To henna or not ? !

I used to colour my hair with henna. Because my hair is brown .I thought it suited my hair's colour. Slowly & surely, henna made my  hair go dry.My hair was increasingly turning white .The time needed for re colouring was getting shorter . 

And then, I saw this advertisement for a dye wherein, they showed an Orange aunty whose hair had become orange because of continued  usage of henna. That did it ! I was suspecting that my crowning glory was growing florescent with that bright saffron shade !!! And the commercial of Orange  aunty  (  teased so   by all kids in the commercial  ) confirmed my belief ! 

 I am sure, very soon, one party was going to use my saffron shaded hair to their undue advantage !! I was in two minds if I had done right, by deciding to go colour free  with my hair. Because if I can milk netas & their cronies, I could get even with them ? !

The fact, is that my hair strands had started looking orange as if they were  on fire...somewhat like the party, which is on ignition  ! And my hair strands are  always flying as if there is  a wild fire ! Maybe ,there's something in the air ? !

 That's why, my untamed  hair fire  could be mistaken for the party & vice versa ! And my  well wishers would try to douse the fire on my head with water to cool me off ....Then I could catch a cold .Now, only, if such strategies  worked for politics & yet, some things change for the worse.

My  hair  has many hues now, that it's trying to shed henna.White, whitish grey, grey, greyish white, brown, brownish white, brownish grey, brownish white, saffron white, & so on. In fact, if anyone needs to match colours, there are ample choices on my head ! Or, rather amidst my mop of hair ! On second thoughts, maybe, I  can find employment with any company selling paints .Maybe , even with any showroom selling clothes for ladies .

And yet, going off henna has some plus point.The other day, I was at the airport to bid goodbye to a guest.It was midnight, when I & my husband decided to return home. I asked a security guard if an auto rickshaw can be hired at the departure terminal itself. He reluctantly said, " No, madam. And yet, cannot  say, no to you as you are a senior citizen . "He was staring at my hair which was shining like silver against   the mid night sky . And he himself, hailed an auto & amidst protests by the auto driver, bundled me & hubby into the auto rickshaw.So much for being young & grey !

Painting.

My parents & brother were desperate to get the flat painted.It never crossed their minds that my opinion should be sought as I am the one who stays in that flat.But then this is what happens when you are a tenant -you are always at the receiving end of all largesse of your landlord/s !

So,it was all decided to get it done. A brand was chosen.They came to inspect & told us that the flat desperately needed painting .The way they apprised the condition of the paint ( or whatever was left of it ) on the walls,ceiling etc,it made us wonder as to  who was  in greater need- they or the flat.Anyway,they stated that as it was too badly done up earlier,they will need a minimum of four weeks to make it look presentable.I could feel my blood pressure shooting up.

Well,the painting or rather the process of peeling the old paint began .Then they put up the plaster of paris. Then the primer which smelled so awful that  I used to suffer from headaches.Now,this proved to me that I had a head which all suspected I never did possess ! Then the painting was done.Yet,it was not so simple.

My brother who is the owner had his own ideas about the colours he wanted on the walls of the bedrooms,the drawing room,the ceiling etal.Mind you,he was doing all this vide the phone from a neighboring city.As this was getting too confusing,we told him to email his choice of colours for the brand official to have a dekko .After all,he is the final authority.Unless he says yes,it is difficult for one to go ahead & suffer the results of ludicrous color schemes.It always helps to have some company in case,the color choice is decried by others ! That is one of  the advantages of working as a team !

As the flat was getting renovated by painting,I discovered to my amazement that I had also got fairer. The plaster of paris,the putty were falling all over me & others at home as fine dust .So this was the secret which made us look like Nordic whites ! .I am sure , painting your house can make you  much fairer  than all fairness creams applied together .I am currently talking to the PRO of the company which painted this flat  about how paints can give tough competition to fairness creams !

My feet also got fairer day after day.So,there was no need to get a pedicure done ! So,I saved at my brother';s expense .The painting left a hole in his pocket as one has to pay more for a branded product.Nah,the  high cost one tends to pay for  painting makes others conclude that a brand was chosen for painting !  But then ,the painting covered all, the holes on the walls & the ceilings.So,in effect the hole got transferred & transformed ! Small holes got transformed into a big hole in the pocket !

As they rubbed the walls ,ceilings etc,all the white powder which is a compound of calcium  kept falling into everything below including our food .Now,that served another useful purpose.It was a calcium additive & at this age,we are in perennial need of calcium supplements .So,this painting also fulfilled our calcium requirements.If ,I had known this,I wouldn't have spent money on buying calcium capsules from the pharmacy.I am certain that immediately after this painting job got over,the calcium readings of all the members who were in the house must have shot up so tremendously that Calcium was in excess- in the bodies that is ! So,next time,our calcium levels hit rock bottom,I know what to do - get my house repainted !

There is one downside to all this -our  hair also  gets its fair share of the white powder .So all of us appear older than we really are.On second thoughts,we can blame the painting for all that grey hair ! Hopefully ,all that extra grey in the hair makes us appear wiser - more grey matter in the brains. But then we all know- appearances can be deceptive & in such cases,they  certainly are !



The way the painting work was carried on left a lot of questions unanswered.They took four weeks to do up the flat but the speed had reduced midweek itself.I was left wondering if they were pretending to do a thorough job by taking a long time.It is like this in examinations- those who fill reams of paper are awarded more marks than others who write up to the point.One ponders if the answer sheets are indeed weighed before marks are granted.

Finally,painting ended & I sighed.Because,I realised that I will start looking my colour -so many shades darker as I will no longer have the benefit of superfine white powder which was like a halo around me ! Some had even mistaken it for some divine aura !

I will end here as I have to get a facial  & pedicure done lest people begin to notice the difference !