A Mop of Wisdom

The Funniest People in the World have Curly Hair

- The Truth, by Nandini Krishnan

I was born with curly hair, and at some random point in my life, probably weighed down by its length, it turned more or less straight...at best, wavy. Then, I got it cut, and the curls came to life again. I recently discovered these were the source of all my powers.

A recent, rather fortunate series of events required me to straighten my hair, temporarily, for less than twenty four hours, as it turned out, and as I sit here now, with the curly mop floating around my head, I thank God for its rebirth. My straight hair did not just make me more-or-less unrecognisable, and give me the appearance of someone who would say, "oh, no, yaar, I've put on this micro-inch around my waist, I'm not going to eat lunch now...oh, Hrithik Roshan is sooooo hooottttttt...oh, Dhoni is soooooo cuuuuuuuuuttttttttte....oh, Orlando Bloom is sooooo sweeettttt", but also wiped away my sense of humour.

Having dinner in office, I realised the people at my table were smiling politely at attempted witticisms, and then my eyes clouded over as a series of events played out in slow motion in my head as, under the influence of decades of dedicated movie-watching, they always do when I'm having an epiphany.

I saw Jerry Seinfeld do a routine in slow-motion, and then, with a cross-fade transition, in came Stephen Colbert, and then some of my best friends and wittiest colleagues...and every mental camera I had panned over to the curly mop atop their heads.

It's true. My curls are the source of my wit and wisdom, and I am lost without them.

It's true. All this never occurred to me when my hair was straight on that unfortunate day.

It's true. Even if I am required to straighten my hair everyday, I will go back home and wash it so my curls come home to sleep.

It's true. The funniest people in the world have curly hair.

Rowan Atkinson is the exception that proves the rule.