If fairytale character Rapunzel shed her locks to escape from the tower, many city college girls on Thursday sacrificed their long tresses for a noble cause: to boost the self-confidence of cancer patients.
M. Kanaga Varsha, a first-year student of Women’s Christian College (WCC), did not mind losing 11 inches of her locks. “I am glad my small gesture could bring a smile on the face of a cancer patient. This brings more joy than donating money,” she said.
Tangled, an initiative of Rotaract Club of WCC and Green Trends Salon, was inaugurated on Thursday, with several students coming forward to donate their hair.
It all started last year when six college girls stumbled upon the idea to support cancer patients. R. Gitanjali of Rotaract Club of WCC recalled the journey of ‘Tangled’ and how several students were willing to shave their heads for the cause. “We were more determined to carry this forward after we met cancer patients. Over 3,000 people donated hair that went into the creation of 300 wigs. Each wig costs about Rs. 5,000,” she said.
At the inaugural function, actor Sarathkumar lauded the effort of the college team, and said it would go a long way in creating awareness on prevention of cancer and peer support.
Tangled has now moved beyond Chennai. People in over eight cities, including Bangalore and Hyderabad, can now walk in to any Green Trends Salon and donate hair. This year, over 3,000 stylists have been trained for the initiative.
S. Deepak Praveen, chief operating officer, Green Trends Salon, said: “We need hair locks of one inch thickness and length of six to eight inches to use in a wig. It takes four or five months to make them.”
Earlier, 100 wigs were donated to Adyar Cancer Institute. E. Vidhubala of the institute advised youngsters against eating junk food, a prevalent cause of breast cancer in urban areas.