I WAS one of the skinniest weak in our class and was drubbed and teased as ‘child artist’. In those days most filmi heroes, like Dev, Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna, Sanjeev Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Dilip saab, Rajendra Kumar and my most favorite Pran saab, were all clean shaven. Many in our ninth class had started shaving regularly and we considered them as macho and they even wore trousers in uniform whereas I wore shorts and looked immature. This fact was quite depressing and a definite blow to my confidence. I was desperate to look matured and macho, I decided to do something. My father was the most feared member of our family. Being the only son, I faced his wrath quite often, as he wouldn’t rethink to discipline me for smallest (I thought) faults of mine, which were a daily affair. My mother and sisters, tried their best so that I don’t’ face my father every day but whenever we came face to face, the situation would, invariably turn against me. Thus, for any new misadventure, I made sure of his absence. Our small dwelling had only two toilets, one for parents and one for the rests.

 

That day my father was out of station and after the school, I ran like Jesse Owens to reach home earlier. Breath-lessly, I rushed to Father’s washroom, picked up his shaving razor and shaved off my thin line of mustache and almost invisible beard. My ‘matured’ school friends had convinced me, that in no time, the stubble would grow and at max in a day none would be able to notice. Father was to return after two days and I was sure, he won’t even notice any change in me. with my inexperience and a maddening hurry, I got cuts on my face and thin lines of blood on my face were scary. Sisters too reached home and were stunned looking at me and after few fleeting seconds both just burst out with unstoppable laughter and continued to taunt and tease me almost till, mother came home. Teary eyed, mother was shocked that her kid wanted to grow up and look matured. Couldn’t I wait for my father and learn to shave to avoid having cuts on face. While Ma was very annoyed and didn’t speak on the dinner table, she was tense, anticipating my father’s response, I was cool as a cucumber and very sure that father, wouldn’t even notice my ‘clean shaven’ face as mustache would grow back by then. After all friends never lie. I got up early next day and rushed to see myself in mirror. Horrified and alarmed, I woke up my sisters. ‘Stubble’ wasn’t visible on my face. Now I was scared and confided my fears to mother, who for once didn’t scold me but smiled and said ‘now that you have grown up, why get scared, be bold and face everyone like a man’.

 

Terribly upset and nervous, I didn’t want to grow up at all. I entered school holding a large handkerchief on my mouth. Miss Bhargawa, our graceful, petite Class Teacher, during roll call, glanced up and asked me to remove the hanky from my face and speak properly. Staring in disbelief, she burst out laughing. ‘my God, you look so funny’ she said, reeling in laughter with the whole class delightfully joining her with a sadistic pleasure. Whole period, her gaze kept returning back on me and she would smile wickedly. Leaving me miserable and embarrassed, the whole day, entire class enjoyed at my cost and turned me into a laughing stock. Totally broken, my miseries ended with the final bell. But ohh! Now I had to face father at home. The mirror made me realise, my friends were wrong and my clean hairless face, certainly made me look ‘funny’ like a pealed Egg. Very sure now that father would thrash me to pulp for this idiotic job. Too nervous to go out and play with friends for the first time finished my ‘home work’ before dinner as I was mentally getting ready to face father. Just before dinner, father’s booming voice jolted me. Scared, I entered his room. Staring at me for a few moments, in a soothing voice, he commanded me to come near him. Teary eyed, I wanted to burst out crying and admit my guilt, he sensed it and gave me a big hug. ‘Congratulations’ he whispered and hugged me again. Absolutely perplexed, had he failed to notice any change in me? Holding me close he said in a soothing voice, ‘Now that you are a grownup man, I am sure you would be more responsible’. Smilingly he brought out a gift for me. I tore it open to find a ‘Shaving kit’. Father’s affection and tender love gave me all the confidence in the world and I joined all for dinner, with a big smile.