Use it with soap, just water, or even dry. It seemed comfortable. But it was hard to smoothen the chin. However much you try, the chin will be stubborn. There will always be a warning. If you are used to shaving with normal blades, it will take time to adjust to electric shavers. Then there was the question of foil type vs. rotary. I started with rotary, then moved to foil, and then recently to rotary again. Reason? Very simple. First of all, moving from one type to another, we are warned, will take time to adjust. Having suffered three shavers from broken-down condition, I went to a shop recently and bought the cheapest one available there, which was a rotary one.

The main topic is, of course, the mustache and maybe the beard. I am a bird lover but not a beard lover. Never had one. Never even thought of having one. So, my experimentation was with the decoration over the upper lip.

First, it grew in the natural way. I let it be. Then, having seen many people with designer mustaches, I thought of experimenting. At a very young age, I was impressed with those big ones with twirls on the sides. I couldn’t grow that much. So, I shaved my small, thin wisp of a mustache, copying the twirler—just the shape within the face and not extending or protruding outside. After being ragged by somebody over this, I came back to the normal one.

Then the Chinese model attracted me. I had a big drooping one down to my chin. When I look at those photographs, I shiver. I distinctly and definitely look like one of those ‘rowdy’ elements. How did my wife tolerate me?

I returned to the normal one again. At some point in time, I was getting irritated by the falling hairs. So I trimmed and tried to decorate myself with a thin mustache.

I am sick of these now. Shave every other day? So time-consuming and irritating. Maybe like the womenfolk, I should have applied turmeric powder religiously and thus avoided this nuisance from even appearing on my face. And looked like Hindi actors.

During my recent trip to Thirukkadaiyur, about which I had written, I had shaved the previous night. By the time the travel was completed, in about nine hours' time, it had grown again. Then people think you are not well if you have even a hint of hair on the face. Does that mean I should shave morning and evening? No way. I nowadays simply indulge in this activity maybe a maximum of twice a week. If I can help it, even lesser.

Have you heard of the sideburn fashion of the seventies, I think? I too had a long, broad, and thick sideburn. Imagine having these in the Chennai heat. Luckily, in a short time, I got out of that madness.

Now I prefer just one step short of tonsuring as far as my head goes. And totally removing the mustache. Feel so good.

Continued in 295. Bud Bugs - Part 1