Just visualize this scenario – hectic schedules, working round the clock, preparing worksheets, reworking calculations, decorating Power Point presentations all trying to meet the deadline and on the penultimate day, rework the entire thing all over again and so on till late evening. Finally its completed!!! Whew! What a relief! But, wait a sec, don’t rest so soon! Tomorrow 9.30 a.m. you have to make this presentation to the directors, Most of them are skeptical about your proposal, so you better have your reflexes quick and data at your fingertips!
Familiar, I’m sure to most of you who have worked in the corporate world! (To the rest, just watch a Karan Johar movie to recreate this experience…..just joking)
The cause:
After one such grueling fortnight, I really needed something to relax. In ordinary circumstances, it would have been dim lights, nice soothing Jagjit Singh ghazals and a glass of chilled beer!!! Mmmmm…. Heaven!
But if you have got to be up and about the next day in the Boardroom, such indulgence is not exactly wise.
At 9.00 p.m. after a long day, I had a look at myself in the mirror of my office cloak and was stunned. I had hair growing over my ears, crowding my forehead and a stubble which was now more of a beard! What sort of a person would take me seriously in a Board meeting! So on my way home, I stopped by my neighbourhood barber. Now, being ..ahem…upwardly mobile, I generally visit the more sophisticated (and pricey!) parlours and have long stopped using the services of such menial(?) staff. But in the situation that I was in, I did not have much of a choice.
The barber was on the verge of closing down his shop and with some persuasion, agreed to take me as his last customer for the day. After a rather luxurious haircut and shave, I was looking more, in my humble opinion, presentable (if I may say so myself). As I was about to take his leave, the barber asked me if I needed a head massage. Now, this thought had never occurred to me, but his suggestion was certainly tempting. I decided to go for it.
The process:
I sat back onto the chair and relaxed my tired body and mind. The barber opened a glass bottle containing a red liquid, poured a generous amount onto his palm and started applying it on my head. The air was immediately filled with a strange smell (reminiscent of those oily haired UP bhaiyas, no offence meant) and it made me recoil a bit. But it was too late and the solution was already on my scalp. Using the slickness of the stuff, the barber used his experienced fingers to massage my scalp from all sides. I could feel the oil slowly percolating down inside the skin soothing my nerves gradually. Boy, was that grrrreeaaaattt! It was sheer bliss! The experience is just indescribable. This went on for a good five minutes or so. At the end of it, I just did not want to open my eyes. Using a lot of will power, I finally got up, paid the money and also gave him a handsome tip for the pampering he had done.
The effect:
After I reached home and onto my bed, I made sure I used a thick towel under my head so as to protect my pillow lest it started to stink forever. As soon as I lay down, there was a strange feeling of coolness seeping into my head. The feeling spread deep inside and across the scalp and was slowly lulling me into sleep. That was the best and most sound sleep that I had slept for a long long time. The next morning, I was fresh, alert and ready to take on the world! Needless to add, the presentation was a huge success!!!
The product:
Determined to get the details of the product, I contacted the barber once again very soon. He told me that it was “HIMTAJ AYURVEDIC OIL” – which I could purchase from any medical store. It comes in a large glass bottle packed in a tacky cardboard boz. The box has a sketch of a person with a large moustache – probably the inventor of the stuff (the product is sold in the name of one Pt. Dwarka Prasad Agarwal”) and is classified as an “Ayurvedic Medicine”. The product is from Jaunpur, U.P. (that explains why the aroma reminded me of its natives) and is quite popular even among non-UPites. It is also exported to many countries.
The main component of the oil is til oil, which forms about 98% of the stuff, while the rest is made of small percentages of many other herbs. Apart from being used as a lubricant for head massage, the product also claims to arrest hair fall. (Not verifiable, thankfully!)
Some dos and don’ts:
# Do use it when you are not able to fall asleep due to some worry/ tension.
# Do remember to protect your clothes, pillows, bedsheets from the oil, otherwise you may have to discard it. The smell is difficult to wash away, particularly, in the case of mattresses and pillows.
# Don’t ever use it if you are meeting guests – use it preferably if you are going to be sleeping alone or among loved ones only.
# Don’t use it too often, maximum once a fortnight.
# Don’t use it during the day, apply it just before you get into bed and make sure to shampoo it off the next morning.
That’s it from me then, Have a Good Night & Sweet Dreams!
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