Cutting edge experience

Matters regarding hair are seldom not funny! Take my own hairy episode during a visit to the US to see my daughter. I decided to visit a salon, for a perfunctory hair cut. The salon premises was in itself a real treat, with its plush interiors, fine decor, and graceful hair architects— mostly women, who oozed charm.

Jitesh drove me there. The ride took an expected half-hour, and I presented myself to the tonsorial specialist! As it turned out, she appeared to be a lady of great appeal.

Even though the memory is distant in time, suffice to say, I remember her as Barbara, the graceful hair specialist. At a glance, she appeared to be a seasoned professional — of the cutting-edge kind. Now, ushered in and cosily put up in a chair, exposing the greying mass of turf of whatever was left of it on my head, the stage was set for the grand snipping operation. Presently Barbara came over, with an ear-to-ear grin seeking a precise haircutting roadmap. At a loss to communicate, I felt all at sea, as the hairdressing specifications were vastly different from what it was in the distant Bengaluru, where it revolves around three commands, “short”, “medium” or “long” and the job gets done with unqualified success.

But not in the US. In the US, a country spearheading cutting edge technologies, technical jargon inevitably accompanies every sphere of human activity. Even here, during a routine haircut, it appears evident! So it dawned that I need to address the issue in operational hair-specifics, such as one, two or three inches, that too, in confusing, almost algebraic, plus and minus signs.

Plus one or two meant “leave out” a standing crop of hair of an inch or two, and minus meant “trim” that much. The schematics floored me, and recovering soon, I sent out an SOS signal to Jitesh, A good samaritan, and familiar with US mores, he consulted me briefly on my hair-do needs and conveyed them to the lady. Within minutes, she had begun a performance with her exquisite hands—aided by a deft combination of scissors, trimmer, and razor— a kind of ballet performance on the stage of my receding hairline.

The great exercise ended, leaving me with trimmed shrubs of hair as desired. She helped me, to project, the false image of youthfulness! Barbara, beaming an expansive smile, held up a mirror, and lo and behold — a really wholesome achievement was evident at both ends— Barbara’s and mine.

The final payment formalities had to be done at some discounted price, to which Jitesh added some sundry tips as is customary and nearly mandatory in the US as it is a pioneer in cutting edge technologies, albeit of a different kind!