" Beard to Bindi "

Every morning after bathing, he would go to his mother to have his hair tied in a ponytail. When he went to play cricket, he asked her to tie it in a bun. His sister often teased him about it, making fun of his hairstyles in a playful way.

After two days of boredom, he grew annoyed and frustrated. He tried all sorts of things to entertain himself, but nothing worked. He had already watched a lot of series during his hostel days, so there was nothing new left to watch. He even tried playing board games with his sister, but that quickly became boring too. By afternoon, after lunch, he started whining about it to his mother.

His mother was getting waxed by the parlor lady she had called home. Hearing his complaints, she smiled gently and said she couldn’t do much about his boredom. Instead, she asked him to help by tying his sister’s hair since she had to leave for tuition.

The parlor lady was waxing Nikhil’s mother. As she worked, she glanced at Nikhil’s long hair and couldn’t help but comment.

Parlor Lady: “Aapka beta itne lambe baal kaise rakhta hai? I was so surprised when I first saw him. I honestly thought he was a girl!”

Mother (laughing): “Haan, mujhe bhi pehli baar dekha toh laga, kya baal hain! Usually he’s pretty careless about everything, but he’s really stubborn about keeping his hair long.”

Parlor Lady: “Exactly! Boys usually don’t keep their hair this long. It’s quite unusual.”

Mother: “True. Even his sister prefers keeping her hair short because it’s easier to manage, but he insists on growing his hair long.”

Parlor Lady: “I was surprised when I heard he plays cricket with his hair tied in a bun. That’s some dedication for a boy!”

Mother: “Yeah, he’s always been a bit different. But lately, he’s been so bored and frustrated. The only time he’s really happy is when he’s out on the turf playing cricket at night.”

Parlor Lady: “Hmm, maybe that’s why he’s grown his hair long—something unique to hold on to. But boredom is tough, especially stuck at home all day doing nothing.”

Mother: “Exactly. He just scrolls on his phone all day and complains about being bored.”

Parlor Lady (smiling): “You know, it’s funny—when I first saw him, I honestly thought he was a girl until he spoke!”

Mother (laughing): “Haan, mujhe bhi wahi laga! It’s hard to imagine him with that long hair and then suddenly his deep voice.”

Parlor Lady (teasing): “Agar aapko maan ho toh, dress him up like a girl! Makeup, hairstyle—the whole makeover. It would definitely shake things up and break the boredom.”

Mother (surprised): “Dress him up? Are you serious? I don’t know if he’d even agree to that.”

Parlor Lady: “Come on, it’s just for fun! With his long hair, it wouldn’t look so strange. I can do all the makeup and hairstyling. It’ll be a great laugh for everyone.”

Mother (hesitating): “Hmm… it does sound funny. But he’s very stubborn. Still, maybe he needs a little fun like this to snap out of this mood.”

Parlor Lady: “Exactly! Sometimes a little change is all it takes when someone’s stuck in a rut.”

Mother (nodding slowly): “Alright, I’ll talk to him and see what he says.”