Legendary Head Shave Tales
Prema sat cross-legged on her bed, the study lamp casting a warm glow on her textbooks. Her curly hair was pulled into a high ponytail, swaying slightly every time she shifted pages. It was supposed to be a night of revision for her SSLC science exam, but her mind wandered — black holes, time warps, mirror worlds… the kind of topics that always pulled her in deeper. With a soft “Ayyo, what to study these,” she laughed to herself and reached for her old science experiment box kept in the corner.
Carefully, she tied her hair up into a messy bun her “serious thinking” hairstyle — and opened her laptop, scrolling through strange but fascinating sci-fi forums. She wasn’t trying to do anything big, just a little experiment she saw online. Maybe some light reflections, a homemade magnetic circuit, or timing pulses, but something went off. A sharp flicker, the lights buzzed strangely, and a low hum filled the air. She blinked. “Yappa… what’s happening?” she whispered, but before she could even move, the room felt like it was spinning.
Everything faded into a blur. When she opened her eyes, the world was silent. She was lying on cool stones, a breeze brushing against her cheek. Her head ached slightly, and her hands trembled as she pushed herself up. Around her was nothing familiar — just the quiet hilltop behind what looked like her school, but… different. Whiter rocks, slightly glowing sky, a strange stillness in the air. She sat up slowly, blinking at the setting sun, heart beating faster.
“Is this some dream…?” she muttered. But the pebbles under her felt real, the chilly wind too. She looked around again, panic rising in her chest but still trying to stay calm. “Let me just go home first… then think,” she whispered to herself, dusting her clothes and adjusting her ponytail. But deep inside, something had shifted — and she could already feel it. Prema carefully made her way down the hillside, brushing off her clothes and steadying herself. The streets below looked oddly familiar — like her Yelahanka, but too polished, too silent.
No honking, no street dogs, not even a tea stall calling out for customers. As she walked through the lane, she noticed something odd. The women walking by — all had bald heads. At first she thought it might be some group ritual or festival. But then she noticed the men too… and the kids. “Yenri… everyone?” she whispered, blinking. She passed by a bus stop. A group of teenage girls stood there chatting and laughing, completely bald, smooth shiny scalps glowing in the streetlight like it was the most normal thing in the world.
No one wore caps or scarves, they all walked proudly, like this was normal. Something was definitely not right. Further ahead, her heart skipped a beat. She saw a barbershop — not one, but many, lined up one after another like ATMs. Inside, women sat smiling as barbers calmly shaved their heads with razors. Posters on the glass walls showed happy bald families, smiling children holding tubs of “Scalp Cream” and “Shine Oil.” “Yene dream thane idu…”
she muttered, quickly lowering her gaze. That’s when a huge black van rolled by, slow and quiet. Inside were a few people — both men and women. Their expressions were tense. A label on the van read “Hair Regulation Patrol-7.” Prema gasped and hid behind electricity box, heart thudding. “Ayyo, if they see me…?” she whispered. She tightened her bun and rushed toward the street that led to her house — or at least, where it used to be. Her legs moved fast, her mind even faster. Where am I? What is this world? And why… is hair a problem here?
Prema finally reached the familiar lane where her house once stood. Her breath quickened as she climbed the last few steps to the gate, but something felt… wrong. The nameplate was different. The colour of the door, Curtains she’d never seen before swayed gently from the open windows. She hesitated, her heart thudding, then slowly pushed the gate and stepped inside. “Amma?” she called out, voice trembling. A young girl opened the door, looking puzzled. “Appa, yaaro bandiddare,” she said. An older man stepped forward unfamiliar.
“Who are you, kanna?” he asked gently. Before Prema could speak, her vision blurred, her knees gave in, and everything faded to white. When she woke up, she was lying on a soft bed in that same house. A woman with a shaved head sat beside her, dabbing her forehead with a cloth. “Yenaythu, magu? You fainted,” she said kindly. The man, Raj, sat on a chair nearby. “Don’t be scared. I’m Raj, this is Rani, my wife. And those are our daughters—Kavya, Smitha, and Danya.” Prema blinked, confused. Raj’s voice lowered. “Twenty years ago,
I made a mistake. An experiment… like yours, maybe. It pulled us into this dimension. We’ve been living here ever since.” Rani nodded, brushing her smooth head. “This world is different, kanna. Hair is seen as dangerous, even illegal. Everyone lives bald — by rule.” Prema touched her ponytail, a pity growing in her stomach. “You’ll have to shave too,” Raj said softly. She didn’t respond at first, just stared at the tiled floor. “I… I don’t know if I can,” she whispered. “It’s okay,” Rani replied, voice warm. “We’ll help you. It’s strange, yes… but you’ll get used to it. We did.”
Prema looked away, biting her lip. Somewhere between fear and disbelief, her heart quietly prepared for what was to come. Once Rani and Raj quietly stepped out, the three girls gathered around Prema with gentle smiles. Kavya sat beside her,“We know it’s all too much, Prema,” Smitha said softly, “but trust us, it won’t be as bad as you think.” Danya chuckled, brushing her own scalp, “First time we cried like anything, but now we like it, ya!” Kavya reached out and playfully tapped Prema’s curls.
“This will go, yes… but you’ll feel lighter, like floating.” Prema gave a faint smile, still unsure. “But I don’t even know how I ended up here… and now this?” Her voice trembled. Kavya nodded gently. “We felt the same. But this world… it doesn’t wait. If you hold on to hair, you’ll be in danger.” There was no pressure in their voices, only understanding. After a long pause, Prema looked down at her lap and whispered, “Okay… let’s do it.” Her chest felt heavy, but her words were clear. A wooden chair was placed in the middle of the room.
Rani stood behind her with a small bowl of warm water and a safety razor in hand. “Close your eyes, kanna,” she said gently, dipping her fingers into the water and wetting Prema’s crown. Smitha and Kavya stood on either side — scissors in hand — while Danya knelt beside the chair holding a towel, eyes wide with silent excitement. With practiced ease, Rani untied Prema’s ponytail and let the hair fall loosely over her shoulders. The first snip came from Smitha, cutting off a thick chunk from the left side, followed by Kavya cutting the right.
Prema sat still, biting her lower lip as she felt the weight of her hair lighten with each motion. “Ayyo, she had such thick hair,” Rani commented, as she gently began scraping the razor from the centre. “Slowly ma, from top to down. Use warm water,” she instructed her daughters. Rani chuckled lightly, “Namma house now full shining heads, no need for combs anymore.” Prema blinked at her reflection in the mirror nearby, half her scalp smooth, the other side still heavy with curls — her expression was unreadable.
Bit by bit, the strands fell in soft tufts to the floor, Danya carefully brushing them aside with a cloth. As Rani reached the sides and back, she kept wiping the razor and wetting the scalp again and again for a clean finish. “Once or twice a week you should shave, Prema. Illi, no time for growing it,” she said smoothing Prema’s half-shaved scalp with her palm. “It’ll itch less if you keep it smooth, kanna.” When the final stroke was done, and her entire scalp shone under the light, Rani softly wiped her clean with the towel.
Prema slowly raising her hand and touching her bald head for the first time, her palm gliding across unfamiliar skin — smooth, bare, and strangely peaceful. The morning air was cool as Prema stepped out of the bathroom, towel slung over her shoulder, water droplets still glistening on her freshly shaved scalp. She’d taken her first full bath with a bald head, and it felt… oddly refreshing. As she rubbed her head slowly with both palms. “Yen maga, I look like one boiled egg,” she giggled to herself, eyes scanning the streets below.
The entire city, just like the day before, bustled with people — all smooth-scalped, from toddlers to grandmas. It didn’t feel as strange now. “This world really hates hair, haan,” she muttered, letting the breeze hit her face. Her hand stayed on her head, her fingers running circles. “But, namge yeno ishta aagta ide… not bad,” she whispered, smiling faintly. She leaned on the balcony railing, Her mind drifted — to her own world, to her parents, her school, her science books, and the bed where she used to study until late night. “What would Amma say if she saw me like this?”
she thought with a soft laugh. “Ayyo Prema, yen madidya! You and your science head.” The memory made her grin wider. She scratched her scalp lightly — no dandruff, no oil, no mess. Just smooth and light. Prema ran her fingers over her smooth scalp one more time, this time with a sense of playful pride. “Sari Prema, idu neenu now,” she said softly, letting a small smile creep onto her face. The breeze tickled her head, and she tilted her face toward the sun like it was blessing her new life.
“Yenamma, maybe I’ll marry some bald handsome fellow here only… raise one smooth-headed family,” she chuckled, half-joking, half-serious. The thought didn’t scare her anymore. No mirrors to hide from, no past to chase. Just this strange world, with strange rules, and a version of herself she never thought she’d meet — brave, bald, and ready to begin again.
