Punishment Head Shave for Son by Alois

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This is the story of a father and a son who lives in my neighborhood. I met the boy in the playground two days ago. He had a shaved head with 2 days grown stubble hair. I called him to come closer to me. With a huge shy he slowly came towards me, on the way he tried to hide his bald head with his hands. He looked too disappointed. I understood that somebody forced him to shave his head. He told me how and why did he shave is head. I wrote a story including all his experiences.

The boy and his father lived alone in a small cottage opposite to my house. The boy is 12yr old and his father is in his early 40’s. Unlike all others his father is very strict, short tempered and harsh. The boy is really afraid of his father, his father has rude behaviour in society also. The boy so is obedient than all other boys in his age who lived in my neighborhood He is good in his studies and has a matured behaviour. He looks cute with his fairer completion and black hair. I always feel that the life of the boy with his father is pathetic. Afraid of his father he doesn’t get involved in anything else other than studies. I often invite him to my home for spending time with him hearing all his stories. He once told me that his greatest enemy is his father’s bamboo stick which he used to beat the boy.

The boy belongs to a typical Indian family, his dressing style, action etc... resembles Indian classic look. He is too conscious of his hair. He always maintain a medium length hair, oiled and carefully brushed to sides. I always notice him brushing his hair with hands once in every 20 mins. He loved his hair, but sometimes his father forces him for a short haircut. He looks gloomy and disappointed after a short haircut.

During the time of his quarterly examination, his father told him to come in top 5 of the class. The boy usually gets a 8th or 9th position in class out of 70 students. He told he wrote exam well and he is expecting a 5th or 6th position. At an evening after exams, seeing the grown up hair of his son father asked him to get a haircut the next morning itself. The boy also felt that his hair is grown and decided to get it cut. But the next morning the boy woke up late. He doesn’t have time for haircut since he is already late for school. He decided to get it cut at evening and left to school.

At school, the report card of the quarterly examination was given. The boy was shocked to see his rank. He came to 17th position, and it was first time in his life to get a bad position like this. He was disappointed and was too afraid of his father. At Evening, he showed his report card to his father and stood beside his father with bow head. The father got mad and burst like hell on him. He slapped his face, pulled his hair and threw him towards the wall. The boy went to room and lay at bed crying. After sometimes the boy stood up and went near to mirror, he started brushing his messed up hair with comb, his father suddenly came to room seeing him brushing his hair. He shouted at the boy

‘You Disobedient IDIOT!!, I told you to cut your hair today morning right??? Why didn’t you cut your hair?? You are only thinking about you beauty and hair now a days and not about your studies. I understand that your beauty conscious is making you backward in studies. Come on I know what to do!!!’

He pulled the boy’s hand and dragged him out of house and dumped him into the car. The boy had no idea where they are going. His father suddenly stopped in front of a barbershop. The boy understood that he is going to get a shorter haircut now. One chair in barbershop was empty and the boy was seated there. The boy touched his hair and brushed it before he got capped. From behind his father told in a bolder sound

‘Evanukku mottai pottiru’ which meant to shave the boy’s head in tamil language.

The boy got shocked, he turned around and looked at his father’s face. The father was so adamant on his decision and told that this was his punishment.

The boy sat with a tear filled eyes. The barber soon took a mug of water and sprayed it on the boys head with his hand, and then he massage the boys head. The boy’s hair was drenching, he took a straight razor, loaded it and started shaving from the middle part of the boys head. Soon the boy became complete bald. The barber again checks for any missed patches of hair with razor. At last he applied some after shave lotion to the boys head. Then told to the boy’s father that

‘Mottaikk nalla sandhanam vangi pooshikundungo’ Which meant to apply sandal paste on the boy’s shaved head. There is ritual in southern part of India to apply sandal paste after head shave, this is to make the head cool. The boy left really annoying to see his face and was too disappointed. They soon reached home. His father teased him by calling ‘mottai’ a 100 times. Mottai means shaved head in tamil. At night his father brought him a pack of ice cream to cool mind and a bottle of sandal powder to cool his head as barber said. His father mixed the sandal powder with cold water to make thick paste. He asked the boy to come after removing his shirt, since the sandal can litter his shirt. Father applied the thick sandal on the boy’s head. He felt too cool and he finally liked it.

The next day, the boy found an old cap to hide his bald head, he wore that and started going to school. His father found him wearing cap, he took the cap from boy’s head and threw it away. He said you should show your bald head to everybody and it is a part of the punishment. He also told the boy to apply sandal paste to his in order to protect the head from sun. At last the boy went bald and with sandal paste to school. His friends teased him a lot, his name was replaced with ‘mottai’. Even though too shy... the boy started coping with his hair

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