Gawky, girlishly gawky. Most young gals in the late teens look that – unable, due to immature physical form to fit into saris, or fill out salwar - kameez to effect – too shy to try skirts, they end up looking dowdy – like frumps - trying their best to camouflage their shape with drapes of  loose apparel. On the whole this is a tough time for nascent women. The transit interval from being girls into turning fully developed women.

The problem manifests itself in many ways – one, I came upon last week. This young fresh from school teen, from a callow raw medical student, in the two years since she been with us here, she has blossomed into a well-filled out morph. Over-night, she has discovered that the right clothes  enhanced her appeal. She now chooses the best in town, she dabs expensive make-up accentuating her features, she wears her hair in a loose halo, streaking or dyeing it for effect. She walks with a practiced swagger, on heels and painted toe nails. What a metamorphosis!!! From ugly duckling to dashing distraction –she preens 24x7, staring at herself, in the small compact case mirror she totes with her.

Yesterday she drops in to my room in office. ‘Sir, I’ve misplaced my ID card and I need a new one?’

‘Now, now lady, you just cannot go about losing such documents – after all, it is a very important possession – and its loss can case many personal problems, besides misuse, you could have someone even morph the photo onto sites like orkut, you know’.

This logic, the young understand. The real importance of an ID, or the responsibility of its upkeep is lost on them – what really gets their goat is when you tell them someone from orkut-like site could open an account, use (or rather misuse) their lost snap, or with malice, morph it onto other less welcome formats and mess up life.

She broke into sniff and sob,

‘Please sir, I lost it on the bus…along with my mobile and purse’…boo, hoo, hic, sniff, sigh….

‘Okay, okay, now cut that lacrimal outpouring out – we’ll see what we can do’.

I signed the application with ‘issue duplicate’ endorsement – and watched as her khol-lined mascara hi-lighted eyes lit up – rouged cheeks flushing.

Now, I thought, why would a simple thing like permission for a fresh ID card case such euphoria? Is there more to it? Must be? Logic says so. Then it strikes me.

‘You haven’t lost your card have you? It is all a big lie’…
‘But, but sir’, she remonstrates, her eyes widening innocently for effect and drama. ‘but’….

‘You just wanted a new one’ I continued, ‘because the old one has your old photo, a photo which you now detest. You want an ID card with new one, a better, more recent pic, one that looks like the new you…….isn’t that the truth?’

‘Well, well um, er… ummmm’…she dithers, her cheeks dimpling as she smiled in gilt, showing a perfect set of orthodontically realigned teeth… ‘um…How did you guess sir?’

I handed over her endorsement.

After all, we were teenagers once…and we went through the ughs and ugly years too. I also recollect how, when my own daughter, changed her college ID snap three times…citing loss, but each time, affixing a brand new ‘new me’ pic for signature and lamination.

Bah!! The things that teens do!!!!!

Postscript: 

I sweep my hair back and stare vacantly. On my white apron is my own ID card. I unpin it and look at it – it reads, Vice Dean. Oops!!! I am dean now and need to get it changed. A new ID card which reads –DEAN. I rummage through my table drawer and extricate a passport sized photo –ughs….not this one!!! I sort out a few, picking one that makes me look more dashing, and much younger – with far less white hair. Good, this will do.

Ironical isn’t it? How a gawky teen tries to look more mature and older, and the older me tries to make myself younger!!!! Vanity, I am afraid, runs across the board, spanning all age groups and both sexes.