Each one of us is unique and the world needs more of that. I believe that my uniqueness began when I got my first strand of grey hair. Most people view gray hair as a sign of getting old and the end of youth.

In the desire to hold on to our youth, we start to color our hair which, in the beginning, seems like a clever idea to wear the `young’ mask. Later, from my experience, it starts to feel like a burden. Every time, before stepping out into the world, you have to slip on this mask. Comes a point when the mask begins to feel heavy. So why create a world where you can’t be yourself, where you struggle every day to look young and perfect?

If you are reading this and you have at some point colored your hair to conceal the grey, perhaps you’ll resonate with me. It was painful for me to go out to the salon every week to get my hair done until one day I decided to change my perception of what greying meant to me. One can look beautiful and young without resorting to these artificial means. We just need to dwell on these things a bit and figure out that we don’t really need them.

A long time back, I stopped coloring my hair and decided to go for the grey look. Trust me, when we step out of the beaten track, it is difficult initially, but in the long term you are the winner. Initially, I had patches of grey hair and was not confident enough of carrying my look, and sometimes I wondered if I had done the right thing by throwing away the mask. It was an awkward phase but then I decided to have my hair blow-dried and wore cool head gears– hats, scarves, cool turbans like the 60s look, etc until there came a point where it looked great in grey. The process made me realize that your acceptance of yourself gives strength to many out there and your idea of being you helps many to stay real.

It’s been a relief now to not feel the need to run to salons to get my hair colored, and it never impacts my trips or events. Even young girls ask me where I get my `grey’ hair colored. They thought I had long salon sessions to turn my black into grey. It’s been liberating, to say the least, and I feel comfortable with the phase I am in my life.

All of us need to understand that we don’t need a certificate from the world declaring us OK. Neither is it a good idea to force people around you, especially the aged, to color their locks to look young. Let us leave it to them. I decided for myself and it freed my spirit from being someone else and, honestly, I am enjoying it. If you are someone like me, hope this piece is comforting you about being you.