| When the lockdown started, Malini was making a list of things to buy online. Many items were out of stock, so she planned to buy them later. After finishing the payment, she went to wash off the gram-flour and turmeric face pack she had applied. With beauty parlours closed, she had started doing home treatments. As she splashed water on her face, she looked at her reflection. It had been only two weeks, yet grey hair was already showing at the roots. “Once my hair-dye shade comes back in stock, I’ll colour it at home.” She tied her hair into a ponytail and joined her online class. Busy with online teaching, cooking, cleaning, and sharing chores with her family, beauty routines took a back seat, and she used home remedies whenever convenient.. By the second month her hair had grown into a natural mix of silver and black. To her surprise, she liked how her scalp felt sans chemicals. The usual itching after colouring was gone. “My genes are not in my control. Maybe I should accept my DNA,” she thought. Rajesh, her husband, never said anything directly. But after attending a close relative’s wedding, his thoughts became clearer. That evening, while checking the photos, he said, “all the other ladies have black hair.” Malini smiled. She understood what he meant. That night at dinner, she said softly, “Rajesh, I know you don’t like this look.” He paused. “It’s just… you look older.” Malini replied gently, “When men lose hair or go bald, everyone accepts it. Men with salt-and-pepper hair are even called smart. But if a woman shows grey hair, people say she looks old. Why should it be different for us?” Rajesh didn’t reply.. He felt it was better to stay quiet. She continued, “I feel free now. I don’t need to worry about touch-ups before meetings or functions. It takes confidence to show silver hair in your forties. It wasn’t easy to stop colouring, but I’m happy I did.” By the end of the lockdown, her hair had turned fully salt-and-pepper. She cut it to shoulder length and kept it simple. When she returned to school, some colleagues complimented her looks. Rajesh heard the compliments too. He never admitted anything, but he still pointed at women with dyed hair and said, “See, they didn’t stop colouring.” One Saturday, Malini and Rajesh went to watch a play. During the interval a woman approached them. “Excuse me,” she said. “I am Seema, creative director at Eve’s Magazine. We are doing a story on natural beauty. Your hair caught my eye. Would you like to be part of it?” Malini was shocked. Rajesh was speechless. A month later, Malini appeared in the magazine, her silver hair glowing under soft lights. Soon, a skincare brand approached her, followed by a sari advertisement. Rajesh looked at the magazine and murmured, “All this… just because you didn’t colour your hair?” Malini smiled. A small decision during lockdown had changed her life. |
True Colour
