The braid" (1887) by Auguste RenoirMy memory went back to my school days. I was admitted to a new high school for sixth standard since my primary school had no sixth standard. In my primary school we had just 20 students out of which 6 girl students. All girl students came to school with two choties. They were seated in the first bench. I was seated in the immediately next bench. Every five to ten minutes these girls used to push their braids left to right & right to left. It used to hit my face very often and unknowingly created a sound. My class teacher will look at me and considered me a naughty student and put lot of questions for which I could not answer. Many times I used to fumble and became a laughing stock. Without any intention or intelligence it never occurred to me to complain against these girls. Unknowingly I started enjoying that hits at my face. Many times my fumbling created an impression among my teachers that I have a great sense of humor and fit student to be included in the dramatics club of the school. In school day celebrations, I was given lead roles, which was invariably humorous roles. I used to get first prizes for these roles. I never heard of Dove then, nor any of these girls had ever used dove at that time. Had dove was available at my village I would have become a film star or at least a stage artist of the repute like B.V.Karanth, Satyadev Dubey, Vijay Tendulkar or like Girlish Karnad. But ,alas, that's not what I destined to be. Non availability of Dove in my village & school. Instead of Dove,the girls used "sheege kai". My sisters used it in my house and it generated huge foams. My mother used it to wash her gold jewellery too from this "sheege kai". I don't know what would have been my fate, had Dove available in my village at that time?
Braids made from 3, 4, 5, and 6 twists
All these was my experience in my primary school. When I joined my high school, we had 30 students in class 6. There were 11 girl students and they were seated on the left side of the class and I had an impression of loosing my sense of humor and loosing chance of getting into the dramatics club. As luck would have it, our school started giving milk prepared from the milk powder supplied by USA. We were asked to bring a lota for drinking this milk. The steel glass given to me was lost by me. My parent's gave me a tin with its top cover removed to be used as glass for drinking milk.
Immediately after the class is over all used to run to stand in Q. Few girls pushed me back and I fell down. I got up immediately and pulled the braids each of the two girls and they too fell down. In one hand I hit one girl and in another hand I scratched the face of another girl with my hands with my sharp nails. Once again I lifted both girls through their braids. Once they stood up by my forceful lift through their braids, I started trembling seeing blood in their faces. One due to my hit by sharp edge of my tin to the head and other due to my scratching through my sharp nails. Head Master came and I was punished by not giving any milk on that day. Both the girls were given two glasses of milk.
I became famous in the school instantly and came to be known as braid fuller. The girls become famous for their strong braids.
I was admitted to the Fine Arts club and became actor,speaker and a singer too with the active support and help from these girls. We became close friends and thereafter never touched their braids and started admiring their beauty. We are friends even today and teasing me for pulling their braids in class 6. With their help I participated in district & State youth festivals and won prizes for our school.
Then came to college and seeing braids lesser as years gone bye. But my fascination for braids and its hit on my face remained forever.
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That must be a great memory. I never knew girls did such sweet tricks with their plaits.
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