Hair apparent

You from Jamaica a young Cambodian vendor asked me as I handed her a few dollars in exchange for bottled water on a humid September morning in Angkor Wat She kept staring at my curly hair as I searched for exact change I am from India I smiled Ahhhhellipbut all Indians have straight hair no she looked puzzled Yes most have and some of us have curly hair too I answered India very hot no But dont cut curls she giggled and moved on to the next customer at her stallThe curls have got me associated with other countries too ndash Mauritius and Mexico Before you wonder where this column is headed Ill spare you the details of any more anecdotes centred on my mop while on overseas tripsBack to the present Lockdown 40 feels like lockdown 400 So many factors plague the typical middleclass Bombaywallah ndash from businesses going bust to salary cuts and layoffs to rationed stocks at home WFH is more like WTF Social life and nightouts are nonexistent unless you happen to be like my millennial neighbour who couldnt stop raving about how lit her weekend Zoom party was as a DJ spun his set from his home When she shared a clip of the video I noticed how well turned out all these kids were for this online bash hair makeup the worksTruth be told these are tough times for the curlyhaired community Sourcing your triedandtested conditioner and serum is turning out to be a nightmare Yes lack of exposure to the citys famed dust and pollution levels has helped somewhat but anyone with curly hair sorry those with wavy hair dont qualify will tell you about the knotty affair this lockdown is turning out to beAs I was dealing with my woes in an interesting coincidence a publishing house shared a new book for kids called I Hate My Curly Hair Written by Divya Anand and smartly illustrated by Rujuta Thakurdesai the book takes the reader young and adult on a heartwarming trip into a little girls comingtoterms with her unruly hairI hit the rewind button to my primary school days Almost once a week my mother would dust off pencil shavings that had safely nestled inside the mop without my knowledge I could hear my mother softly sigh as she went about this task meticulously wondering how my classmates seated behind me could do such acts That wasnt all Terms like Baal ki dukaan Mickey Mouse this when I had to tie it up in pony tail and Ghosla oh and yes I even got a Boney M and Michael JacksonLater while in college I decided to tame things a bit up there only to realise that most hairstylists were devoid of ideas It was a stigma a mind block of sorts that they had against girls with curly hair And you had to be okay with assuming guinea pig status because you could end up looking like a cross between Oprah Winfrey on a really bad hair day and yes one of those singers from Boney M Those were rough timesWe were always always perceived as different the texture wasnt considered stylish and possessing curly hair branded you as an unkempt person I recall even the odd teacher in school and college pass a snide remark about my hair That didnt help in the selfconfidence department especially when youre a teen Thankfully my mother who had thick lustrous curly hair reminded me that I wasnt some kind of rare specimen airlifted from a Pacific Island or a Sub Saharan country It made a huge difference and cocooned me from the barbs and taunts that continued well into my 20s sometimes even family members would take a potshot but by then it didnt really matter I recall guffawing when once on a local train I was told Baal ko side mein rakhoOf course life became a lot easier with inventions like humidityspecific conditioners and that miracle tool ndash serum But under lockdown as I said earlier its all being missed terribly the term bad hair day doesnt seem like a oneoff rantWhats important to take away from this is how society can make judgement calls based on something as intrinsic as your hair texture While all of it seems faroff now it wasnt a breeze then For a young mind trying to find their way especially in todays world where vanity is high on the charts such basics need to be eased into their selfbeliefHow parents and teachers tackle this issue is key because and trust me it can go a long way in preparing them for bigger knocks going ahead Not the kinds that an expensive serum can save you frommiddays Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the citys sights sounds smells and stoneswherever the ink and the inclination takes her She tweets bombayanaSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news