Hundreds of pairs of men’s shoes lined up neatly along London’s Tower Bridge; on Sydney’s Bondi Beach; outside Leinster House, the seat of the Oireachtas, Ireland’s parliament, and on the front lawn of Canada’s Parliament Hill. Passers-by wondered, paused and took photographs. The display was a creation of the Movember Foundation to raise awareness about men’s suicides, as a part of International Men’s Day on November 19. Each pair of shoes signifies the life of each of the 247 men who committed suicide this month in the U.K.
Back in India, boys and men are observing Movember as a month when they will grow a moustache and spread awareness about men’s issues. Men grow a beard and stache, save the money they would otherwise have spent on their beard upkeep and later donate it to a charity of their interest. Ooty-based photographer, musician and traveller Santosh George Thomas says, “I’ve always loved to grow a beard ever since I could and I’m grateful that I can. Except for my first year in college, I always had a beard because, truth be told I felt naked without it. Even if it was a goatee, a Van Dyke, a French beard or a full beard, I had one.”
No-Shave-November or Movember is a foundation that works to educate and advocate mental health issues among men. It runs various suicide prevention projects in collaboration with local health partners to support those who are struggling. “I started growing my beard for No Shave November three years ago, but I did not give the proceeds to organisations or to help cancer patients. However, last year even though I could not participate in No Shave November because I was working for a corporate, I donated the money I would normally have saved to cancer research/patients. This year however I’ve been growing my hair and beard for a little over five months and I have managed to put aside the money I saved. So, at the end of No Shave November, I’m planning to either donate to the Movember Foundation, NoShaveNovember.org or find a cancer patient in need of money and donate it to them,” says Santosh.
A few men support the cause to create awareness while others think of it as a publicity stunt. There is a vast number who have joined the initiative for its engaging concept. “I heard about Movember in 2006-07. Honestly speaking, the whole concept was created by two drunk guys at a bar in Australia, and you can’t be following drunken guys who create a fad. Facial hair has appealed to me since puberty. Since then, I always grow my beard in winters, as keeping a long and neat beard in summer is a tough and an itchy task,” says Delhi-based lawyer Pulkit Misra.
With interesting catch-phrases like “Tache for Cash” and “Grow a Mo”, the initiative is a hit in the U.S. and the U.K. In India, what to do with the proceeds is usually up to the participants.
While here it is just the young and working professional brigade who likes to participate, in countries like Canada and South Africa men of all age-groups tend to join the movement.
In India, men have taken up this concept to simply showcase their stache skills and inadvertently they end up spending more on maintaining their beard and stache than saving. Chennai-based actor and freelance writer Lavanya Narayan puts it the best. “Honestly? I think most men don’t understand the concept behind it. Movember is supposed to raise awareness for prostate cancer. The money you’d normally spend on personal grooming products, you donate to the cause at the end of the month. But men just see it as a way to prove who can grow the longest and lushest beard. In my opinion, the concept is entirely lost.”
The foundation urges participants to host events to further the effort and to “move” to staying healthy. “Grow a Mo, save a Bro” says the website. “The moustache is the Movember Foundation’s ribbon for men’s health. Use it to raise funds and stop men dying too young.” Owen Sharp, Movember Foundation CEO says: “There is a lot being done, but it’s not happening fast enough to have real impact. The Movember Foundation is uniquely placed to address the crisis at a global level. By engaging with men where they are, and understanding what works best, the Foundation is helping make change happen sooner, before it’s too late.”
