Hair on the Head, and the Vow (*Pan*)

 Hair on the head is a part of who we are. People have been experimenting with hairstyles for thousands of years. This article looks at a few vows (*pan*) that are tied to hair.

       The oldest instance in Indian history is that of Arya Chanakya. The mighty Magadha empire belonged to the Nanda dynasty. Along with their power, their arrogance grew too. In that arrogance, King Dhananand insulted Arya Chanakya. Chanakya, a brilliant man with no greed for personal gain, could not bear the insult. In the middle of the royal court, he vowed, "Until I drag this arrogant Dhananand down from his throne, I will not tie a knot in my *shendi* (the tuft of hair at the back of the head)." The vow was fulfilled when the brave warrior Chandragupta Maurya ascended the throne. In ancient history, the Maurya dynasty ruled over the largest stretch of land in India, holding power for nearly two centuries.

This kind of vow in politics shows up in the spiritual world too. One of India's most famous pilgrimage sites is Shri Balaji at Tirupati, a place of faith for crores of Hindus. Devotees who bow before the deity give up the hair on their heads. It is seen as a step on the spiritual path, a moment of turning inward, away from the worldly pleasures of everyday life. Every year, a huge number of devotees take this step. This too is a 'vow'. Some do it to fulfil a wish that was granted.

Some people take up a similar vow every November. It is called 'No Shave November'. The idea is simple: don't shave for the whole month, and donate whatever you save to people in need. Of course, maintaining a beard can end up costing more. Still, you could say this is a vow that reflects a sense of social responsibility.

    (Dr.Bharat Balwalli, photo from internet)

Some time ago, I listened to an interview with Dr. Bharat Balvalli, a well-known classical vocalist. He has had a feel for music since childhood. As luck would have it, he got to spend time with the late veteran singer Asha Bhosle, who recently passed away, right from his early years. His training in classical music began, and he kept progressing. Through his time with Ashatai, he learned the style of Master Dinanath's singing. Swatantryaveer Savarkar was a revered figure for Master Dinanath and the Mangeshkar family, and Balvalli received that inspiration as well. This led him to decide to release a collection of Savarkar's songs in his own compositions. But obstacles kept coming up. According to Balvalli, some of these hurdles were even created by the then government in Maharashtra. The project dragged on. At one point, Balvalli took a vow: until this project was completed, he would not cut the hair on his head. By the time it was done, his hair had grown down to his neck. His beard had grown too. The project was completed in 2013–14. Afterwards, an acquaintance told him that his shoulder-length hair and beard had become a signature part of his personality, and that he would look good if he maintained them well. Balvalli agreed and kept the look. Still, it is a fact that his original vow was to not cut his hair until the project was done.

    (Dr.Sharad Khare, photo from internet)

Here is one more example, from someone I know personally. Dr. Sharad Vasudev Khare is a professor of political science, and he is 81 years old now. On the advice of his guru, Prof. N. R. Inamdar, he left a central government job at the Vaikunthlal Mehta Institute and took up a professor's post at Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth. This cost him a lot financially. But Sharadrao has no complaints about it. Sharadrao is a volunteer of the Sangh (RSS). He was close to the late Prof. Shripati Shastri, a senior Sangh worker. Originally from Karnataka, Shripati Shastri was a professor of history at what was then Pune University, and later became head of the department. He passed away in 2010. In his memory, Sharadrao also started the Dr. Shripati Shastri Institute of Social Sciences. There had long been an idea to bring out a commemorative volume on Shastriji's life, but it lay untouched for many years. Sharadrao Khare took it up as a project and put in a great deal of effort. He vowed that he would not shave until the book was published. After tireless work, the book was released under the title *Sanghayatri* on 4 July 2021. Only then did Sharadrao shave off the beard he had grown. In 2025, he also edited and published a book based on the 100-year journey of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

People take up some vow or other. They work hard to see it through. Some even put everything they have on the line for it. Stories like these stay with us. They show us the power of determination.

Sudhir Gade, Pune

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(AI Translation)