and blow dried, and finally when I did look at the mirror I was astonished at the attractive transformation.” Sree paused for breath and I was about to butt in, but with a wave of her hand, she continued, “As the months passed by, the new look started giving way to the strait-laced look and it was time to visit her again. Preening under my praise for her previous service, she opted to be more adventurous this time and off went her scissors into the snipping mode. I got a chatty companion and I hardly noticed the
mirror. Finally it was done and I was dumbfounded to see the image of a person whom I had never met before. The other ladies showered compliments and I sure needed this encouragement to step out. The moment I did so, I tried in vain to secure the short twiggy mass with a clip and rushed home. Indeed it was then that I realized it took courage to shed long rooted inhibitions and I mentally saluted all those who accomplished this, either by choice or force of circumstances.” Sree finally paused for effect. I looked at her vivacious face and said, “Bravo!”
