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Journalism of Courage
He8217;s tall, dark, handsome 8211; the epitome of machismo. And he8217;s got a long ponytail. Cool, macho, repulsive, effeminate 8211; 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. What8217;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 tomorrow8217; brigade? What makes them forego that mandatory visit to the barber and buy rubber bands instead? 8220;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,8221; 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.
It is not always pleasant though. 8220;People poke fun, saying I look like a girl. Meri marzi. I think they8217;re just jealous of me,8221; 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, 8220;I believe that once you grow your hair, you can never do without it.8221; Hair8217;s to all of them!
