Festival Look

"Sir, your hair needs trimming." The security staff of our apartment complex remarked. He is unlike the other two security staffs in the sense that he does not feel shy of giving me advice. Usually, the advices are for the vehicles in our garage - their conditions, the washing job I perform occasionally etc. And, those gentle suggestions are always very useful. 

Therefore, I got alerted. Only a few days back I had to undertake a tour for professional reasons. Did I make a fool of myself with my look? Apparently, both the meetings went well. As such, one is not supposed to judge a book by its cover! 

For someone who reads a lot, there is a quote to find refuge on every occasion!

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 "Is it going to be your Puja cut?" Durga Puja is just a month away.  Here is the specialist who takes care of my hair and unburdens my head at regular intervals. He has been doing it very responsibly for more than a decade now and in a way, has become my legal hair-guardian. According to him, it is his special cut for which my hairs are still eligible for cut and I should not get adventurous to try my luck elsewhere. One is not supposed to disagree with one's barber.

He too, gives me lots of advice and shares his knowledge about the contemporary world while doing his job. His presentation is always laced with humour and is always enjoyable. There is one question he will invariably ask me on every visit of mine. Finding me much taller than his usual customers or himself, he would ask, "How is the weather in upper atmosphere?" That makes me understand that he is in his usual self and I am in safe hands!

This time he got caught on the wrong foot. He was complaining about his own look, which according to him, is a lot better on another day when he shaves his beard. I landed on the wrong day at his place.

For someone, there could not be a better opportunity to get equal! 

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"Are you not, Goutam-da? Can you recognize me?" A middle-aged person wearing a cap was standing on the stool and was taking reading of the electric meters of that shop. The shop is just outside the IIT Kharagpur campus. The question came from him. I was then midway of getting relieved of my additional burden on my head. 

He didn't need to take out the cap. I could recognize him without any issue though our physique have gone big transformation in between. We played together at our young age at the railway settlement side of Kharagpur. Exchange of pleasantries and phone numbers - he sharing how his son did well in study and got selected for a Govt. job, more offers are being expected.

There were two electric meters. One commercial meter was for the shop, the other one was for their residence behind the shop. The father of the hair specialist (he adores me a lot) came out and was explained of the expected electric bill and adjustment expected against an earlier payment.

Later, both the father and the son were in full praise of this electric meter reading person and his friendly approach. In our discussion in that shop, came the topic of smart meter installations. This will not require foot-falls of a meter reading person! A smart phone, app, preloaded wallet - that's all. Convenient, efficient!

In our effort to have everything at our finger-tip for convenience and comfort, are we missing the human touch points in our lives? How to restore that and prevent over consumption of digital contents and resulting infirmity?

Let me sign off before I myself sound like giving advice! 

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Here are a few pictures of Puja shopping ambiance at Golebazar before the market goes frenzy in a few days' time when this month's salary reaches pocket. We were trying to avoid that crowd and my role mostly, was to keep a watch on my motorcycle.