Head shave in temple (Tirupati)

This is the real experience of my friend who is from a typical Indian family. I have made it into a story.

"Daddy where are we going?" asked my 9 year old son when he saw me packing luggage at home.
My son and I live alone at home after I got divorced 4 years back. We had a very strong bonding between us above a father-son relationship. It was his summer vacation and therefore I planned a leisure trip for a great experience.
After packing luggage we are all set to go, there is a 16 hours drive to our first destination. I arranged a driver to accompany us since I cannot drive all through alone. My boy soon felt asleep on my lap during the first quarter of the journey. I remembered that I didn't reply to his question, I didn't yet let him know the destination of our journey. The long journey brought many of the old memories to my mind, especially my first head shave experience in my life.

A short flashback...
It was during my college days, all the great experience started those days including love, affection, bonding, alcohol, cigarettes and even my first head shave. Though I am from a typical hindu family in India who celebrates mundan ceremony(head shave ceremony) for all kids, I was never shaved when I was a kid. When I was grown(school days) all my relatives used to tell me about this. I always ignore my mother telling me to shave my head at least once.
I lived in hostel during my college days. During the 2nd year of my course I noticed that most of the guys started experimenting new hairstyle, the most prominent style among them was head shave. One day my only roommate Vignesh asked me to accompany him to the temple Tirupati where he has vowed to shave his head. I always thought of experiencing a head shave but I never got the situation and the courage to do that. Each time I went to barbershop for getting a head shave but I ended up with a medium or short haircut. I found that this is the best situation to shave my head and tirupati is the best place. I was more excited because I am not alone to shave head. When I told Vignesh that I am also ready to shave head at Tirupati he was super excited.
Soon we planned the trip for a weekend and we kept it secret from other friends since we want to surprise them. We reached Tirupati by 9 at morning. Tirupati is one of the biggest temple in india which is famous for ladoo(sweet) and mottai(head shave). 1000's of devotees come here and shave their head everyday as part of their vow or as a donation to Lord Venkat.
Our darshan(visiting) time was around 7 at evening.We decided to shave head around 5pm at evening.
We reached kalyankatta(place to shave head in Tirupati temple) at evening and took two tokens for head shave. We got two half blades along with our tokens. There was a huge crowd in kalyankatta(head shave hall) including good no of ladies. We waited in a queue for head shave. I was standing behind my friend in queue. Soon it was his turn, I felt like I was too near to my first head shave experience in life. The barber was too quick and he finished shaving Vignesh's head in less than 3 mins. Then my turn came, I removed my shirt and sat down with fold legs and bend head. Barber replaced the blade of the straight razor. He sprayed water on my head and rubbed it throughly and started shaving my head from middle. I was complete bald in no time, barber also shaved my mustache and beard. We also applied sandal paste to our bald head after taking bath in the holy pond. I could still remember the cold feeling of sandal paste on head. I picturised the night after my head shave. It was a great relief, relief from hair, tensions and everything.

I came to reality from flashback when my son woke up. He again asked me the same question.
"Where are we going dad?"
I replied "We are going to tirupati and we are going having great experience there"
"What experience dad?"
I brushed his hair and with my hands and said "We are going to take this off"
He stared at at me and shouted "daddy mottai??". Mottai means head shave in tamil language.
"daddy I don't want mottai, how can I face my friends?" he added.
"You have to shave your head at least once or else you will become bald soon(biggest lie), It is your summer vacation nobody is going to see you, by the time your school reopens you will have long hair." I said
He was not convinced yet he gave me remorse look and shouted "nooo...".
"You know I am also going to shave my head to give you a company, we will have lot of fun together there." After I said that he was little convinced and nodded his head to show he is ready. He looked out through the window and lost his thoughts, may be he was thinking about his head shave. He was often brushing his hair with hands. After a while he asked me "How long it will take for my hair to grow".
"Less than a month dear" I replied.
"So can I play in ground after a month?"
"You can play in ground from tomorrow itself, there is no need to hide your bald head from anybody, you can proudly show mottai mandai(shaved head) to your friends at ground"
"But everyone will tease me calling mottai"
"Feel proud son, you're going to offer your hair to Lord"
I saw myself in him, he was having the same feelings that I had each time when my mother said about head shave. But I don't want to postponed his head shave as my mother did to me because I don't want him to turn into a hair fetish like me.
We reached tirupati by afternoon and our darshan time was around 6pm. After lunch we headed to kalyankatta(head shaving hall). I found there was a lesser crowd and easily found a free barber. I removed my son's shirt and made him sit with cross leg near barber. I felt the excitement in his face, the barber was quick enough to shave his head in less than 2 mins. He looked at me rubbing his bare scalp. Soon I sat down to shave my head as I promised him. Sitting down there I again remembered my first head shave during college, this time I am not nervous, I closed my eyes feeling the Lord in my mind. Without taking my persmission the barber started shaving my mustache(actually I didnot had a idea to take my mustache) but I didnot stop him doing it as I thought it will be Lord's decision. We soon went out the hall, took a bath in pond and applied the sandal paste, I was happy to see my son enjoying it. He was having fun rubbing his bald scalp.

Continue read (part 2)