Mr Rapunzel

He's tall, dark, handsome - the epitome of machismo. And he's got a long ponytail. Cool, macho, repulsive, effeminate - the long-haired male...

He’s tall, dark, handsome – the epitome of machismo. And he’s got a long ponytail. Cool, macho, repulsive, effeminate – the long-haired male image is something you can like or you can hate. But can you ignore it? There was a time when you could not find men with long hair even if you ran a fine-toothed comb right through the male population of the city. Today, there is an increasing tribe of men who let their hair down. What’s more, they insist that it is not just long hair they are wearing, it is also their attitude.

But what prompts men into joining the `hair today, more tomorrow’ brigade? What makes them forego that mandatory visit to the barber and buy rubber bands instead? “I guess I started to grow my hair because I identified with the kind of image that was associated with rock bands. My mom was cool and my friends almost expected me to grow my locks,” says Kaustubh Dhavale, alias Koko, the lead guitarist of the pop group Agni. He remembers that 12 years ago not many men wore their hair long, so the ones who did definitely stood out.

A distinct identity (some would say, identity crisis) seems to be the principal reason why most of them decide to just let go. “My friends, too, sported long hair and I found it cool. I wanted to be different, special. Now I am not just any guy walking on the road. People turn back to look again,” says Zuber Sheikh, who owns a snack bar. If you thought peer pressure and fashion were the only reasons to let it hang loose, here’s news. “I was initially inspired to grow my hair five years ago because of the image of Jesus Christ. Besides, as a creative person, I have always wanted to be different and long hair suited me,” says Christopher D’Silva, thermocol designer. D’Silva also believes that long hair has helped him in – believe it or not – his business. “This image helps my clients and others remember me.” And it was not just clients who remembered him. “As I kept late hours, I was even stopped on my way back a few times and interrogated by policemen who thought I was up to mischief. Of course, I hadlonger hair then and looked like someone out of WWF.” Hair-raising, huh? Marriage has mellowed him down a bit, he admits. He now wears a smaller pony and a slicked-back look.

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It is not always pleasant though. “People poke fun, saying I look like a girl. Meri marzi. I think they’re just jealous of me,” says Peter Pandit, a tourist taxi driver running a hand through his shoulder-length hair which he has grown since 1987.

All of them take special care of their crowning glory. Regular trims, oil baths and shampoos. And all of them are unanimous about not getting rid of those long locks. As Koko says emphatically, “I believe that once you grow your hair, you can never do without it.” Hair’s to all of them!

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