A story of Two Haircuts
Country, Mantri and Santri
This has a political overtone, not my blah blah in praise of my son!!!
I very much remember years 1998-2000, when my son Dhruv, now 15, was between the ages of 1 year to 3 years, in Mumbai. Among many other duties of mine were to take him on a mandatory morning walk at Garodia Nagar Park, Ghatkopar East, Mumbai, and a monthly haircut.
Dhruv Menon as he looks now age 15 years .
Born 21st April 1997 Mamta Nursing Home Mumbai
Dhruv at 1
Given to @ImamSiddiqi at Lintas Advertising, Mumbai, for ad shoots he is here sitting(or his cutout pic is :D ) on a Reliance Symphony Furnishing(cut out from India Today) ,
Print ad which appeared in India Today then.
Dhruv at 1,
His 1st ever picture taken in a studio.
Dhruv at 1
This one picture, is taken before his 1st birthday
As you can see here he is very cute and chubby and attracted a lot of adulation even from strangers.
Now, coming to, the haircut. He was, very talkative, hyperactive and fastidious even at 1!!!
It was very difficult, to keep either his lips or his body still for 1 minute, before he would do a jig or ask a question, that was the case with my daughter Divya too, whose questions were never ending !!! “ Yeh Kya Hai / Woh Kya Hai “ was her Takia Kalam ( pet words) ( Hindi for, “ What is this ? / What is that? “ ) .
Now sometimes the haircut was my duty and sometimes my wife used to take them. I’ll tell you why
1st Haircut when I used to take him to the hair cutting saloon.
Whenever I took him for a haircut, this boy used to shake like a Rising Dragon
and I used to tell the barber that I wanted a step cut,
a neighbor at the hair cutting saloon, would always say “ Bhai spike karo ne , bahu saaru chokro chey “ ( In Gujarati for “ Bro get his hair a spike cut , he is a vary cute kid “) .
If there was a female Mom or sister around, they would invariably hold his chubby cheeks and make him howl.
Even as a young kid this Dude was a cleanliness freak as he is now. He never liked dirty hands / smelly hands touch him!!! .
Any one getting even 1 feet proximity had to be sparkles clean as well as smelling good !!! .
But he was even at 1 very fastidious. He always knew what he wanted. He used to tell the Barber a very Old Gent, “ Dada chota kalo “ ( Hindi for Grandpa keep them short )
So , as a result his sartorial look was always very clean which made him look gooey and apple of some 50 odd kids in the society including @misantrolist @harshmanutd Nandini, Deepa Ramya and all the aunties in the morning walk park.
I was known as his Dad not vice-versa.
Synopsis
I was at my wits end.
Barber took more time for the haircut.
He had to bribe him with a Cadbury’s Éclairs Chocolate.
My son Dhruv was irritable.
Sometimes, when Dhruv was uncontrollable to handle, of course that was only when I took him for a haircut
He had long hair like THIS!!!
L-R Me, Divya, My Late Dad ( may his soul RIP)
IN FOREGROUND THE LONG HAIRED DHRUV
Location
Terrace
Flat E-13, Sati Krupa Society
Syndicate Bank Quarters
Garodia Nagar
Ghatkopar (East)
Mumbai
2nd Haircut when my wife Shree used to take him to the hair cutting saloon.
My wife is a great master of treating old and young.
Her trick was simple.
Go on a week day in afternoon, when custom at the hair cutting saloon,
was happy hour low.
Stand on one side opposite the Grandpa Barber
(so that no one even touches my son, and tell him upfront)
And Order The Old Barber
“ Keep his hair short Dadu(Grandpa) “
This meant a quiet, quick and an enjoyable haircut.
Here, the Barber , my wife and My son Dhruv all got what they wanted!!
Synopsis
Win-Win situation for all.
Cost of Cadbury’s Éclairs Chocolate saved.
Quick time haircut.
When, the Haircut, was monitored, by my wife, Shree.
L-R Shree, Dhruv, Divya & her friend Nandini Tamil Selvan
21st April 1998 Dhruv’s 1st Birthday
The Cake is by Monginis in the shape of No. 1
Location
Flat E-13, Sati Krupa Society
Syndicate Bank Quarters
Garodia Nagar
Ghatkopar (East)
Mumbai
Ok, that was too much of a biography.
Let me come straight to the point.
Now for a moment,
Substitute Dhruv, with the Voter of my country Bharat that is India.
The suggesting neighbour by The Media, intelligentsia and arm chair critics.
The cheek pinching ladies by Civil Society, putting a spoke in everything for the sake of opposition,
like the BJP and TMC, poking its nose in an area not its domain.
The Barber by A Cabinet Minister, whose job is to deliver what the child(voter) wants.
Me by MMS ( who doesn’t know how to handle the situation ).
My wife Shree by an effective PM like Indira Gandhi or P.V. Narasimha Rao or Atal Behari Vajpayee.
Did you get the Message?
Leave the Government (Barber)
Elected by the Indian Voter (Dhruv)
Have an effective functional Prime Minister (Shree not me!!!)
Supervise the country.
Civil Society, MSM, Media, Opposition
(Cheek pinching aunty and suggesting neighbour)
As compared to Euro zone, Greece, Spain, Italy, France and USA
Our growth numbers are better
As compared to China and German
Our Numbers are less southbound
Lay off let the country be governed as per the mandate
The Federal states can demand what they want
But unless the country Policy Paralysis doesn’t end
We all sink and sail together
As David Cameron suggested to Greece
“Make up or Break up“
Perform or Perish
The future generations will curse you otherwise
Jai Hind
Moral of the story : “ Too Many Cooks Spoil The Broth “
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