It was a Sunday and Gullu wanted to have a
haircut. Gullu is about 12 years old. Gullu was pressing since early morning to
go for a haircut. He told his father, “Dad, when are we going to have a
haircut?”
Gullu’s father replied, “I think you last had
a haircut around fifteen days back. So, what is the hurry now? Your hairs don’t
appear to be too long to go to a barber’s shop.”
Gullu was adamant and said, “But you know Dad
that I prefer to keep short hairs; like crew cut. This is in fashion. This is
cool.”
Gullu’s father had to concede to his son’s
demand. He asked Gullu to be ready in five minutes. Gullu’s grandfather Mr.
Sinha was sitting nearby foraging through the newspaper. He peeped through his
glasses and said, “I also need a haircut. Let us go together to the barber’s
shop.”
So, all three of them went out together to
the barber’s shop. Gullu’s father; Rajan does not like to visit a barber’s shop
on weekends because of the long queue which is normal for Saturdays and
Sundays. He usually takes out time on any of the weekdays in order to avoid the
hassle of waiting at the barber’s shop. But for his son’s sake he had to go.
When they reached the barber’s shop there was a sizeable crowd. The barber’s
shop has five special chairs on which the customers sit while getting served by
the barbers. Gullu always loves to sit on those chairs because they look really
grand; with high back and hydraulic mechanism. The faux leather cover on the
chair gives somewhat rich feel to the ambience. There was a long sofa on which
eight or nine people were already sitting; waiting for their turn. Two benches
outside the shop were also occupied. When Gullu enquired he came to know that
they would have to wait for at least forty five minutes. Gullu’s grandfather;
Mr. Sinha pulled out a couple of pages of the newspaper and began to savor the
news articles. Gullu’s father; Rajan; opened a sachet of Pan Masala and started
chewing on it to kill away the time. He bought a lollypop for Gullu. Gullu’s
father was pacing left and right which was showing the lack of peace in his
mind. Gullu was at ease and was sitting on a stool.
After a long wait of about an hour, their
turn came. Being the youngest of the lot, Gullu got the privilege to be the first
to occupy the vacant chair. The barber asked from Rajan, “Sir, any special
instructions for this cute baby’s haircut?”
Rajan said, “Ask this baby. He is smart
enough to tell you about his favorite hairstyle.”
After that Gullu instructed the barber, “Keep
it as short as possible. You can use trimmer instead of scissors. This will
give a neat look.”
Within a few minutes, Rajan and Mr. Sinha could
also get to sit on different vacant chairs. When the barber asked Rajan about
his favorite style, Rajan said, “Keep it medium cut on the front but keep it
little bit longer at the back. Have you seen the film stars of the 90s? I love
their hairstyle.”
The barber said, “But your hairline is
receding very fast. Keeping it short on the front would not look good.”
Rajan replied, “I know that my hairline is
receding but I have yet to develop a bald pate. Don’t worry about the look. It
goes well with my age. Do whatever you are told to do.”
When Mr. Sinha’s turn came, he said, “In
fact, I don’t need a haircut. I just need a little bit of trimming. Keep them
long on front, side as well as on the back. Have you seen the film stars of the
70s and 80s? I love their hairstyle. I am a big fan of Amitabh Bachchan.”
The barber said, “You still have dense hair
on your head. You must have taken good care of your hairs.”
Mr. Sinha said, “Yeah, I know. Even my wife
says so.”
After about fifteen minutes, all of them were
through with the haircut. Gullu; the youngest of the lot was sporting small
stubbles in the name of hairs. Rajan; his father; was sporting somewhat longer
locks. But the senior-most of the lot was sporting the longest hairs. The
person who was collecting the bill smilingly said, “Sir, doesn’t it look odd
that the baby of the family has got the cleanest cut and the grandpa is trying
to ape a film star?”
Rajan said, “Yeah, some things never change
with time but many other things change. During my childhood, I too was a big
fan of Amitabh Bachchan. I used to request the barber to leave long locks on my
head. But my father always scolded me and used to send me back to the barber to
make my hairs shorter. Even our teachers were never happy when we copied the
popular film stars. Things have changed now. I have never dictated my choice of
hairstyle on my son. He is free to keep his hairs as he wishes. These are his hairs
and he has every right to indulge in them. But my father has not changed during
all these years.”
Rajan then turned to his father and said,
“Dad, I still remember how many lies you told to my mother for going to watch
the hit movie Dewaar umpteenth times. But do you know, this Gullu does not even
like to go to a cinema hall. He probably gets a better worldview by peeping
into his computer. “
Then Rajan and Mr. Sinha had a hearty laugh.
Gullu was amusingly looking at them; as he was engrossed in his own world.
