Pride and Hair-judice

 The West Bengal government badly needs graphic designers. I don't know how there is a shortage of this particular species, but what I do know is that there's a pretty acute shortage. Either designers are in short supply, or common sense is. Neither option sounds particularly flattering. 

There's a reason why I'm saying this, and it's valid. I was travelling by bus and all along the side of the road there were posters. Big ones, too. The first line, near the top of the poster, read: "Our Pride". I'm translating this from Bengali, in case you were wondering. 

Next, there was a pretty big picture of Mamata Banerjee. This should come as no surprise, given the number of billboards her visage is already on. Calcutta exhibits something interesting which I haven't seen in too many cities: there are more billboards with the Chief Minister's face on it than there are of products, actors or companies. 

Either way, first line: "Our Pride." Second image: Mamata Banerjee. Third line: "Sujit Bose". Now that really confused me. The image is of Mamata Banerjee, the name below it says Sujit Bose, while the line on top says that something is the pride of a collective group of people. Who, what and just how? 

Rancho's professor in 3 Idiots would have lived for this moment. Regrettably, he doesn't know that Calcutta's posters require his reaction. He's too busy smiling at Chatur's rote memory. Those well-versed in memes will know what I am saying. For the others:

The poster really made me doubt my eyesight for a while. It was only when I managed to read my laptop screen correctly that I breathed a sigh of relief. Trust issues these days are really getting out of hand, be it with people or in general.

Speaking of trust issues, there's something so basic, but so important, that everyone needs to acknowledge. A male will go back to the same girl even after he has been hurt, but under no circumstances (and I mean absolutely none) will any guy go back to the barber who gave him a subpar haircut. 

Trust me on this issue; I haven't had a haircut anytime I've been in Calcutta in the past two years. When a barber decides that I need my hair cut so that I look like an idiot, I'm never going back there. Not on my life. Don't trust me on the girl issue, I haven't the foggiest idea in that field. 

This philosophy applies to girls too, but let's face it, barbers have a greater margin of error with their hair. They have enough to spare- we don't. Two wrong snips can still be remedied for girls. Not so for boys. Anytime our hair's cut too short, we're afraid we'll become permanently bald. That might just be me, but having seen the reactions of some of my batchmates, I'm probably right.

Moreover, girls have a plethora of products which they can use for their hair. Boys have products, too, but there are more brands than there are varieties of products. As a result, girls can still hide a bad haircut by using a hat, or by straightening it. I don't know the options, but I know they exist. I've pranked my sister with enough bad haircuts to know. 

When a girl wears a hat or cap, she is appreciated for it. When a guy does that, the first (and usually only) thing that his friends say is: "What in God's name is wrong with you? Get that off!" Any form of evasion usually ends in the discovery of the botched haircut. Followed by the roasting. Trust me when I say that the guy will be charred by the time his friends are done. Doesn't mean it isn't fun, though.

Trust is a funny thing. It's the smallest things which can build it up and then break it down just as easily. You don't even know what the things or actions are until you realize that they won't be happening again, or when you get mocked for it. Neutrality is bad sometimes; negative feedback is always worse. I suppose I've spouted enough claptrap for today, so I'll get going now. Adios!