OLD IS BOLD

I want both – the BODY of a teen so I can TREK mountains, PLAY cricket or do the LOTUS ASANA without worrying about ACHES and CREAKING bones, and the WEALTHY mind of a 40-plus individual

Iam Mrinal Shekar and I am greying. There, I’ve said it – not in whispered tones at a meeting of some Canities Anonymous or on a couch at a psychologist’s office, but loud and clear to anyone who’s paying attention.

Now that I’ve said it, let me come out with it completely. I am of an age when people normally begin to show signs of ageing, so along with the silver in my hair I have crow’s feet and frown lines too. But it is my melanin-losing mane that is the highlight of my ageing personality and I have no plans of hitting funky colour bottles to cover them.

To all those who still haven’t got my point, I’m comfortable with what I see in the mirror. Cosmetologists and plastic surgeons, along with hair colourists, of course, please don’t knock on my door looking for business. And, at the risk of stating the obvious, I don’t understand this pursuit of eternal youth. For me, it is surely not a pursuit of happiness. Why would anyone want to remain 16 for the rest of their lives, an age when you’re perennially scared of getting caught either by ever-so-suspicious parents or hawk-eyed teachers? Whereas at 40, apart from a nagging boss or a distrustful spouse – sometimes vice versa – you don’t have to be accountable to anybody else. You’re the master of your universe.

‘But I want the body of a 16-year-old for I want to be able to trek mountains, play cricket or even do the lotus asana without having to worry about aches, pains and creaking bones,’ says a colleague, who is on the wrong side of 40. To that argument I don’t have an answer. For deep inside I want that too. Yes, both. The healthy body of a 16-year-old and the wealthy mind of a 40-plus. Call me greedy, but wanting is not a crime in my universe. Whether you agree or disagree, read our story on pursuing eternal youth on page 32 and tell me what you think,