Dyeing dilemma

My hair remained pitch black till I was 80-years-old. People pegged my age at much less than the real figure. Slowly, but surely, my hair changed colour and turned grey. That’s when I wondered if I should dye my hair or leave it to nature. I had to come to terms with situation and make a decision.

My husband was almost bald and whatever hair he had was milky white. So I said to myself, “Let my hair also match his.” I decided to retain my greying hair, since everybody in my age has to anyway look old and there is no way to turn the clock back. Life went on, but even at 80, I was quite strong.

One day, I made a plan to go visit my relative at Basavanagudi in Bengaluru. My son dropped me to their place and I spent a good time there chatting and catching up on various topics. My return journey home, however, had to be embarked upon alone as my son was held up somewhere. I engaged an auto rickshaw and asked him to go via J C road to my destination, while also instructing him to turn on the meter. Then began the trouble.

We were almost near Sajjan Rao Circle when he suddenly returned to Lalbagh road with great speed, thinking I was too old to recognise the correct route. And I suspect that was because of my grey hair. I tapped his back and asked why he was going the wrong way, but he paid no heed. In a roundabout route, he brought me to J C Road and later to my house. The meter showed a grand sum when I arrived. I advised him not to resort to dishonest means at such an young age and paid him Rs 20 less than what the meter showed.

I remember another incident from when I was young. The driver of the auto I was travelling in stopped the meter midway and demanded a huge sum. When I threatened that I would report him to the police, he said, “If the police catches me, I will leave all my family in your house. You have to maintain them.” What audacity!

How many of us note the number of these frauds and report to the police? We are too lazy to write down letters in this computer age, so we keep quiet, thereby indirectly pardoning them for their dishonesty. Now, I have resolved never to sit in an auto or taxi, but depend on my children to take me everywhere.

Many advised me to dye my hair so I could avoid any future misadventures. They may be right but who would take the trouble of going to a beauty parlour and getting the hair dyed at a terrible cost? Also, I was worried about the ill-effects of dyeing like split ends, lustreless hair, excessive hair loss and so on.

Since I was indecisive, I consulted my bright husband. He said, ”Whether you dye or not, it doesn’t bother me. Till you die, my love towards you will remain the same.” So there, I have now firmly decided not to dye my hair. For I believe that my grey hair is not important, the grey matter inside my head is!