Home>>Articles >>J.Panchapagesan Articles >>BALDNESS—GOD’S GIFT OR CURSE?

Baby SAI RAJ of hardly 3 years old was perched on the shoulders of his grand father RAJIV MANI with his legs merrily suspended on either side. Actually he was enjoying cartoons of POGO from the TV and whenever he was tickled with its comedy was wildly patting the bald patch of MANI that would even put the great drummer SIVAMANI to shame. However MANI was in a different world with his eyes half closed and visibly enjoying the sensation generated from the tender palm of the youngster. Occasionally SAI was changing the rhythm of his beating and fondly caressing the smooth and shining hemisphere that was a bonus to the pleasure of that old man who was in the wrong side of 70.

Decades back this same RAJIV MANI endured all the mental torture, humiliation and even depression thanks to his inherited genetic quality of baldness. Today he feels confident, respectable and even feels that it is only a gift and not a curse. As a teenager and even in his twenties he was gifted with thick lock of hair that had spread even down to his forehead. The barbers were allergic to his richness of dense and thick hair that was always a challenge to their scissors. But who is going to believe his boastings after a glance of his desert like and shining skull? Fortunately he had preserved one of his college photos as a witness to his children. But it requires a careful study to recognize MANI, as the only clue for his identity was his pair of expressive eyes. Those were the happy days when MANI was trying all tricks to tame his unruly wild lock of hair and was even tempted to change its style very often. His mother used to scold him for sprinkling water liberally on his head while maneuvering for the desired style with his special comb. She believed that he was prone to cold for wetting his head frequently. Actually he was ignorant and even innocent of his “priceless possession”. Normally we the human beings are never aware of the values of our belongings unless and until you lose them in the natural process or by accident. He used to recollect those days when he used an elastic band to keep the dancing strand of hair on his forehead intact at the time of playing his favorite game of TABLE-TENNIS.

But RAJIV MANI’S bad days had started when he was just entering in to his thirties. Initially he was not taking much note of the hundreds of hairs that were falling at the time of wiping with towel after bath, combing and also getting out of the bed with countless number of hairs embedded on the pillow. He believed that every one of them is bound to be replaced in due course. But poor MANI was not aware that the rate of replacements was in much slower pace than the loss. He was very confident about his fitness level and rather believed his health was much above average as he was a sportsman with the culture of regular physical exercise and free from vices. But slowly he realized that his hair line was receding back alarmingly on either side and also faintly but surely a bald patch was developing on the back side. That was evident when he could comb effortlessly or even while slipping his fingers across the head. It was a far cry from those days when he had broken a few combs while styling his unruly hair. Fortunately he was married already and it is anybody’s guess about his matrimonial prospects if only he had delayed it by a couple of years. Whenever he was visiting friends and relatives after a long gap they were commenting about his pathetic change, making him demoralized and even depressed. Normally when any disaster strikes any body, it is a fancy to suggest remedies by your close associates either with genuine sympathy or with the sadistic pleasure that they are aware of your problems. To his good luck his better half never bothered about others comments of his changing hair pattern. Yes! He had to change his combing pattern very often just to cover up the bald patch by covering it with long strand of hair that were mercifully left elsewhere by the ALMIGHTY! Perhaps his wife thought that baldness was the only shield to protect her otherwise handsome husband from the glance of young ladies!

It is not that Mr. MANI was not bothered about his physical image that was greatly robbed by this worthless hair that was in abundance all over his body –minus the head. If only it was INTERNET AGE he would have gone to GOOGLE and explored the chances of retrieving the lost treasure without the embarrassment of individual consultations. But he did his best by consulting his close friends and also referring to the advertisements. He was greatly impressed by one such advertisement that warned the consumers not to pour their hair oil to their palm as otherwise they may risk growing hair in that portion! The space won’t permit to give the list of tricks and trades tried by poor MANI to save himself from total annihilation of this nature’s gift. But still a few are worth mentioning here.

1. To completely shave off your head for 2 to 3 times.
2. Don’t apply any oil.
3. Use only pure coconut oil.
4. Stand upside down for nearly 10 minutes per day.
5. Avoid using any hat, helmet or head gear that is the main cause of baldness. The reason claimed is the head gear deprives oxygen to the roots of hair. But scientific fact is the oxygen is supplied through the blood at the roots.
6. The most idiotic one was getting your bald patch licked by a cow. However this was not tried as he preferred to avoid this either for the no availability of a cow in the city or inviting the title of lunatic.

By the time MANI crossed 35 years he had already earned the title of BALD MAN, and it became very common to identify him from others by quoting this qualification with the least regard for hurting, though with out intention. Once during a photo session at the office function the photographer requested him to be away as his mirror like shining head was reflecting the light and hindering his shots. After squarely losing the race in growing or even saving the existing hair MR. MANI turned philosophical and started research about BALDNESS, and bald people.

Here are his findings.

1. Baldness is purely genetic, inherited mostly from the mother’s side.
2. Mostly it spares the generation alternately.
3. It has nothing to do with the physical fitness, general health or even masculinity of an individual.
4. All the claims about restoration of original hair by treatments, shampoo, oil, medication, exercise etc are taboos and innovations to cheat a desperate individual.
5. At the most one can decorate a set of artificial hair suiting his head as is being done in films.
6. The latest one is transplanting your own hair from the available area to the bald patch- hair by hair- with great pain and also for a price.

These are the myths associated with bald people that are far from facts.

1. Baldness is caused by stress/worries in which case everybody in this world is subjected to this factor.
2. Bald people are having more wisdom and thinking capacity.
3. Baldness is a sign of wealth.

.Bald people are well distributed in all walks of life and history and premature baldness has become the order of the day.

The former world no1 tennis player ANDRE AGASSI, the great basketball legend MICHAEL JORDAN, and the soccer’s recipient of the golden ball by name ZINEDINE ZIDANE were totally bald even before reaching their 30s. Every coin has got both sides. As a philosopher MR.Mani started contemplating on the probable virtues and benefits that go with baldness. Here are his findings.

1. The time saved in grooming, combing and maintaining hair for your whole life time may even work out to years.
2. You are not to spend time for washing drying or cleaning.
3. During summer days the sun rays are reflected back and for those with rich black hair they absorb and retain the heat for a long time.
4. The same advantage is enjoyed in monsoon as the rain just splashes off from your smooth and shiny hemisphere and in rich hair water is retained causing cold and other ailments.
5. Even at the middle age a sense of respectability and dignity is generated to the public, and many times they heed to your suggestions, comments and opinion.

It is a common experience for all bald men who lose hair prematurely to go through a personal journey from denial to acceptance and ultimately to appreciation. The process may take weeks, months or years, but the experience is the same regardless of the time it takes. Keeping in line with others MR.MANI boasts that one of the great scientific theories is that after all baldness is the ultimate evolution of a male human and in due course all men folk are bound to turn hair less on their head and as such he is well ahead of the majority! He is also fond of quoting a famous and ageless Swedish proverb as follows- “EXPERIENCE IS A COMB WHICH YOU GET ONLY AFTER YOU GET BALD” For the benefit of all, the meaning is the experience gathered after decades may not serve the purpose to that old man as he is nearer to the grave—just like getting a comb after developing baldness- however the comb or experience can be passed to an youngster who could be benefited.

BY J.PANCHAPAGESAN FLAT-11,130 GILL NAGAR EXTN STREET CHOOLAIMEDU CHENNAI PH-044 23744963 EMAIL id- jpanchapagesan@yahoo.co.in