Outgrowth

The next day was Good Friday and unlike other media persons – who are destined to be on deadline every now and then – I had holiday plans. Though uncertainty is a part of my sun sign (cusp of Aquarius and Pisces), I felt more like a Gemini (derived from my interaction with my roommate).
A perfect day is all that I didn’t want…
Something haywire, something misplaced; something unplanned and something special… though none of it fits my thinking style. I am a control freak of a caliber unmatched by any architect. Letting go of life, every now and then, is just not my cup of tea.
But still, that ‘something’ was wanted like a splash of gold in the evening sky.
Now, with my line of thinking, watching back to back movies all night, till the realisation of the approaching dawn, is ‘something’ that matches my new found ‘let it go’ attitude.
The next morning we slept at 7 am, with a hope of rising up at 11 am for an appointment with the world’s best hairstylist. Naming them would be like dedicating this. So…I’ll keep the secret (don’t mind).
I, accompanied with another hostelite, reached Lower Parel around 1 pm. The going was good for the control freak part of me. “Have the cut, pass time at Pheonix and back to hostel,” is all that could be thought of.
Our waiting time at the stylist was nothing more than 20 min, during which we chatted about ladies’ hair, their random style of colouring, and learned a new word ‘nit’, yes… exactly. It’s the synonym of lice, but I didn’t know that till date. The person who was screening and checking the hair quality (mandatory to enter their quality lab) made sure that only a handful of us were selected for today’s experiment. Hmmm…‘something’ which my assumption said was an act to take away my ‘sati-savitri’ look.
My hair – long, curly at bottom, silky with their own natural styling – said, “I will reach waist length, just wait for two more months.”
But the stylist never pitied them. She (an Australian) was nothing less than a scientist who had already experimented with hair from all parts of the world. I felt like the Indian cricket team, and assumed stuff that could be cause for any girl’s nightmare.
“What if she cuts them too short, it doesn’t suit my face, what will happen to my hair quality... and many more,” said my conscious. I felt guilty of slaughter, guilty of ruining the ‘one’ holiday, guilty of ruining the ‘sati-savitri’, and guilty of making a friend part of all this.
I checked in (using that term since I felt like boarding a rough flight, all buckled up with oxygen masks ready to drop in). The room was large, lengthy, curtained with white shades giving a heavenly, yet hospital kind of look. Demographics of the eight ladies, including me, defined women thinking. Change, whatever your age may be, have ‘something’ new in life.
My stylist was a twin of mine. Controlled, decided and yet understanding. She knew what was in store and I was confused about her intent. Assumptions, anxiety can make or break things. She started with a water spray and I with bappa, wished I survive through this. Predicted the next 6 months till the hair grows back and observed the weirdest styles which popped out of a Paris magazine.
Soon the scissor started making noise, disturbing my meditation to withhold the urge to run out of that lab.
Half an hour later, the discussion about what will suit my face ended with a consensus over a change of the earlier style that I had (every meeting ends with another meeting date). Again I was praying and she was spraying. She performed different acts with her comb and I imagined about a documentary on hairstylists. Here, I was sure of one thing, she will be the lead only if…
I shouted, “I don’t like hair falling into my eyes (they are equally beautiful).”
After three and a half hour the experiment ended with the dryer, which was blowing out hot air (instead of me).

My my…look
Fluffy, bouncy, modern and yet manageable!
I’m the new me with style and the option to be back to the ‘sati-savitri’ every now and then.

Next, we walked to Pheonix Mills, had plans to watch any movie on the chart. But on the way in we saw a military training field set-up for recruitment into a new launch ‘Commando Force-dadagiri against terrorism’. We thought about participating but movie was a priority. So we rushed to the ticket counter when plans vanished and we took a U-turn to the recruitment venue.
The activity included tyre jumps, rope climbing, crawling and swings as hurdles. We were equipped with ankle pads, gloves and a helmet.

On the mark, get set, go!
I almost fell down twice, managed to complete the task with some cuts and bruises.
My timing was 1 min+ but Rajni accomplished it in 48 sec (remarkably she forgot to climb the swings).
We clicked photos with our gifts and were invited for auditions on April 6 (that invite was more for Rajni than me). But for us that moment inside the net was more than enough to add to the memory list.

Riding on thoughts
The next we were at Girgaum chowpatty (which was unplanned), after finishing our pastas and garlic bread (the cosmopolitan us). We climbed straight into the merry-go-round in a blue seat. The moment we were at the top, the view of the road to Worli, the Queen’s necklace at the back, cool breeze and the sound of the wave created an ambience that can’t compete with the view from any London Bridge. We waited almost 15 mins for the round to start as people were pouring in one by one. The rounds started and the butterflies started rolling. We shouted our hearts out and felt like kids, ready to take on the world.
The trip ended with train shopping (which both of us were waiting for since ages). The day had many ‘somethings’ and, that ‘something’ was achieved by an Aquarian, amidst speculation and anxiety (Piscean).