Beyond the crowning glory
Sujata C
Hair is a protective, sensory growth on the body. It insulates the body and is a sensory receptor of the surroundings for many animals. In humans it also adorns the face by covering up the stark bald contours, and is called the crowning glory. It is a medium to convey one’s personal beliefs and lifestyle.
A project on hair can take us on a long trail of subjects and offer something to kindle the interest of every student, and help them establish connections across subjects to feed their curiosity and get them hooked to learning.
A new born human baby has fine downy hair on the body (that sheds off after a few months) called lanugo.
There are different types of hair on the body determined by the place they grow – scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, moustaches, and other body parts. The hair on the face and body grows only to a certain length and stops. Hair on the head is longer yet it stops at a certain length too depending on the genetic type of the person. Some people have short hair, some have long hair. When the hair is cut, it always tries to go back to its original length.
Language class: Make sentences with hair phrases and idioms. For example, give the students a few (let your hair down, tearing one’s hair out, make one’s hair stand on end, hair-raising incident, etc.) and ask them to find out more and use them in sentences.
Hair in evolution
Hair is a favourite topic of evolutionary scientists and anthropologists. It is representative of the genetic diversity that exists in the human race. Races are identified by their hair types, for example, Asians have long black hair, caucasians have a wide range of different coloured hair from blond to brown and carrot colour. Then there is African hair, Mongoloid hair, Nordic, Caribbean, and so on.
Collect pictures of various human races in different parts of the world, depicting different hair colours.
As evolution took its course, a hairless man emerged. There are many theories on why we lost our hair along the way. Man along with elephant, walrus, hippos, whales, frogs, and mole rats is one of the few mammals with minimal body hair.
Body hair on animal or man is different from the sensory hair of the whiskers and antennae of insects, cats, and seals.
A DNA analysis of hair can reveal many things about the person including the sex, medical condition, drugs taken, etc. Forensic experts often use hair of victims from a scene of crime to establish identity or to give them leads to other personal details.
Fear factor
The connection between hair and fear is seen across all mammals. The porcupine’s quills bristle when it is attacked. We have seen it in cats, too just as the hair on the human body stands up in a state of fright.
Have your class watch a scary Alfred Hitchcock movie.
Write out a couple of sentences on the hair-raising moments in the movie and describe the sense of fright felt.
Describe any other incident that made your hair stand.
Find out what makes the hair stand when we are scared.
Under the microscope
Examine a human hair under a microscope. Take hair from your own head, your pet dog/cat and examine these under the microscope. Note down your observations. Burning hair has a peculiar smell. Find out why?
Is hair a UV receptor? Nature is the inspiration of all inventions made by man. Scientists have found evidence of hair conducting the ultra violet rays of the sun to the body. They have found that the UV rays are received by the hair follicles in the skin giving it a light stimulus. It is possible that this would have inspired the invention of optical fibre. By absorbing the harmful UV rays the hair plays a protective role and prevents cancer. Illuminating fibre optic hair extensions are now part of high fashion.
Find out what optical fibre is, its uses and capabilities.
Hair customs
Hair is symbolic of strength, wealth, racial pride, status, rebellion, austerity, and so on. Storytellers have used hair frequently in their plots.
Read the story of Samson and Delilah, Rapunzel and write down the relevance of hair to the plot. Young children: Read picture books and poems on beards and moustaches.
Head tonsure is a practice followed by various communities for different reasons. Monks shave their head, as do devotees, as a mark of surrender and discipline. Heads of prisoners are shaven as a sort of punishment and also because you could hide things in it! The regressive practice of shaving the head of Hindu widows was prevalent in earlier times and they were segregated. Orthodox Muslims, Christians and some Hindu sects have their women cover the head as a sign of modesty.
Find out the significance of the ‘Shika’ on a Brahman’s head.
Find out the story behind Chanakya’s untied shika.
What are Islamic rules regarding the beard.
Read the story of Shiva’s matted locks and the descent of Ganga.
Find out why Draupadi left her hair open?
Some communities do not cut hair during a mourning period while others shave their heads. Hair is not meant to be cut on certain days in some communities.
Since ancient times, long hair in women was a sign of beauty and fertility. It was only during war periods and women’s liberation that short hair became the vogue for working women who had little time for their tresses. Short hair is synonymous with modernity and emancipation.
Sikhs are not allowed to cut their hair (both men and women) because it is one of the five articles that represents their faith and God’s love.
Face reading: The shape of the hairline is often a clue to one’s lineage and fortunes. In women a v-shaped hairline at the centre of the forehead is, they say an indication of early widowhood.
Hair is used for witchcraft rituals in some communities, so people are careful with their hair. But in others, there is no such fear and a lock of hair is given as a gift or made into a locket.
Find out about the custom of mourning jewellery and where it is followed.
Widow cities: Varanasi and Vrindavan are the widow cities of India. The practice of child marriages in India is responsible for this. Young girls were often married off to men three to four times their age. Within a few years, the old men would die leaving young widows dependent on other family members. Considered ‘inauspicious’ and a burden these widows were then abandoned or left to live a destitute life in the holy cities of India.
Find out when child marriage was outlawed in India. Find out how life of the widows of Benaras and Brindavan is and write a note on it.
Write an essay on the social reformers who worked for widow remarriage. Older students can watch the movie Water by Deepa Mehta to get an idea of the status of widows in Varanasi today.
Poster campaign: Imagine you were living in the India of 1920s and you had to run an awareness campaign on the dehumanised living conditions of Hindu widows. Create a hard hitting poster campaign.
Hairdressing and styling is part of personal grooming and is a booming industry in India with salons for men also taking off in a big way. Try out different hair braiding styles in class. Collect pictures and prepare a photo-essay on hair style and personality types.
Business of hair: Andhra Pradesh and TamilNadu are the largest markets for hair exports. Collection, processing, and sale of human hair provides livelihood to millions of people. India is an important player in the hair beauty industry. In 2013, the human hair exports from India fetched Rs. 2,500 crores, i.e., 400 million USD in foreign exchange. China leads the world in human hair exports worth 5 billion USD.
Hair is a symbol of body consciousness and beauty, hence believers have their head tonsured. Tonsuring is a rite of passage for young Brahmin boys before the start their student years. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, in Andhra Pradesh, earns Rs. 300-400 crores through sale of hair tonsured at the temple every year.
Hair is mainly used to make wigs and other hair extension pieces. Top grade Indian hair may command up to Rs 24,000 per kg depending on the length and strength of the hair. Lesser quality hair goes for Rs 300 per kg. Certain tribal and gypsy women collect hair to sell it. Professional smugglers of human hair send it across the border to Myanmar to have it processed. 3000-4000 kgs of hair is known to be smuggled every day, which equals Rs.1.2 crores in the international market.
Prepare a chart using the information given above. What is the origin of the word ‘Toupee’? Which famous person in history wore a toupee?
Falling hair and falling fortunes: Bad times are good for the business of hair restoration. The more people worry, the more they lose hair! Balding is every man’s nightmare and there are more men going in for hair restoration than women. The hair transplant market in India is said to be worth Rs 453 crores and growing at 25-30%. No wonder international hair transplant companies are keen to do business in India. The technology of hair transplant has advanced considerably and now stem cell therapy is used to regrow hair.
List the reasons for receding hairlines and hair fall. Gather names of hair restoration companies. What is a hair doctor called?
In humans, hair always seems to create a problem, either there is too much of it or too little and the place is always wrong! Whatever it may be, hair is always good for business – either it has to be dyed, restored, or removed. Research has shown that stress induces early greying which is good for the hair dye market.
Debate: Should we dye our hair or go grey naturally.
Make a Power Point presentation on long moustaches and funny beards.
Use pictures as inspiration to write humorous limericks or poems.
Moustaches and beards can be the theme for a class on cartooning.
Hair care
In olden days, women in India would oil their hair and then wash it with soapnut or shikakai and dry it with fumes of frankincense. It was a time-consuming process but essential if you wanted soft tresses.
Write a note on plant products that are good for hair.
Examine soapnuts, shikakai nuts, henna leaves, and frankincense in class.
Make soap solutions from soapnuts and wash a silk fabric. Compare it with a silk garment washed using chemical detergents.
Crush henna leaves with a stone and observe the bright orange colour it leaves on the hands.
Fragrant resins and oils obtained from plants are used in homes and places of worship. Almost all cultures practice the burning of incense to bring attention to the higher consciousness of the mind.
The Incense Route of Arabia was well-known for the flourishing trade of myrrh and frankincense that existed from 3rd century BC to 2nd century AD.
Mapwork: Identify the Incense Route and Frankincense Trail of Oman on the world map.
Examine some frankincense in the chemistry lab and burn it to know how it smells.
Animal cruelty in fur industry: Foxes, minks, rabbits, raccoons, seals, and bears are killed for the fur on their body. A fur coat was a proud part of an expensive wardrobe, until PETA came along. Chinese fur farms are notorious for inflicting cruelty on animals for their fur as they are skinned live.
Which country leads in the fur industry?
Read about the shocking activities that take place on Chinese fur farms.
Which country has the largest fur farms in the world?
Find out how PETA fights against the cruel fur industry.
Can animal welfare and the fur industry co-exist? Debate.
That’s the long and short of the project on hair. You can be sure that your students have enjoyed themselves while developing critical thinking skills and discovering areas of study that interest them.
The author is a freelance writer based in Hyderabad. She can be reached at sujata117@gmail.com.
