The curious case of the humble hairdresser

Snip Snip..Roooommmmmmmm...swish swish..these sounds greeted me as I entered Crystal Hair Salon on a gloomy Friday morning. Dadaji, the shop owner, was sitting in his usual position, watching a religious discourse on TV. He did not work anymore, just sat in the shop as he chatted with customers, watching TV, reading and seeing his employees attending to his customers. I sat on an empty chair, waiting for someone to ask me, "kaisa kaatoon?..koi style vyle chaiye kya?!"

I observed the surroundings - hair creams and gels of 100 different companies were lying on the shelves promising dandruff free hair, 5 X stronger hair, long and lustrous hair, shiny hair and other such miracles. Fancy mirrors, cutting machines, talc, brushes, towels, scissors and razors were scattered all around on the dressing table. It was a far cry from the days of old when our parents probably used to have their hair cut under a tree where the only "instruments" required were an "astra", a mirror, a bowl of water, a scissor, a towel and a brush! Times change and how...

When I was younger, there were just 3-4 parlors in my vicinity. Now-a-days, however, swanky unisex and men's salons were all over the place - there were nearly 15 in my locality alone! Curious, I asked the owner's son who was cutting my hair, the reason for this sudden mushrooming of salons. He said, "arre boss! Everyone wants to look good these days..woh kya bolte hai..metrosexual male...Besides the money is very good. Capital required is less and running costs are low. And main thing is people do not mind spending lavishly on themselves..hence profits are also high!" Simple Economics fundas, explained by a hairdresser :) The director at my MBA institute was right. Learning is all round you. Just have to keep your eyes and ears open. When I asked him if his business had been affected, he made one more insightful comment. "arre boss, our business is somewhat like a doctor. Just like you prefer going to your family doctor every time, people remain loyal to a salon. They get used to a particular hair dresser and don't like to go anywhere else. Aap bhi to hamare regular customer hai!" He smiled. I nodded. I was a regular customer. Except twice.. first time when I got my hair cut in Silvassa which had my KPMG colleagues ROFL and second when I got my hair cut in Uttarakhand during DOCC which had my SP colleagues ROFL! But I swear it wasn't all that bad!! But he was right. I knew of some of my friends who used to travel for almost an hour to get their hair cut at a swish salon in Bnadra. "Only Colleen and no one else" she said when I asked her the reason. "She knows what cut will look good on my face and the latest styles!"

Just then, 2 young boys came in. I realized that school re-opening was just around the corner. One young boy who came with his father told the barber, "You tell me Up, Down, Right & Left and accordingly, I will move my head. The barber decided to have some fun and deliberately said down but moved his head up. Irritated at this, the boy shouted, "Arre aapko samajhta nai hai kya? Up mane yeh, Down mane yeh, Right mane yeh and Left mane yeh", moving his head in all four directions by way of explanation! Everyone in the salon smiled and chuckled. I was reminded of my young days when Mom or Dad used to accompany me to a salon called "Twinkle". I remember once when I got a slight cut, I cried a lot. In order to pacify me, the hairdresser gave me a lolipop. And thus began my loyalty towards Twinkle. So much so that instead of once a month, I used to go to Twinkle twice and cry jhooth mooth ka so I could get a free lolipop! Later I realised that they used to give lolipops to all kids - cry baby or not! Meri 'Cry-Crocodile-Tears-Get-Lolipop' theory ka popat ho gaya!

The owner's son asked me if I was OK with the cut. I looked up and thought the haircut looked just fine. It was just a simple haircut! No fancy Mohawks and spikes and all that stuff. However our hair salons have certainly become more fancy and they are here to stay. If Andaz Apna Apna was remade now and Aamir khan had asked his father to sell his salon and open a "choodiyon ki dukan" am sure his father would have definitely kicked him out! After all looking good is serious business these days!

As I was leaving, I could hear the Snip Snip, Swish Swish and rooooommmmmmmm as the salon went about it's daily business...

It's the season to be jolly!!!

Well, what can I say..the news emanating from close friends is only like that..smile inducing and bringing a garden-garden feeling to the heart :). They also proved some old proverbs right..Good things come to those who wait and Ache logon ke saath hamesha acha hi hota hai :D

First, my best friend finally landed a job in her dream industry - media. God knows, she had to wait for so long and was put under so much pressure by family and friends. Others might have even begun to cast doubts on their own abilities. But she stood her ground. And waited patiently for her turn to come. And now, she is set to begin work in the same week as I am. :)

Second, there is this typical gujju seth friend of mine. Loves stock markets, loves to talk big, and has a seth type paunch to boot. The most wonderful thing about him is that, unlike most of us, who still do not know what to do in life, he has got his priorities right and is surely reaching towards fulfilling those goals, one step at a time. He first got a raise, vindicating days (& nights) of hard work. And now, he finally bought a new home for himself with his own money. Feel nothing but pride and joy for him. Btw, I can already hear wedding bells....

Third, there is a friend who likes to take a lot of tension :). After passing out of an MBA at the worst possible time during recession he finally has found a new job which does justice to his abilities and skills. Best part is, he will get to interact with people from his native place in his new job ;)

And last not the least, there is the baby in our gang! Given his brains and aptitude and talent, he should have been pursuing his MBA from the best institute in India. But God had other plans for him. After almost 3 years of seeing his friends around him finishing their MBA and beginning their careers afresh, he now gets to do his MBA from one of the top universities in the US which is known for it's excellent careers in consulting post the program. And that is just what this kid-at-heart wanted to do..

Of course all this news followed the wedding of two of my gang to each other!! :)

P.S this was a post dedicated to the BMS gang. :)

Outside In

Was travelling in the local train last week when I noticed a teenager, around 15-16 years old, looking very scared. He probably looked like someone who had come to Mumbai for the first time. The nervous and yet hopeful look in his eyes prompted me to write this....

A pair of very angry eyes fastened on me in the Churchgate bound local. "Abee..dikhta nai hai kya! Dekh ke chadhna upar..Alibaug se aaya hai kyaa...Kahaan kahaan se aa jaate hai log...."

Kahaan kahaan se nahi...I felt like saying. But I was too scared..too nervous. As the train from Sarangpur pulled into Mumbai last evening, there were waves of different feelings passing over me - Nervousness, excitement, apprehension and hope. I stepped into Mumbai for the first time, excited and hopeful of something better just like the multitudes of people who come to the city almost every day in search of the proverbial pot of gold but at the same time fearing the worst.

Mumbai ke baare mein bahut suna tha, especially about it's new found hostility towards "outsiders" from people who had already migrated here. But I had no choice. The scene could be straight out of some Bollywood movie of old (these days even Bollywood has abandoned us in favour of making movies for the so called multiplex generation and NRI's) - the school which I attended till class VII was in shambles due to a dearth of quality teachers. My father worked as a labourer on a small piece of land and his income was barely sufficient to sustain a family of 6. Yes, it's a very typecast setting. But it's the reality none the less. People should realize that we do not like to move to Mumbai and survive, not live, in conditions worse than in a village - a slum with no water, electricity and sanitation amidst sewers and open drains. And it's not just the destitute. Even youth from well-to-do families, fed on a daily diet of soaps and ads, want to move to a city in search of a better life and entertainment to satiate their aspirational levels. To a naive youth like me, the solutions seemed so simple and staring in the face. Why don't industrialists set up factories here to process the raw materials like cotton which grows in plenty here? I had heard about so called Rural BPOs and Micro-finance initiatives which could generate employment for the semi-literate youth residing here. But sadly, none of this seemed likely to come up in the near future. I failed to understand the reasons. Perhaps it wasn't all that simple.

And so, here I was, trying to move into a new home of a distant relative who was kind enough to offer me some work, away from home and familiar faces and places. Thousands have come to Mumbai before me. Few have succeeded, most have continued to live a hard life. But almost all who have come here haven't been disappointed, doing something or the other that kept the wheels of this megapolis churning. I do not aim to do something miraculous. I do not want to be part of some rags-to-riches story. I just want to earn enough to support my family back home. I know the odds are against me. But hope is a wonderful feeling that keeps people afloat.

As I stepped outside Churchgate station, bright sunlight hit me. I took a deep breath, took one giant stride forward and moved on..the words "kahaan kahaan se aate hai log" still ringing in my ears.....

We don't need no Education?!

Carrying a bag weighing at least 6-7 Kg, you could be forgiven for thinking that a school going child today was going off on a trek to the Himalayas!

Have always felt strongly towards our educational system (or lack of one) especially at the school level. Have always disliked the examination system that encourages swallow and vomit and by-rote learning without any understanding and application of the concepts. Add to that the unbelievable amount of competition in our country and the pressure it creates and you almost feel sorry for the students.

You would think that this competition with peers would create a pressure cooker situation for the students. Yes, there is peer pressure but this is actually the peer pressure amongst the parents. Parents look at what the other children are doing and feel compelled to make their children do the same lest they are left behind. "oh, she is attending Arts and Craft classes, we should send our Pinky too. Oh, he is going for Kung Fu-Karate, we should send our Mickey too." All this, without even asking Pinky and Mickey what they really want. I have experienced this at close hand as parents of children in the 5th or 6th standard start fretting about what college they will get into, what if he fails to get a good percentage (mind you 80-85% is not good) and sundry other things which frankly "DO NOT MATTER"

When I was in school it was not always like this. We had time to be with friends, watch our favorite cartoon and serials on TV, play and pursue our cherished hobbies and did not feel bogged down. The trend of sending your first standard kids to coaching classes too started only in the late 90s. And post that, we all know how coaching classes have sprouted in almost every nook and corner of every city, creating a parallel schooling system almost.

Though there have been some improvements in the attitudes of parents, the system needed a shake up. And the recent RTE act aims for exactly that. It is indeed heartening to see that no student will be allowed to fail between Class I-VII and special care would be taken of the academically weak students. What is needed is an environment which fosters openness and creativity and understanding which should replace fear and anxiety and the schools need to take adequate measures. Parents too need to support this step wholeheartedly and encourage their children to take up multiple activities and not let them vegetate by sitting in front of the computer and TV.

Another piece of legislation passed in Maharashtra today was the decision to replace Marks with Credits for the UG and PG courses and a pattern of continuous evaluation not just based on final examinations. The new system will also allow students to choose credits from other streams, which is the norm followed at most educational institutions abroad. However, as always with any new scheme introduced in our country, the key will be implementation.

Flashback..

This is one of the very short stories I had written some time back. I had to write a story which began with she looked at me, smiled and said not a word.....

Some of you might have read this before. Just thought of sharing this with others.

She looked at me, smiled and said not a word. I wanted her to say something. It could have been anything in the world but I just wanted to hear her speak because if her facial features were so good I was imagining how beautiful her voice would be. But I consoled myself saying that a smile is worth a thousand words. I left from the library borrowing the book advanced theories in quantum physics knowing fully well how much I would read that day. I just knew that I had to see her again tomorrow. Since the past week, she had captivated me, her smile had completely mesmerised me. But what made me think the most was why hadn’t I seen her before? Looking at her, I felt that she was the one who would fill the void in my life.

The next day dawned bright and beautiful and I woke up with a purpose. I put on a bright blue shirt and a comfortable pair of denim jeans. My heart was beating as I entered the library. And it was then I saw her...the same pair of bright eyes, sharp face, long hair which had me enchanted. I took the courage to approach her for mine was not an ordinary boy meets girl case. Here I was, a 35 year old professor and a widower and there she was, a lovely librarian, somewhere around 30. After the tragic death of my wife, I thought I would never love again. But love is a funny thing as they say. I was returning the book to her when I saw it. She had a beautiful diamond ring on her engagement finger. A thousand emotions swirled inside my mind. It felt as if the sea until now so calm had suddenly turned violent and my ship just capsized. I felt helpless. I could do nothing but somehow managed a smile. That was probably the shortest love story ever. And as I smiled, she looked at me, smiled back and said not a word....

Joy lies in the simple things....

Yesterday i.e. Sunday was quite a happy day for me. As the day drew to a close, I thought about the reasons why I felt good that day. No Big event happened. No Lottery, No Proposal from a company, No Proposal from a girl. Nothing. It was a just a routine normal relaxed day. But as I delved deeper, there were some things which I did after a long time.

1) A visit to the police station - Well, went there for passport verification and nothing to be happy about it. Just that it brought back old memories. When I was actually caught and taken away by the police. What was my crime? I was playing cricket in my compound which was deemed to be life threatening to one of the residents!!!!!! :) (This REALLY happened some 3-4 years back)

2) I read the Sunday Newspaper at leisure - front to back. Fully. The newspaper in one hand. A cup of tea in the other :)

3) Danced in order to prepare for a friend's Sangeet - I admit, i am no great dancer. But the fun that one has in marriage preparations - just wonderful. The camraderie, the leg-pulling, the shy groom, friends, family - all together And the dance captures it all perfectly. :)

4) Cleaned up my cupboard - it takes a tremendous amount of motivation for me to clean up my cupboard. My roomies and my parents will vouch for this. But yeah, when it's all done, you feel happy and satisfied. I have realised that there's nothing more satisfying than a job well done. :)

5) Ate Pizza which has Amul Cheese on top - No Mozarella Cheese - Yes! I can hear some collective Shee and so- middle- classs comments. But before the days of Dominoes and Pizza Hut, this was the way I had Pizza and I loved it. Dont know how many of you feel this way but that taste still lingers :)

6) Finally, slept for some time on my mom's lap - I don't think I need to give any explanations. It just feels fantastic :)

So on the face of it, a routine normal relaxed day. But still so immensely satisfying. All of us encounter small little moments like these everyday. Different things which tend to leave a smile on our face. But in this hustle-bustle, overstressed life of ours, we tend to overlook them, shrug it off and carry on. The worrying fact is that as students, we haven't even got started. I wonder what is going to happen when we are faced with more responsibility.

Reminds me of the lines of a poem which I love - Leisure by W.H.Davies

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

UPsy Daisy

The opening - a silly looking lamp jumping on top of the letter I and pushing it down! And then sitting spell bound for two hours.

A talking toy, talking cars, lovable and funny monsters, a rat who cooks, flying houses, a panda who kung-fus! I think you all get the drift of what this blog is all about. :)

Yeah. Animation! Disney, Pixar. Fun. Entertaining. Magical.

Since the time I saw Beauty and the Beast to today when I saw UP, I have fallen in love with animated movies. Perspectives have changed - earlier when I used to watch it as a kid, laughing at all the silly slapstick antics, now - we smile and appreciate the creativity, the brilliant concept and of course the really smart jokes ( i still laugh at all the slapstick, silly jokes :P) - but the love for animated fare has only grown stronger.

I am sure as kids, most of us saw cartoons and read comic books. Why did that excite us so much? I think there was something very magical about it. It made us believe that there are superheroes that can save the world, detective dogs, fighting robots, strange visitors from outer space. It opened up so many different worlds and possibilities for us apart from the school life and books that most of us used to spend our majority time in. It meant escaping into those different worlds, forgetting all other things around. Tell me frankly, how many of us imagined ourselves to be he-man or superman or acted like giant robot? I definitely tried to act like he-man - the cricket bat being the sword and then uttering those iconic lines - "By the power of Grayskull...I have the power!" They also drove in very sensible points and the right messages on our highly impressionable minds.

Coming back to the present, there is something about these movies which brings a smile to your lips, leaves you feeling happy and contented, sometimes making you wonder why things in the world can’t be as wonderful and joyous and creative. For close to 90 minutes, you forget the worries which you are always mired in and get drawn into a world full of amazing stories and characters. You are mesmerized by the creativity of the stories, the concept (where do these people get their ideas from? I want to know what they have for breakfast!), the execution with the almost life like characters, and the simple message which drives the story forward in every movie. That’s the best part about these movies - there is always one very simple and strong message which you take with you and which stays with you for a long long time.

Think of all the reasons for going to a movie - A means to escape from the present, get entertained, leave worries behind, laugh, chuckle, marvel, get delighted?? Animated movies can give you all this and more! So for all those people out there who think that animation is for kids, think again. Just watch any of the animated movies and bring some magic into your lives.

Here is a list of my 5 favourite animated movies.
1) Lion King (Unbelievable scenes, memorable music, unforgettable characters)
2) Monsters Inc (the concept was just out-of-this-world. Loved the idea! And Mike Wazaouski!)
3) Ratatouille (brilliant concept, simple story, super message)
4) Toy Story (I can watch this movie N number of times)
5) Ice Age (this was fun!!)