Points of view

BALD AND BEAUTIFUL (Best Letter)
'Baldness' - a word feared by many, embraced by but a few (Losing More Than Hair, Sept 11). Consider this: you have reached adulthood and are (presumably) at the height of your masculine attractiveness. Just as you begin to march out of your shell, you pass the bathroom mirror and notice something amiss. Closer examination reveals that your hair does not wish to be a part of your journey. You are balding.
Lack of hair can be devastating - even more so if experienced at a young age - and is often accompanied by denial, anger and depression before acceptance. But this dreaded situation can be approached in two different ways: you can accept it or fight it.
Like everyone else, I too have seen how male pattern baldness can make even the most youthful and handsome men look old, even silly. But that's only part of the problem. What is particularly insidious about hair loss is the toll it takes on our self-esteem and the years of mirror-gazing and shower drain-inspecting that follow, as we helplessly monitor our hairline's steady retreat.
The available options for dealing with hair loss - that range from comb-overs, hair plugs, toupees, topical hair-growing slime or, most humiliating of all, the powder-in-a-can product that promises to fill in thin spots with the squeeze of a spray pump - only aggravate one's feelings of inadequacy.
However, times have changed and the bald can now be considered beautiful too. Men can find inspiration in the likes of Jason Statham and Vin Diesel, music fans have Pitbull and Chris Daughtry, intellectuals can look to Chuck Close and Sir Ben Kingsley, while aspiring athletes have Andre Agassi, Michael Jordan and so on. Thanks to such 'pioneering' celebrities, commoners no longer have to deal with baldness as farmers do with droughts. The sheer freedom of shaving one's head and not having to worry about balding is liberating. Just brace yourself - goodbyes are never easy.
Congratulations on your winning entry, Schahzad Amin! We'll be in touch with you soon.
» SEEKING ANSWERS
"The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is the duty of the living to do so for them." - Lois Bujold
The gripping tale of the Sheena Bora case, with its endless twists and turns, has captivated an entire nation ("So. who really did it?, Sept 11). Every titbit of the lives concerned is played out by the TRP-hungry media but, in the process, are we forgetting the crux of the matter - to gain justice for those innocent lives snuffed out by egocentric motives? Reeva Steenkamp, a stunning aspiring model; Aarushi Talwar, a teenager finding her foothold in the world; Sheena Bora, on the threshold of a new life with her fiancé - all dreams shattered in a moment of insanity. Reeva's killer Oscar Pistorius was charged with culpable homicide and five years in prison; but what about the lifelong torment her mother will have to live with? Aarushi's murder remains an enigma. Her character, ripped apart by the media, lies in tatters - while her convicted parents continue to proclaim their innocence in the matter. Sheena is gone, her young body and aspirations burnt in a forest. With numerous appeals made in courts, it may be years before a definitive ruling is made in the Aarushi case. Will Sheena's case be the same? Justice delayed is justice denied.
Valiny Rodrigues, Abu Dhabi
The wknd. edition dated Sept 11 is a bit unlike the usual editions. I say so because it talks about the top murder stories in the recent past and that's a little negative for a cover page, if you ask me (So. who really did it?). Reading those case studies, the extent of cruelty possible by some people is unfathomable. Misery loves company, but I also feel that tragedy loves attention. Why does a negative act like murder or crime get so much attention from the media and from society? The world has several crucial growth and development issues that need addressing. Don't they deserve a larger share of our thoughts and minds? - Naitry, by email
» BYE, BYE, LOCKS
There was a time when a receding hairline in men was associated with increased wisdom. People took it in stride and did not 'pull out their hair' (or whatever was left of it) in frustration. But, of late, it has become almost impossible for men to accept a shiny pate as their crowning glory, in place of their once lustrous locks.
Losing More Than Hair (Sept 11) was informative and brought to light some surprising facts as well. All those men who wish to age (and bald) gracefully can take solace from the fact that many influential men of our times are bald or have sparse hair too. Lesson to learn: if there's dedication in your work and you're willing to go the extra mile, it won't matter whether you have hair on your head or not.
Joe Garagiola, the American baseball player and commentator, summed it up well: "I'd rather be bald on top than bald inside." - Hari K, by email