Dream come true headshave part 2

Mom stood up and was rubbing her freshly shaved head. My aunt (Ganga) and aunt (Bujji) were staring at how clean the shave was. I set aside the hair I had cut from Mom’s head, took the razor, replaced the old blade with a fresh one, and waited. My aunt Ganga was still busy rubbing Mom’s bald head in fascination.

N (Ravi): "That’s enough looking. Who’s next? It’s getting late, let’s get on with it."

G & P: "Yes, we’re coming," they said, finally letting go of Mom’s head.

As my aunt Bujji was about to sit down, Ganga stopped her.

G: "Bujji, wait. I’ll go first."

P: "Okay, sister-in-law."

G: "I don't want to be the very last one," Ganga said as she sat in front of me.

I adjusted my position, held her head, tilted it forward, and began unbraiding her hair. Seeing this, Mom stepped in to help unbraid it. Once it was open, I gave her scalp a good massage. Ganga remained silent. I took a mug of water and poured it over her head. Since she had very long hair that touched the floor even while sitting, the water only wet the top layer. I realized this wouldn't work, so I tucked one hand under the hair and poured water with the other, scrubbing thoroughly. The cold water made Ganga shiver.

After the massage, I asked Mom to divide Ganga's hair into two sections. While Mom did that, I tried to put rubber bands on the sections to make pigtails, but her hair was so long I struggled. Mom stepped in to help.

P (Bujji): "Sister, this looks exactly like the Kalyana Katta (temple tonsure hall)! One person shaves while the other ties the hair. You two should apply for a job there—Ravi can shave, and you can tie the pigtails!"

Everyone laughed. Ganga joined in, teasing Mom: "Yes, Sister-in-law, she’s right!"

Mom got a bit annoyed at the teasing and pulled Ganga’s pigtails tightly.

G: "Ouch! Sister, I was just joking!"

A (Mom): "Wait until your head is shaved, then I'll deal with you."

Ignoring their banter, I took the razor and held Ganga's face. We made eye contact. As I placed the razor on her forehead, I could see the tension in her face.

N: "Aunt, I’m starting. Say 'Govinda'."

She didn't say anything but closed her eyes tightly. I started shaving from the forehead toward the back. Because her hair was well-soaked, the razor glided smoothly. I noticed tears welling up in her eyes, so I slowed down. Mom comforted her, saying, "It’s okay, it will grow back."

I finished the front and the area around the ears. Then I moved to her face. Without asking, I applied water to her upper lip area. She opened her eyes. As I shaved her upper lip, she looked overwhelmed. I then moved to her chin. I tilted her head up to shave the neck and chin area. She reached up with one hand to feel the half-shaved part of her head. Finally, I asked her to turn around. I soaked the back hair again. She was fidgeting.

N: "Aunt, don't move. You might get a cut."

G: "Okay," she said, bending her head forward.

I shaved off the pigtails one by one and handed them to her. To make sure it was perfectly smooth, I ran the razor over her head twice more. When I told her it was finished, she stood up, holding her severed pigtails, and cried a little. Mom and Bujji comforted her. Eventually, she wiped her tears and started laughing while holding her hair against her bald head.

N: "Aunt Bujji, your turn. Come quickly."

P: "Coming," she said, unbraiding her hair as she sat down.

I applied water and massaged her scalp. Like the others, she had long hair, so Mom helped.

G: "Sister, let me do it," Ganga said, taking over from Mom to divide Bujji's hair. I gave Ganga the rubber bands, and she tied the pigtails quite tightly. I started shaving while Bujji kept chanting "Govinda, Govinda." I used the same technique I used for Mom, starting from the middle. Bujji had some shorter hairs on the side that kept sticking to her back, so I went slowly.

When the top was done, I prepared to shave her face. She stopped me and said, "Just the upper lip, leave the chin." I shaved her upper lip while she held her nose up. Ganga was laughing while Bujji remained silent. Then, she turned around. I shaved the pigtails and handed them to her; she placed them in her lap. After two smoothing passes, she stood up and rubbed her bald head. Suddenly, Ganga playfully tapped Bujji on her bald head.

P: "Ouch! Why did you do that?"

G: "That’s for suggesting my son-in-law should work at the temple shaving heads!"

P: "It was just a joke! You’re really looking out for your son-in-law, aren't you?"

G: "He’s my son-in-law, I'll do what I want."

A: "Will you two stop it?"

Mom told everyone to put the hair aside and get ready to go to the river to bathe before heading to the temple.

G: "What do we do with the hair, Sister?"

A: "We will take it to the temple and offer it in the hundi."

I packed the razor and blades into the bag to return them to the shop lady. We found her near the river.

Shopkeeper: "Is the shaving done?"

A: "Yes, all done. Here are your tools."

While we were returning the tools, another woman (A2, around 40+) and her daughter (Rani, around 18+) approached us.

A2: "Sister, where did you get your heads shaved? They said the Kalyana Katta is closed today."

A: "That’s true."

A2: "Then how did you manage?"

A: "We borrowed tools from this shop and did it ourselves."

A2: "Who did the shaving?"

Mom hesitated for a second, not wanting to admit it was her son, but then said, "My son did it for us."

A2: "Oh, I see. We came from Guntur to fulfill a vow, but everything is closed. We have a train tonight and don't know what to do."

A: "That's a problem... well, if you are okay with it, I can ask my son to shave your heads too. We were in the same situation earlier."

A2: (To her daughter) "Rani, is that okay with you?"

R: "Yes, Mom."

We went to the river steps. I went back to the shop to get the razor again. The mother had short hair (likely from a previous shave months ago), while the daughter had mid-back length hair.

I started with the mother. Since her hair was short, it was easy. I massaged her scalp and began shaving from the center. She was very cooperative, moving her head exactly how I needed. I shaved her front and then tilted her head way down to do the back. The water and small hairs ran down her shoulders and onto her saree. Once finished, she went to the river to wash her head.

Then it was Rani's turn. She looked nervous.

N: "Come here."

R: "Mom, stay right next to me."

A (Mom): "Don't worry, girl. Sit in your mother's lap so you don't move."

Rani sat in her mother's lap. Mom asked her name. "Rani," she whispered. I unbraided her hair and gave her a thorough massage. I tied her hair into pigtails and placed the razor on her head.

A2: "Rani, say Govinda."

As I made the first stroke, a white patch of scalp appeared. Her skin was very fair. Tears started flowing down her face. Her mother held her head firmly so she wouldn't get cut. I finished the front and the sides. Then, she turned around. As I shaved the pigtails, I handed them to her. She held her own hair and cried quietly.

N: "Is it smooth enough, or should I go over it again?"

R: "I don't know..." She rubbed her head. "Maybe the back... it feels a bit rough."

I tilted her head forward and gave the back a final, smooth shave.

After everyone was finished, I cleaned the tools and returned them. We all bathed in the river and got ready. We went to a stall to apply sandalwood paste (gandham) to the bald heads. I applied it to Mom, Ganga, and Bujji. Then, the other lady asked me to apply it to them as well. Rani lowered her head and waited for me to apply the paste.

After visiting the temple, we all had lunch together. Mom took their phone numbers, and now we all go to the festival together every year.

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