I ask around about haircuts. Authoritative Mumbai sources say: Twinkle for Gents.

Five weeks into our stay, haircuts are essential. But am I to test Twinkle for Gents?

I take a 2 and 3 across the sides and top. My sons buzz down to 4 and 5. Not haircuts, so much as a few quick strokes for any steady clipper hand.

Be that as it may, Saturday afternoon finds us at Dr. Ambedkar Rd/Nr. Zigzag Rd in Bandra West.

There we pause for a photograph with the final vestiges of our last American haircuts, intact upon our heads. Once we pass through the doors of Twinkle, who can say what becomes of us.

Inside, a family of Shaikhs (Shahid, Wahid, Abid, and Sajid) treat us to the works. We order up haircuts, coconut oil head massages, and three dutiful rinses, skipping other popular options like the face massage, facial bio glow, and ‘Loreal Scrap.’

I find the Shaikhs masterful. In my case the barber zips in and out of my nose and ears with precise scissor tips that leave my brain tingling even before the methodical application of an electric vibrator to my head and neck. How Mohan grins wide when the vibrator massages his nose! Even Vikram, bearing the first experimental buzz, thrives on a near miss when a number two attacks the place where a number four is wont to go.

The only haircutting experience more memorable for me occurred in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The year was 2003. There a Turkish barber set a Q-tip alight and sizzled the hairs in my ear canal before whispering into it: I am a follower of Issa (Jesus).

I had no reply.

Yesterday my sons and I left Twinkle feeling clipped and clean and smart.

Turns out the place isn’t called Twinkle for Gents. They are Twinkle Hair Dressers: Gents Specialist.

A good close shave indeed.

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