Pankajneeraj
My gundu desire
Ever since I was a teenager, I had a desire to get my head shaved fully (gundu) at Tirumala, like so many people do. But my parents firmly ruled it out saying “In our family, there is no haircut for women.” I was disappointed. But what could I do than just agree meekly?
After marriage, I thought of seeking permission for my gundu from my in-laws. That I worked in Post Office did not bother me at all. But on second thought, I postponed it year after year fearing a rude denial from my assistant professor m-i-l. I did not want a hair thing to muddy the waters putting my m-i-l against me. I let the relationship blossom first. In three years, I popped out first a son, Sukumar and then a daughter, Ramya.
When Sukumar completed two years, his mundan ceremony was done at home with all religiosity. And I was very happy to see his cute bald head. At that time Ramya was just 3 months old. I dreamt of making Ramya also bald when she would complete 2 years. But that would be a dream only, since in my in-laws’ family also, there was no haircut for females.
Surprisingly, when Ramya completed two years – she had a slight curl in her hair – my m-i-l said “Kavita, I suggest that we do mundan for Ramya also. As per scriptures, it is to be done for both boys and girls. I do not know when in our family the practice has been changed. I have spoken to your f-i-l and Rajesh. Both have happily agreed. What is your opinion on this? If you don’t like it, I won’t force it. But don’t regret when a teenage Ramya comes home with a bob cut or some such thing.” And she giggled. Rajesh is my husband, working in a private manufacturing unit as an engineer.
I was very happy to hear what she said. “Atte (addressing my m-i-l), I am very happy about your suggestion. Shall we do it in Tirumala? Sukumar also can be tonsured there along with Ramya.”
M-i-l said “Yes, you are right. We can do it in Tirumala. But I and your f-i-l have a different view on this. When I was your age, I had a desire to get a gundu in Tirumala. But my in-laws firmly ruled it out. My m-i-l said then ‘not till I am alive’. Though they are no more, I don’t want to bely their expectation on this about myself. But you are our responsibility. So, can I at least get the satisfaction of seeing you getting a nice gundu in Tirumala, if you don’t have any objection? You have mid back long hair which will grow back in about 2 years.”
I could not believe my ears. I got something I badly wanted for long, without asking for it. How can I forego such a nice opportunity? With tears of joy, I hugged my m-i-l and said “Thank you, atte, thank you. I asked for it from my parents and they said no. I was afraid of a bad reaction from you and so, kept that desire to myself so far. Oh, I will be ever so happy to do this!”
M-i-l said “But you should grow it back fully without going for bob cut, boy cut, etc. That is the condition of Rajesh. Is that ok for you?”
“Fully ok for me, atte. But, your m-i-l had said not till she is alive. Now, you can also join and fulfil your desire. It will be nice to see three generations of females of this family with round and smooth heads!” I said with a giggle. My f-i-l supported me and said “Go ahead, Radha (my m-i-l’s name). It will be nice to see you as a baldy. I can call you ‘Bodi Radha’” and giggled.
But my m-i-l said with a shy smile “Certainly not this time. Let this new trend start not from me at least.”
Tirumala gundu
Two weeks later, we were in Tirumala and barring my m-i-l, the remaining five got fully and nicely tonsured. Seeing little Ramya becoming a cute bald toddler was one type of joy. But when the barber’s razor scraped away my wet hair, it was just heaven for me. I silently prayed to Lord Venkateshwara that let more such happy occasions come in my life when I offer my hair fully to Him once in a few years and enjoy a bald head.
Just as much as me, if not more, my m-i-l was on cloud nine looking at a bald me. Caressing my smooth dome once in a while “Kavita, how beautiful you look like this! I would like to call you Gundamma!” she said. I said proudly “Sure, atte! I will be happy to be called as Gundamma by near and dear ones, even after I get back long hair!” Since then, all my folks – in-laws, parents, brother, a few close friends and even my kids call me ‘Gundamma’.
I went to my Post Office with my head exposed. My two colleagues, both female, welcomed a bald me happily. No customers made any adverse comments. I came back home with a happy face.
Ramya’s hair, with the slight curl in it, grew fast. In about 6 months, her hair was about 3 inches long. But it would not sit close to her scalp but showed up as a curly mess. Yet it looked cute on her, though it was difficult to manage.
Another six months passed. My and Ramya’s hair had grown to around six inches. A second gundu for Ramya was anyway necessary. M-i-l said “Gundamma, why don’t you also get a second gundu along with Ramya?” Being a gundu lover, how could I let go of such an opportunity? So, myself and Ramya were fully shaved smooth again in a local temple. After that we did not cut her or my hair again. I got my mid back straight hair in less than three years. Ramya also got good length for her age. But her curly hair was apparent and could be contained only if significant length was there, which she got in about two years after her second gundu.
Five years passed. I told m-i-l “It is five years since I and Ramya had our second gundu. Shall we have a Tirumala gundu now?” By now she had retired as a professor about a year ago. I told her “But this time, you can’t say no, atte. I have already opened the innings and got tonsured twice. This time you must get tonsured. You can treat it as forced by me, if you so wish. I will take the responsibility of the ‘sin’ of forcing you to do gundu. But you have to enjoy becoming a baldy along with us this time.” After some hooing and hawing and some pressure from my f-i-l and Rajesh, she agreed with a shy smile.
First Family Gundu
So that summer, all the six became bald in Tirumala. I was very happy like last time, no doubt. It was the first one for Ramya after she came to ‘knowing age’. She also was very happy. But, this being her first-ever gundu, m-i-l was ecstatic after getting tonsured fully. She hugged me, kissed my bald head and said “Thank you, Gundamma, for forcing me into this. This feels and looks so good even at this age!” I suggested a five year cycle of family gundu which was happily agreed to by my in-laws and husband.
Ramya was 8 years at that time. Her curly hair grew fast into a mess in the first few months. She was entering 3rd standard and generally she used to be an obedient kid. So, I and my m-i-l could manage to comb it and put hair clips to keep it to close to her scalp and she kept those clips in place till she came back from school. We did not face any problem then.
Another 5 years passed bringing the next cycle of Tirumala gundu. Ramya had completed 13 years and class 7. She was to join 8th standard the next academic year. By then she had grown her hair to her midback. Though some curl was there in it, because of the length, it could be contained easily in braids.
In April of that year, the six of us went to Tirumala and all the six became baldies again. It was a surprising coincidence at the Post Office that when I entered the office with my smooth dome, my senior, an amiable lady called Sulochana, also appeared in fresh gundu head. She had been transferred as Post Master of this Office a couple of months before. Seeing both the ladies in fresh gundu heads a few regular customers had remarked jokingly whether this was the new ‘uniform’ for ladies in Post Office. Later Sulochana madam had remarked “if only my daughter-in-law also gets a gundu like this, I would be on cloud nine. I, my husband and my son – all pleaded with her to get it done along with us and her kids. But she firmly refused it. In fact, I and my son want her to keep a nice and short boy cut on a regular basis. But she refuses.”
About a month later, Ramya entered her 8th standard class with about half an inch long hair. It looked so cute on her. But three months later, her hair, by now about three inches long, looked a messy mass around her head if not held down by clips. She plays basketball in the school three days a week. She would go to school with the hair neatly oiled, combed and clipped into place and by the time she returned either the clips would have fallen off or she would have removed them or some such thing. And so, most of the days by the time she came home, her curly hair would look a mess. Once I scolded her “Look Ramya, if you can’t keep the clips in place, I will shave your head again.” I was taken aback when she laughed it off saying “You can do anything as long as you do the same thing to your hair” and ran away to her friends. I was afraid that one day the school would complain.
Ramya’s class teacher complains
And it happened. Her class teacher Rekha madam called me one day, a Wednesday, to drop in after school hours. I and Rajesh met her in the evening. On seeing me Rekha, about my age, said with a bright smile “Oh, you also got a gundu along with your daughter, is it?” I smiled brightly and said “Yes, madam. It is a 5 yearly family gundu in our house. All the six of us – my husband, myself, my two kids and my in-laws got tonsured in Tirumala in April this year.”
She said “Oh, so nice to hear! I wish I had the courage to do it once. Anyway, your daughter, Ramya is a nice and bright kid. We have no complaints against her. But her hair becomes a mess by afternoon. What she does with her hair clips, God knows. She has to learn to keep them in place and if they come out for whatever reason, she has to learn to put them back. With tight class schedule, she may not find time for that. She will not be able to grow a good braidable length in the near future, either. And going about with such a messy hair looks odd in the school atmosphere.”
We were worried. Rajesh asked her “What is your suggestion, madam?”
Rekha said “Hair straightening, gel etc. can be tried. But at this young age, it will make her a spendthrift. It is better to cut it into a short boycut in a barbershop which you can do once in four or five weeks. Personally, I would vote for the boycut option. But continuing with the present situation of her hair appearing a mess is not acceptable.”
Rajesh looked worried. I said “Madam, give us a couple of days. We will decide and tell you”. And she agreed.
Back home, my in-laws were initially shocked to learn what Rekha madam had told us. There were various views on the situation. Ramya said that she would be very happy to get a monthly boycut but she was insistent that I also get the same at least for a few months, if not for as long as her. My efforts to convince her otherwise was futile. So I gave in and said that I was for Ramya’s and hence my own boycut.
None of the other three elders was happy with boycut for us. It took all my negotiating skills to soften their views and bring them around to accepting it for the sake of Ramya’s academics and sports career. Finally, the three reluctantly agreed. Rajesh put a condition of maximum six months of boycut for me. After that I should grow it long till our next family gundu.
Sulochana’s suggestion for skin fade boy cut
The next day, I told Sulochana madam about the boy cut proposal. I told her “Madam, I would like to grow it long till our next family gundu. But my daughter is insistent that I also do it if she has to get it done. And our efforts to convince her otherwise have been futile. I don’t know what to do”. Madam appeared ecstatic. “Oh nice, Kavita! Get it done happily without linking it to your daughter’s requirement, dear!” In her mobile, she searched out a video of a lady of my age getting a boy cut with a machine in a barbershop. Showing it to me, she said “We want our daughter-in-law to keep a hairdo like this. She refuses even to trim her hair a little. But you can do this, dear. It will feel and look fantastic.” I was shocked at first. But I did feel that the lady in the video really looked fine with such a short haircut. The machine had removed all the hair on back and sides to the skin and tapered nicely to the top short hair – a male ‘machine cut’ which normally is worn by my husband and f-i-l. Shyly, I got the video copied to my mobile.
Back home, I told Rajesh and in-laws about my conversation with Sulochana madam and showed them the video. Rajesh, an inveterate lover of long hair on me, was speechless for a while. Finally, he said “Gundamma, convey my thanks to Sulochana madam. I never knew that a pucca male hairstyle like this could look so elegant on a female. I am waiting to see you and Ramya in this style!”
My and Ramya’s boycuts
The following Sunday, Rajesh took a saree clad me and frock clad Ramya to the barbershop at 6 am, hoping that no one else would come so early. He had talked to the barber the previous day about getting boycuts for his wife and daughter and so would not like a crowd ogling at them. He had also showed the video and told the barber how the haircut should be.
But a few gents were already waiting for their own haircuts or shave. I wanted to go back and come later. But Rajesh said “Oh, come on Gundamma. This is something you will have to face one day or the other” and pushed me into the chair. The barber put the white cloth around my torso and tucked the ends into my blouse at the back.
Then he combed my three inch long hair neatly, took a red coloured machine plugged to an electric outlet and switched it on. It started humming a ‘zzzzz’ sound. I became a bit nervous. Then he bent my head fully forward and ran the humming machine on my nape upwards. As the machine (called ‘clippers’) started cutting hair the sound changed to ‘chrrrr’. But the feeling on my skin was ecstatic. I ignored the ogling eyes and started enjoying the haircut. After peeling off the hair close to the skin on my nape and sides, he scissored the top hair into a nice combable shape with a nice taper to the back and sides. He once more ran the machine on my back and sides after removing the black plastic guard. This time the hair was peeled to the skin making it bald, as in the video. The feeling I got was also very good. As I got down from the chair, I was shy and ecstatic at the same time. Rajesh’s eyes were sparkling with pride looking at me. Ramya was also happy to see me like that.
Next the same haircut was given to Ramya by the same barber. She was also ecstatic with her machine cut. By now two more barbers had joined work and the barbershop was busy like a beehive.
Back home, my in-laws could not contain their giggle looking at us. But both agreed that this cut looks excellent on me and I should keep it forever. Ramya also was very happy with my and her own clipper boycut and the nice feeling it gave on caressing the bald back and sides. She declared that she would keep the style irrespective of what I would do.
Strangely, Rajesh declared in front of his parents, “Gundamma, this looks so good on you that I am withdrawing my 6 month limit on this. You will be a boycut lady henceforth, save for a five yearly gundu”. Soon after lunch, he dragged me to our bedroom and fucked me well, disregarding that it was not night but midday. I was also quite horny with his appreciation of my hairdo and happily got fucked in all my three holes. About 10 hours later, he repeated the ‘treatment’ in the night again.
At the Post Office, Sulochana madam was very happy to see me in the haircut that she desired. At her school, all the staff including Rekha madam congratulated Ramya on her bold yet appropriate haircut and urged her to maintain it. In fact, on knowing from Ramya that I also had got a similar cut, Rekha wanted to see me once. So the next day evening I met her at the school and Rekha was all smiles seeing me in my clipper boycut. She said “Madam, you look excellent in this get up and you are an example for a healthy mix of tradition and modernity. Keep it up, madam. And we are very happy that you took our advice to get Ramya a nice boy cut. I hope that she will also keep it like that.”
Since then, I and Ramya go to the men’s saloon once in four or five weeks and get our clipper boycuts renewed. It is two years since our first boy cut. We continue to get it done about once a month and we enjoy the clipper ride immensely. Ramya is very happy with it since she can concentrate on studies and sports without any hassle. As for me, people have become so habituated with my clippered skin fade boycut look that it is difficult for them to imagine a Kavita with an overgrown boycut, let alone a braided Kavita.
