The Bald are Beautiful

The Bald are Beautiful

SIR Winston Churchill, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel - all great men with an invincible deter­mination. They were strong-willed. They stood like solid Towers in different continents of the world. And all of them had a common physi­cal feature - a bald head. And perhaps looking at them, the wit said, "God made some good heads. The rest He covered with hair."

The long, lustrous, yellow golden locks are nature's ornament for a woman. Dusky tresses are the crowning glory of man. It has been said that the slender, flexible thread like hair are God's gift to the living beings. But it is also known that the hair is only an outgrowth of the epider­mis. They have no blood vessels. No nerves. These are chiefly composed of "elongated and modified epidermal cells". Yet, the lifeless and insensitive hair demand all the attention. A regular massage, preferably with almond oil, to preserve the luster; trimming, to keep the shape; innumerable chemical processes to tint, wave, curl, strengthen and condition the hair. To add to all this, an endless wait at the hair-dresser's saloon. What a big bother!

Probably, to avoid all this botheration, the ancient Egyptians, men and women alike, shaved their heads. The sages, in particular the Buddhist monks, still follow this old practice. And what a relief! No hair. No shampoo. No hair dye. No hair tonic. No combing. No barber. No allergic reac­tions to the chemicals. No visit to the dermatolo­gist. No appointments at the anti-allergy clinics. A goodbye to so many problems. And, to top it all, baldness is so neat. The only thing that a bald man may sometimes wear on his head is a few beads of per­spiration.

The medical science suggests that baldness has a hereditary basis. Some doctors opine that it is dependent on the "male hormone levels" in the blood. Its causes may include the "scar producing skin diseases, inborn lack of hair development and severe injury to the hair germ centers by chemical or physical agents." It is known to have been produced by exposure to X-rays, ingestion of metals, malnutrition, chronic wasting diseases, endocrine disorders and fungus infection. But, whatever be the cause, a head as bald as a "plucked chicken" with not "even a wisp or two of hair" is a good gift of God.

Baldness has various patterns. In certain cases, the hair loss progresses gradually. It begins with a recession of the hairline at the front. In others, there is thinning of the crown hair. There are also those who have only a thin rim of hair at the sides and the back of the head. This form of baldness has been aptly described as the "Hippocratic Wreath". Each pattern has its own beauty.

Disheveled hair give a slovenly look and mul­tiply the wrinkles on the face. The unshaven man generally goes unnoticed. Shave makes the man look suave. It is a cosmetic for a man's face. Makes the person look presentable. A well-shaven, silken smooth skull has a peculiar shine. It glistens and  glows. It makes, the person look different. So easily recognisable. Ronaldo, the super-star of soccer, was spotted from a distance even before he touch­ed the ball.

These days, some of us tend to be carefully careless. It is becoming common to appear casu­al in clothes and looks. But let us remember that even an emperor may not be noticed if he goes around in his night-cap. The king is really recog­nised and respected when he is wearing the crown. Had Socrates delivered his orations with only a sheet around his shoulder, more men may have laughed at his attire than admired his elo­quence. The casual generally go out of countenance. 

The baldies constitute an exclusive dub. It con­sists of the poets, the politicians, the scientists, the actors, the actresses - men and women who have won distinction in different fields. In our own times, we have seen Yul Bryner and Persis Khambatta rise in name and fame after the razor had removed the dusky tresses and golden locks of hair. And then what was the difference between Lord Mountbatten and Jawahar Lal Nehru? Lady Edwina would have told you.

       The bald are beautiful. Is it not?