Short ‘n’ Sweet

High heels first came into my life at the not so sweet age of fifteen and then stayed on to prove indispensable to my existence. It was an age when I discovered that while I was sailing steady at a midget height of just under five feet, all around me, my friends were shooting up like ‘India- rubber balls’ While they added inches to their height, I added it to the heels of my sandals, until on top of a perfect three- inch stiletto, I could hold my head up and smile at anyone who passed by.

Practice makes perfect, they say. Now I can not only stand and smile, but also run and work and play with my energetic two- year old, all on top of my indispensable high heels.

My husband failed to understand how I lost in height as well as weight after our marriage. Until he saw my sandals. Now he marvels at the way I weave my way through a crowd, with a bagful of grocery in my arms, riding the needle- heels, as he puts it, and manage to remain in one piece.

The last six months of pregnancy gave me nightmares, for I had to do without my high heels. Oh, what a relief it was to put my feet back into the precious heels and feel on top of the world!

My neighbour shares my sentiments in this regard. One day, at a party, she hailed me from a gracious height of 5 feet 4” and pleaded with me to take hold of her small daughter who wanted to be picked up. “ I can hardly stand,” she said, “ And on top of that, she wants me to carry her” One look at her feet, precariously poised on her high heels was enough for me to make up my mind . I obediently picked up the child. Anything to avoid accidents.

That reminds me of one of the funniest incidents I have ever witnessed. At an award -giving function, amidst flash bulbs and wild applause, I saw an elegantly clad lady falling at the feet of the Chief Guest in an elaborate ‘Namaskar’. While the applause turned o catcalls and whistles, we discovered, as did the horrified lady, that one of the heels of her sandals had simply come off. Which made her victory a ‘lame’ one indeed.

I would advise anyone to put one foot forward, as long as the foot is quite firm on the ground. If not, as my husband says, “Short is also sweet”.

Shaila Chandran

Shailaja Chandran- Publications

This article was published in the Weekend Express of ‘The Indian Express’,Chandigarh Edition, March11, 1989