TRAP : Head Shave of Mother and Daughters

The evening seemed pleasant in the little compound where everybody lived with good neighborhood bonding. Sujatha stood beside the low compound wall, folding the dried cloth, next to her it was Sharmila her neighbor who was sitting and having a sip of coffee. Both women talked about the usual household things like water timings, rising prices, and someone's daughter's wedding down the street. Sharmila smiled and giggled constantly nodding and observing her surrounding. Right then, Priya appeared in front of the gate with her friend Avani who were both laughing cheerfully and carrying school bags loosely and a bit too loudly. "Finally, it's over," Priya grinned, almost dropping the bag near the door. "We should hang out priya... our exams are over and its party time " Avani added, laughing once more. Sujatha looked at them both smiling faintly and asked, "How was the exam priya?" while Priya, almost entering the house, answered rapidly, "it was good mummy, i will talk about that later"

Avani stood there a while longer and was talking with Sujatha, “Aunty, I'll leave now…its getting late,” and left. Priya accompanied her up to the street end, whispering something and laughing. The compound became silent once again; but the atmosphere was a bit different. Sharmila straightened her saree and spoke in a rather relaxed tone, “These kids today are very carefree, yes good only; they should enjoy also but we should keep them in control.” Sujatha went into deep thoughts and gave a nod. There was a pause for a few seconds before Sharmila spoke once more, “You have taken good care of priya but i think you should keep her in control, she is young but never know the future.” Sharmila deliberately told this so sujatha should worry about priya. Suddenly, a courier boy shouted something from the gate. Before Sujatha could ask anything, Rashika the elder daughter came out of the house carrying her mobile . “Give it here” she said receiving the parcel, and then quickly going back inside.

Sujatha questioned her aloud, “What is it rashika ?” "I just ordered something mummy" Rashika added before stepping inside. Sharmila observed that and thought it was one more opportunity and added "Seems to be she is always busy in finding job… my friend's daughter didnt get job so they married and set her away.". Sujatha was lost in her thoughts, she couldn't say anything for a moment before she fixed the cloth draped over her lap, probably lost in thought. As night settled in, all three sat together in their living room eating together. Priya broke the silence saying, "Mummy, please don't take what sharmila aunty says seriously… she talks a lot about others." Rashika nodded her head slightly in agreement saying, "Yes mummy, that aunty is like that only, she always complaint about others." She looked at them both, replying casually, “Dont worry, i am not so close with her” like that the topic changes to priyas's exam experience and rashika's job results , they finished their meal.

Later that night as Sujatha lay staring at the ceiling, half-asleep as Priya laughing, Rashika lost in thought, and Sharmila calmly speaking played in her mind one by one. She had lots of unanswered questions running in her mind whether to trust what she saw, or what she heard. it was all because of sharmila's toxicity which she added so sujatha and her family could be broken. sharmila was that kind of women who didnt like sujatha at all, she had envy on them and she had begun her game. The next few days went on as usual, but Sujatha felt something was not right. In the mornings, she would call out, “Priya, can’t you keep your things properly? See how messy your room is,” while stepping over clothes on the chair. Priya would casually reply to do it later. Rashika mostly stayed by herself, with her laptop open and earphones on, busy with something. When Sujatha asked, “Did you check that job mail my friend sent?” Rashika replied, “I’ll see it later, mummy… I’m already working on something,” 

A week later one evening, while buying vegetables in the market, Sujatha noticed someone familiar at the next stall. She looked again, surprised. “Sharmila… is that you?” she asked. Sharmila turned and smiled as usual, but this time her long hair was gone. She had a short boy cut. “Ayyo, you didn’t recognize me ah?” she laughed. Sujatha kept looking at her. “What happened to your long hair?” she asked directly. Sharmila turned, smiling as usual, but this time her long hair was gone. It was a short boycut, totally unexpected. “Ayyo, you didn’t recognise me ah?” Sharmila laughed lightly. Sujatha stared at her haircut. “What happened to your long hair?” she asked directly, unable to hide her surprise. Sharmila waved it off casually. “Nothing big… just had some offering, come i will tell you fully” she said, picking vegetables as if cutting her long hair didn’t matter to her . They both started walking back home together, bags in hand. After a small silence, Sharmila spoke again, “Long back, in the 18th century, there was a Strong devotee in Tirumala… Krishnamma.

She offered her whole hair to God and never grew it again, Not many people know this… Later, due to temple politics, She was banned from tirumala and nobody took her name also” Sujatha looked surprised. “Really? I’ve never heard this,” she said. Sharmila nodded, “I also came to know only few years back when I went there… after that only I understood some secrets. I couldn’t offer and shave my full head due to personal reasons… so I just cut my braid,” she said, touching her short hair, “my daughter also got it done.” Sujatha was curious to hear more, Rashika stood on the terrace, talking on her phone and noticed Sharmila and her mom together. “What… why did she cut her hair like that?” she said softly to herself, surprised. just then they reached the house. “I’ll tell you properly some other time,” Sharmila said casually and went inside, while at the same moment Priya came to pick vegetable bag from Sujatha and Sharmila daughter Keerthy opened the door and waved lightly at Sujatha. 

“Mummy, did you see Sharmila aunty and Keerthy akka? They cut all their hair,” Priya said as they walked inside. Sujatha just replied, “Hmm… she said something, some devotional reason,” but she kept thinking about the Krishnamma story the whole day. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon. Priya stood near the window, drying her long hair with a towel after her head bath. Rashika sat on the floor, watching TV and eating ice cream. Sujatha came in with a small bowl of oil and sat beside Rashika. “Come here, let me apply oil, your hair is getting dry,” she said, gently parting her hair. Rashika made a face. “Mummy, not now, it’s already hot,” she said, but still sat there. Priya looked at them and said casually, “That Sharmila aunty suddenly cut all her hair.” Rashika added, “Yeah, she looks so different.” Sujatha paused for a moment and then said, “She told one story, something about Tirumala, long back one woman called Krishnamma shaved her head many times.” Rashika quickly said, “I don’t trust her.”

When Sujatha asked, Rashika searched online and found that something like that story did exist. It was not very clear, but it was mentioned. Priya said, “So it’s true ah? I can’t believe it.” Sujatha didn’t reply properly. After a moment, Priya changed the topic. “Anyway, it’s too hot here… let’s go somewhere, no? I have holidays.” Rashika nodded. “Yeah, we didn’t go anywhere for a long time.” The conversation moved on, but the thought stayed in their minds. That evening, Sujatha went outside to dry clothes and saw Sharmila near the gate, watering her plants. “Had coffee?” Sharmila asked casually. Sujatha nodded, and after a small pause, she asked directly, “That day, what you told about Tirumala… what exactly is that?” Sharmila kept watering the plants and then said, “Like how families go there and offer their hair. You must have seen in tonsure halls—so many men, women, children shaving their heads. It’s not just a normal offering. Some people do it when things are stuck in problems.”

She added softly, “Five years back when I went there, for the first time, I also shaved my head with Keerthy. Next year only her marriage got fixed. After that, everything slowly became better.” Sujatha looked at her, surprised. Sharmila then said lightly, “And honestly, in this heat, short hair feels very easy… before it felt like a burden.” She kept the mug aside and walked away, leaving Sujatha standing there, not sure if it was just a normal talk or something more. Sharmila went inside the house. Keerthy was getting ready to leave with her baby. “I’ll go now, amma… they are waiting,” she said softly. She paused for a second and added, “Sorry for that day also,”. Sharmila didn’t respond much. She just touched her short hair for a moment, and the memory came back. That afternoon, she had been sleeping. Her granddaughter was playing with scissors and had cut a big piece of her long hair. Sharmila woke up, felt it, and ran to the mirror. The uneven hair shocked her. “What the fuck!” she shouted in anger.

Keerthy came running and froze seeing it. “Ayyo amma… it’s okay, we’ll fix it,” she tried to calm her and rushed to a salon immediately. Sharmila sat stiff, clearly angry. The hairdresser said, “Madam, we have to cut it really short… like a boy cut.” Sharmila stayed silent, still upset. He switched on the trimmer, fixed a guard, and trimmed the sides. Then he used scissors to cut the top neatly into a short style. After Sharmila got up, Keerthy sensed her anger and quietly sat in the chair, “sir please give same boycut for me.” The barber hesitated for a moment, then nodded and started cutting her hair too. Back in the present, Keerthy adjusted her short hair, held her baby, and left the house. That night, Sujatha lay on her bed trying to sleep, but she kept turning from side to side. Her mind was full of thoughts about the head shave, the Krishnamma story, and how Sharmila said life became better after that. After some time, she quietly got up and stood in front of the mirror. holding her long braid.

For a moment, she imagined herself without hair, then let her hand drop. Without thinking much, she took Rashika’s laptop and booked three train tickets. The next night during dinner, she said casually, “You both wanted a trip, no… we’ll go to Tirumala tomorrow morning. Pack for 2 days.” Priya’s face lit up and Rashika smiled “Good idea, it’s been a long time since we went anywhere.” Later, Sujatha called Sharmila and said, “We are coming there, I’ll call you and ask what to do,” and Sharmila felt happy as things were going as she planned. The next day, the train journey was crowded, and they somehow adjusted and later found seats. Priya sat near the window looking outside, while Sujatha sat beside Rashika and quietly said, “You know… we are going to offer all our hair.” Rashika immediately turned, confused, and asked, “What? We all have long hair… why suddenly head shave?” Sujatha replied calmly, “Nothing wrong in that, many people do it,” but Rashika looked unsatisfied.

Sujatha's tone became firm, “We are going and getting it done, that’s all,” not wanting to argue further. When Rashika asked if Priya knew, Sujatha said, “No, We’ll tell her later.” Its was night by the time they reached tirupathi. They took a bus up the hill, and since it was the weekend, the place was very crowded and finding a room was difficult. Sujatha called Sharmila, who suggested a nearby hall, so they went there, kept their bags, and freshened up while Priya remained excited, not knowing anything. After they reach the kalyanakatta, Sujatha stepped aside and called Sharmila again, who guided her step by step, telling her to go to a counter, take tokens, and collect blades. Sujatha followed exactly and they joined the queue. As they walked forward, Priya noticed people coming from the opposite side with shaved heads and she slowed down asking, “Mummy… why is everyone bald?” Sujatha stopped and clearly said, “This is tonsure hall, We are also going for head shave,” and both Priya and Rashika froze.

Priya immediately said, “What? No mummy,” while Rashika added, “Mummy, I have interviews coming, how can I manage in bald head?” and Priya said, “College is starting, how will I go bald?” Sujatha stayed calm and firmly said, “Nothing will happen, hair will grow, this is for good.” Even though they both resisted again, Sujatha did not change her decision, and after a long discussion they slowly agreed. As they entered the tonsure hall, Sujatha slowed down a little. All around, people were sitting in rows while barbers shaved quickly, water splashed everywhere, and hair fell to the ground. For a moment, she didn’t know what to do, so she called Sharmila and asked, “Hey Sharmila, I came inside… what to do now?” Sharmila, who was eating, immediately stopped out of excitement and said, “Sujatha, first wet your hair fully, remove your braid and make it loose.” Sujatha followed the same. Sharmila then said, “Now go sit, give the token, and when the barber asks, say ‘eka shikha gundu’.

Tell him not to cut the back tuft, leave it long. Don’t listen to anything he says, and tell him to shave properly, no hair should be left. After once, ask him to shave again.” Sujatha stood there for a second with her wet hair falling over her shoulders, unsure, but the noise and the crowd pushed her forward. She cut the call, took a deep breath, sat down on the floor, and handed over the three tokens and blade. The barber looked at her and asked, “Normal ah?” Sujatha said, “Eka shikha gundu” The barber paused, surprised. “Madam, this is not common now…” he began, but Sujatha shook her head and said firmly, “No, do like that only,” and handed him 500. The barber didn’t argue further. He poured water over her head again, gathered a section of hair at the back, and tied it into a tight small bun. Then he started shaving. With a straight razor, he placed it on the side of her head and pulled it down in one smooth stroke. Rashika and Priya stood nearby, watching silently, not fully understanding what was happening.

The barber tilted Sujatha’s head from side to side, carefully shaving her scalp clean. He bent her head forward and shaved the back, leaving the tied tuft untouched. Then he lifted her head and cleared the front completely. Within minutes, her head was smooth and bare. Sujatha touched her head lightly and said, “One more time… shave again, anna.” The barber shaved again, making it cleaner. He then untied the small bun and held the remaining tuft. When he tried to cut it short, Sujatha told him to leave it long, so he trimmed it to shoulder length. Sujatha stood up and touched her head again, feeling the smoothness. Rashika looked at her, confused, and asked softly, “Mummy… why did he shave like this?” Sujatha didn’t answer. She simply adjusted her dupatta on her shoulder and looked at Rashika, “Sit down now”. Rashika hesitated for a moment, but Sujatha held her arms and made her sit on the floor. The barber looked at her and asked, “Same ah?” Sujatha replied, “Ha... eka shikha gundu only.”

Rashika looked at Sujatha, “Mummy… not like yours,” but she did not respond. The barber poured water over Rashika’s head, her long curly hair sticking to her scalp. He gathered a section at the back, tied a small tight bun, and poured water again. Then he placed the straight razor on the side and pulled it down in a clean stroke, and wet curly strands fell to the ground. As he continued, Sujatha said, “Put more water anna… her hair is curly.” The barber nodded, splashed more water and resumed. Rashika sat still, trying to stay calm as the razor moved again and again across her head. Meanwhile, Sujatha pulled Priya aside near the sink and started loosening her ponytail. Priya hesitated a little and asked, “Mummy, why are we doing this? Why head shave suddenly?” Sujatha did not look at her and said, “Nothing will happen ma… it’s good only. I just got it no… it feels very cool,” she said it while pouring water over Priya’s hair. Priya frowned and asked again, “But why me also?” Sujatha simply said,

“Don’t worry… just get it done,” and fully wet her hair before bringing her back. By then, the barber was shaving the front of Rashika’s head, with the sides and back already clean except for the tuft. Rashika sat there lost in thought, worried about her interviews. Suddenly, the razor slipped slightly “Ahh…” she winced. A small cut appeared, and it started to bleed. The barber did not react much; he quickly poured water, applied some gel, and continued shaving. Rashika’s eyes filled with tears, but she stayed quiet. The barber finished the shave without stopping, making her scalp fully clean, and then shaved it once more quickly. After that, he untied the bun and cut the remaining tuft to shoulder length. Rashika slowly stood up with face dull, and looked at Sujatha, but Sujatha only looked at Priya and said, “Now you sit down.” Priya stepped back “No mummy… I i love my long hair,” she said immediately. Rashika looked at her and said, “Just sit, Priya… it will be over fast.” 

The barber said calmly, “Nothing to worry, ma… hair will grow back.” Priya shook her head again and said, “No… I don’t want head shave.” Sujatha lost her patience and said sharply, “Enough, Priya… don’t make a scene here.” Priya went silent and slowly sat down. The barber poured water over her head, tied a small tight bun at the back, and started shaving with the razor. As the shaving continued, Rashika leaned towards Sujatha and said, “Mummy, why this tuft… let’s shave this also.” Sujatha shook her head. “No… let it be.” Rashika tried again, “At least lets cut it short…” but Sujatha did not agree. The barber tilted Priya’s head from side to side and continued the shave. After a few minutes, he suddenly got up and went for washroom. Priya sat there with half-shaved head, touching the rough side lightly, “Mummy, I don’t want head shave.” Rashika looked at her and said, “Okay then get up, lets go like this only,” with a small smirk. Priya got irritated and snapped, “You be quiet… bald girl.” 

Rashika replied instantly, “You’ll also be bald soon, madam.” “Enough, both of you, stop it,” Sujatha said angrily, stopping them. The barber came back and resumed shaving her head. Within minutes, he cleared the remaining hair and shaved it again quickly. Then he untied the bun and cut the tuft to shoulder length. Priya stood up slowly, touching her head once, still not fully accepting it. Another girl was waiting behind them, so Sujatha said, “Come, let’s go to the bathroom.” All three went towards the bathroom area. “Mummy, my self-care things are in the hall…” Priya said. Sujatha replied, “Okay, then wash your bald head properly, remove all the small hairs, then we’ll freshen up there.” Inside, there was no mirror. They just poured water over their heads and rubbed gently, feeling their smooth scalp. As they walked back, Priya kept trying to see her reflection in glass doors and vehicle windows, but it was not clear. Sujatha then called Sharmila and said, “We finished our head shave. 

Now we are going to the hall, and yes, we left the tuft also… kept it till shoulder length.” On the other side, Sharmila sounded very happy. “Good, very good… now listen, for the temple you should wear proper dress… white silk saree only, and no blouse… its like that only ” she said with excitement. Sujatha paused for a moment and questioned, “Blouse-less ah?” Sharmila said confidently yes. Sujatha looked around and noticed a few women dressed like that. She stayed quiet for a moment, then said, “Okay… I’ll see,” and cut the call. All three got ready and wore white silk sarees without blouse, wrapping it tightly around. They stepped out for darshan, feeling a bit different awkward. As they walked, people around them started starring at them. Some looked twice, some slowed down and laughed too. Sujatha didn’t react. As told, she bought turmeric paste and applied it on her own bald head, then did the same for Rashika and Priya. Both of them didn’t like it, but accepted that.

Rashika’s eyes went to a nearby flower stall. She paused for a second looking them and felt sad. Sujatha noticed that, bought long strands, and tied two each to their tufts. All three now stood out—bald heads with turmeric, red bindis, white silk sarees, and flowers tied behind. They had darshan, came back to the hall, took their bags, and left. The train was crowded as it was weekend. They struggled to even stand properly at first, then somehow got a small space. People kept looking at them again and again. Priya stood close to window uncomfortable. Sometimes, she felt few slaps on her bald head from behind. She turned quickly, “Who did that?” but no one responded. People around acted normal. After a few minutes, again it continued to she went near Sujatha. Rashika, sitting near the window, had dozed off. Her tuft got caught in a man’s bag zip when he moved. “Ayyo… wait,” she said, trying to free it carefully. She struggled for a few seconds before pulling it back slowly. 

Somehow, they managed the journey and reached home safely. All three went inside, feeling tired, and slept early. The next morning didn’t feel normal. The milk packet didn’t come, so Sujatha had to go to the next street in . A few people looked at her and whispered, but she ignored it and came back. Later, while cooking, she gave Priya a slip and said, “Go get these things from the shop.” Priya hesitated, but still went. People looked at her, some smiled slightly, some turned and spoke to each other. In the afternoon, Rashika went to the terrace to dry clothes, covering her bald head with a dupatta. As she was spreading the clothes, the wind blew hard and the dupatta slipped off. She tried to catch it, but it fell down. The aunties on nearby terraces noticed her and started whispering. Rashika tried to cover her bald head and quickly came down. Later, some kids playing cricket hit the ball into their terrace, and when Priya went to return it, a few boys laughed and teased her, one of them said, “Nice haircut akka”

She didn’t reply and just walked back, feeling upset. In the evening, a relative’s family came to give a wedding invitation. As they entered, they looked at all three and paused for a second before smiling. “All three of you had such nice long hair before… now suddenly bald heads, we didn’t even recognise you. What happened? Where did you go, Sujatha?” one of them asked with an awkward smile. Sujatha just smiled and said they had gone to Tirumala. “Ayyo… all three of you shaved your heads ah” another said, and someone else added with a small laugh, “Why did you leave this much hair at the back… looks a bit funny, no?” looking at their tufts. Sujatha simply nodded and took the invitation, while Priya and Rashika stood quietly, avoiding eye contact. Later, Avani came, laughed when she saw Priya, and said, “Come, let’s go out, we’ll eat something.” Priya replied, “No… mummy gave me some work,” and avoided going, feeling a bit insecure about her shaved look.  That night, all three sat for dinner.

But no one spoke much. The house felt silent, and they went to sleep like that. For almost a week after they came back from Tirumala, Sujatha kept wondering why Sharmila hadn’t come even once. Usually she would come often, talk about something or the other, interfere, gossip… but now there was nothing. One afternoon, Sujatha saw Keerthy near the gate, locking the house. “Going somewhere?” Sujatha asked casually. Keerthy turned, saw her properly, and froze for a second, her eyes going straight to Sujatha’s bald stubbles head and the long tuft. “Ayyo… what is this?” she said, almost in shock. Sujatha tried to smile lightly and said, “We went to Tirumala… did that Krishnamma ritual… you and your mother did no” Keerthy suddenly hit her own forehead “What the… what did she tell you?” she asked, her voice changing. Sujatha got confused. “That story… offering hair… leaving tuft…” she said slowly. Keerthy shook her head. “That is all fake, Sujatha. Completely fake. She made that up. She trapped you.

“She never liked you people… especially your long hair. She always had that problem.” Sujatha stared at her, not knowing how to react. “Don’t joke like this,” she said weakly. Keerthy replied directly, “I’m not joking. Last month, my daughter cut her hair by mistake. It became uneven, so I took her to a salon and got a boy cut. That’s all. She used that and created this story for you.” Sujatha’s face slowly changed as she tried to understand everything. Keerthy continued, her voice more serious, “You don’t know her properly. She is not the kind of person she shows. She cannot tolerate others having something more than her… especially hair. If someone has longer hair than her, she becomes jealous and slowly starts hating them.” Sujatha stood there quietly, listening. “Then why did you also cut your hair?” she asked softly. Keerthy gave a small, uncomfortable smile and said, “I know her anger. If I kept my hair, she would have created a big problem and even shaved my head herself. I didn’t want that, 

so I cut it myself.” She paused for a moment and added, “She has done this before also. In our old house, she made the owner aunty shave her head like this. Finally, we had to leave that place.” Sujatha’s eyes filled with tears, but she couldn’t speak. Keerthy looked around and said quickly, “We are actually taking her away from here. We are trying to get proper treatment for her. But please… don’t trust anything she says again. She made all of you fools.” Without waiting for a reply, Keerthy picked up her bag and left. Sujatha slowly walked to a nearby park and sat on a bench like a statue. Her mind was racing, but nothing felt clear. A few people passed by, looking at her and whispering. A small boy came near, looked at her tuft curiously, and pulled it playfully before running away, but Sujatha didn’t react. A tear rolled down her cheek, but her face stayed blank. When she walked back home, Rashika saw her and asked, “Mummy, where did you go?” Sujatha just said, “Outside…” and changed the topic.

“Did you check that job mail?” she asked. Rashika nodded slowly. Priya came in and said, “Mummy, results came… I got 97.” Sujatha looked at her for a moment and said, “Hmm… good. Did you both eat?” Priya replied, “We were waiting for you, mummy.” That night, they all sat for dinner. Rashika and Priya argued lightly over the TV remote, but Sujatha didn’t join. After some time, she went into the bathroom, stood in front of the mirror, and looked at her grown stubble and the long tuft behind. Slowly, her expression changed, and she made a decision in her mind. She took the straight razor from the cover, fixed the blade carefully, and looks in the mirror. For a moment, she held the long tuft behind her head, then without thinking further, she cut it off in one clean motion. The hair fell into her hand and then to the floor. She looked at herself and saw the uneven bald spot, but her face did not change. She took a full bucket of water and poured it over her head. Then she placed the razor on the top of her head.

Slowly she started scraping forward. Stroke by stroke, she shaved her head clean, calm and steady. After finishing, she wiped her head with a towel, touched it, felt a bit of roughness, and without stopping, applied soap and shaved again in reverse direction. Within minutes, her head was completely smooth. She moved her hand over it once more, checked properly, and then called out, “Rashika…” Rashika, sitting in the hall watching TV, replied, “What mummy?” without getting up. Sujatha called again, this time firmly, “Rashika, come here.” Hearing her tone, Rashika got up and walked to the bathroom. As she entered, she froze seeing Sujatha’s fully shaved head, no tuft, and the razor in her hand. “Mummy… what did you do? Why again? What is going on?” she asked, confused and panicked. Sujatha spoke calmly, “Nothing like that… yesterday was amavasya. We should not keep that tuft. I forgot earlier.” Rashika frowned. “But why suddenly now… and why in bathroom like this?” Sujatha didn’t argue.

“Don’t overthink. Just sit down, now” she said, firmly. Rashika hesitated. “Mummy, at least tell properly…” Sujatha cut her off firmly, “Sit, Rashika. It’s just a head shave. will you keep that tuft like that only life long ah” Rashika slowly sat down. Sujatha poured water over her head and cut the tuft first. Then Sujatha started shaving, moving the razor from the front to the back, then to the sides, turning her head gently. Rashika flinched slightly “Mummy… why like this Mummy… what is the matter?” Rashika asked again in a low voice. Sujatha replied, “Just keep quiet for some time and let me shave your head.” She continued steadily, finishing the shave and then applying soap to shave again in reverse direction, making it smooth. After checking once more with her hand, she said, “Done. Go call Priya.” Rashika got up slowly and walked to the hall. Priya looked at her and stopped. 

“Akka… why again?” she asked, surprised seeing her clean bald head. Rashika just said, “Mummy is calling you, go” and Priya walked towards the bathroom. Priya cried as she saw her standing there, her eyes widened and voice shook “Mummy…” Sujatha said firmly, “Don’t cry. Its just head shave” Priya's eyes filled with tears. As she spoke, she held the remaining tuft and cut it off. Priya gasped softly, “Mummy…” but Sujatha had already poured water over her head and started shaving from the top, slow and steady. The razor moved across her scalp, clearing it clean. Sujatha applied soap, spread it evenly, and shaved again in the opposite direction to make it smooth. “Go wash and change now,” Sujatha said, stepping back. After Priya left, Sujatha locked the bathroom door and stood in front of the mirror, looking at her reflection. For a moment, her face changed—first sadness, then anger, then pity. She opened a bottle and without thinking much, she applied it all over her scalp, spreading it evenly. 

Within seconds, a strong burning feeling started. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and moaned, but that didn't stop. She stood there, letting it settle, accepting the pain. After a few moments, she washed it off with water and wiped her head slowly with a towel. She looked at herself one last time—this time with no reaction, just stillness. Then she opened the door, walked back to the room, lay down on the bed, and closed her eyes. She knew she had been fooled and trusted the wrong person, even after her daughters warned her, but she chose to hide it. What was done was done—she had taken them there and got their head shaved. So she decided to correct it by shaving it again properly. And now, this was her way of taking it one step further—quietly accepting her mistake, carrying it herself, and turning it into a lesson she would never forget. She didn’t want it to grow back so she applied a permanent hair removal lotion on her scalp, turning it into a permanent punishment she chose for herself.