18 yearold Process

I am Chandra, 19 years old and I am doing my engineering in a prestigious institution.

      In south India every child gets his or her first head shave in temple when they are one are two years old, but I haven’t got my head shave till last month. As like other family my family members also planned to shave my head when I was one year old in my family temple, but my father didn’t allow for it because he got more love and affection on me since I am her only daughter. My mother was forcing my father to accept for my head shave but he didn’t and the same problem went on for years then she too stopped talking about this.

     The problem starts when my parents went to see my family astrologer with my horoscope to clear some doubts regarding my higher studies. He told, there is a barrier from our family god and it will not allow me to get married and this can be solved only by redoing the process which had been left 19 years ago they were shocked to hear this especially my father. They consulted me about this problem and I told I will accept for anything because I know they will do only good for me. Keeping my future in mind they kept my head shave after one week in my family temple and they announced it to my relatives and to my uncle.

    The day came and we went to our temple early in the morning since this is a delayed family function most of my relatives came. I felt shy to sit and take a shave in front of them but I have to take on. I was in my half saree and my mom told me not to put braid just keep it in ponytail and that will be easy for the barber. I was talking with my friends that I haven’t shaved my head since my childhood and that could be one of the reasons for my hair to grow long and thick and I also shared my fear about my shave to them. 

      My servant came there to call me to come near river where all are waiting for me. I went, there was huge crowd and in the center there were two men’s sitting, one is my uncle (mother’s brother) and the other is barber who is busy in inserting a new blade in his straight edge razor.  Once I went there my mother kept some flowers in my head and asked me to sit in my uncle’s lap because these are the procedures that are to be followed while shaving first time.

        Barber came near me and removed my hair band from my pony tail and he applied water since my hair is long it took some time for him to wet it completely. During that time I saw many people some make fun of me, some pity on me, some tensed on me, but my daddy was not there in the crowd. Once my hair is completely wet barber asked me to bend down. Then he parted my hair into two and makes two bun of hair out of them.

   Water droplets were falling from my hair then he kept the straight edge razor on my head and started to move slowly. I can feel the running of razor in my head for the first time. In five min my first bun of hair fell in my lap then it rolled to my uncle’s lap and then it went to ground in another three min rest of my hair came to my lap and then reached ground. He then moved the razor once again for a clean shave.

  Then I stood up wiping out the hairs from my half saree. I went to take bath after my bath they applied sandal in my head. Then they asked me to come to temple, with a bald head and a new dress I went to temple they were waiting for me to put ears stug then they put one hole in each ear and they inserted a newly made gold . There ends the festival, then I searched my father he was sitting upset when he saw me he started crying and he told he is responsible for all these and  I convinced him that I can understand you and this is not your fault and I told him that you are the best daddy in the world.