AboutAnil Expertise Indian culture could be a subject for a lifetime, but I can answer general questions regarding the Indian culture. I can answer questions relating to relationships, family, religion, and education in the context of the Indian culture.I have lived in the US for about 10 years and therefore can answer some cross-culture type questions.
Experience I was born and raised in India. I lived in India for about 25 years before I came to the US. I lived in the US for 10 years, but in those ten years, I had closed ties in India, so I am quite familiar with the Indian culture and the mainstream Indian society. I have always been fascinated by culture and diversity, so I can give a critical analysis of some of the cross cultural issues. I have conducted culture related training programs to educate visitors to India.
Question Would like to know what kind of ink is used to make the red dot Indian women wear and also is it disrespectful to wear if you don't live in India?
Answer Hi Shirley,
Few months back I had replied a similar question. I am sending you my response to earlier question. And it is not disrespectful to have a bindi on your forehead even if you don't live in India. As a matter of fact, lately bindi is used more as a fashion accessory than for its traditional significance.
“Bindi” is derived from the Sanskrit word “Bindu” or a “Drop”. It is usually a red dot made with vermilion powder which is worn by women between their eyebrows on their forehead. In the subsequent paragraphs the word “bindi” may be substituted by "Sindoor", or ”Tilak”, or "Tikka", or “Kumkum”.
The “bindi” is supposed to signify the mystic third eye of a person and therefore, when properly marked, becomes the central point of the base of the creation itself. It is a symbol of auspiciousness, good fortune and festivity. It denotes the woman's married status in most of the North Indian communities but in South India any woman may wear a bindi.
Some historical notes suggest that the origin of this practice came from ancient wedding rituals whereby the husband would mark a dot on the forehead of his new bride with his own blood as a mark of ownership. Widows who follow this custom will stop wearing bindi after the death of their husband, or change the color to indicate their change in marital status, depending on which tradition they follow.
Similar marks are also worn by devout Hindu men on their foreheads as well, especially for traditional ceremonies. These marks are called “Tilak” (instead of bindi). According to the scriptures, without the application of the Tilak on the forehead all bathing, giving and receiving gifts, austerity, performing sacrifice, the rites of gods and ancestors, are fruitless.
The bindi/tilak also has as important role to play in all religious ceremonies. After every puja, the tikka is applied to all present — an elongated one for the men applied with the right thumb and a round one for women applied with the right ring finger. The main purpose behind the application of the tikka on this occasion is to constantly remind the bearers of the tilak that upholding the dharma(religion) is their foremost duty.
The “tikka” ceremony is particularly important during weddings amongst Indians. By applying tilak on the groom’s forehead, he is urged is treat the physical relation between the husband and wife on a higher, spiritual plane and to burn down all lowly thoughts in the same way as Lord Shiva burnt Kama (the god of love).
The application of the vermilion dot on the forehead of the groom further connotes that from the time of the marriage onwards he has to don on the additional responsibility of duties towards the entire family, clan, society and the ancestors. The adequate performance of such duties requires the intuitive eye to allow him to look beyond the apparent into the hidden.
The forehead mark of the bride too has similar connotations. The traditional red dot on the bride’s forehead signifies blood, and hence is symbolic of fertility and of suhaag. By applying the vermilion dot on her forehead the new bride agrees to take upon herself the role of the preservator of her husband’s family. The bride’s bindi is also symbolic of the “Anu”, the point of beginning of all creation and hence of the infinite potential of the women as is signified by the concept of Shakti, the cosmic female element.
The bridegroom's make-up is incomplete without the TILAK .The decked North Indian bride steps over the threshold of her married home, resplendent with the red bindi on her forehead. The red color is supposed to augur prosperity for the home she is entering. The mark makes her the preserver of the family's welfare and progeny. Conservative woman still use age old kumkum or sindoor for making a bindi.
In olden days,to get a perfect round they used to use a small circular disc or a hollow pie coin.First a sticky wax paste or vaseline was applied on the empty space in the disc.This was then covered with kumkum and then the disc was removed.....and presto you had a perfect round bindi.
The shinning bindi on the beloved's forehead is supposed to mesmerise her lover. Poets, through ages have composed couplets on the beautiful bindiya of the damsel. Bindis still do attract a lot of attention as it is the first thing that catches our eye . This little dot has always received a place of importance in Indian customs. Before, a Kshatriya queen used to apply this tilak on her husband's forehead to bring him luck in the battle-field or used it to welcome him back home. In modern times too we use the same custom to welcome our guests- Even heads of State, Presidents/Kings/Ministers are welcomed with the applying of the tilak.
What is it made of ?
Used to be mostly made with vermillion powder (red color), or sometimes some color powder blended with sandalwood paste. For the very religious types, they sometimes use the "Ashes" from holy locations (temples). In contemporary culture, bindis have been modernized and are often worn as a fashion accessories. They come in as stick-on bindi. This is where a small shape is made of felt or other fabric, backed with a sticky layer, so that the design may be applied or removed just by pressing it on and peeling it back off. This method allows elaborate designs to be applied quickly, although getting your bindi on without it being crooked may still take a few tries. Most often you find small packets of these bindi, allowing for variety of designs and colors. Some modern bindi incorporate rhinestones or other spangles to add a bit more flash and sparkle.
In ancient times, Hindus used red lead powder (sindoor) or sandalwood paste to place dots on their foreheads. These were decreed by sages as having cooling properties, which when applied in the form of a Bindu lead to a calm and quiet mind. Mercury, believed to be the seed of Lord Shiva along with sulphur, regarded as the female element, was also used to apply the tilak, thus lending to Bindi a cosmic significance. The grains of rice, which were used to embellish the bindi, were considered symbols of fertility and prosperity.
In modern times, however, the bindi has become a fashion statement, apart from indicating a woman’s marital status. Most Indian women feel incomplete without this adornment. Especially when they wear Indian outfits. The bindi is an industry in itself. One for every occasion and budget. It is an indulgence that most Indian women would not like to give up. Even though they do not attach any religious significance or traditional importance to it. Bindis are fun and feminine. When the average Indian woman thinks of a bindi—she is thinking of adornment.Leaving the traditions aside, bindis today come in a variety of materials like vinyl, plastic, crystal, stone, coloured liquid, and so on. There are bindis of various colors and design, sequinned, dusted with gold powder, studded with beads and glittering stones and in different sizes.
The designs of the bindi too are as varied. The application of the bindi has not remained limited to the forehead alone. The current fashion trends have made bindi on adornment for nearly every body part be it the eyelids, eye corners, navel, nails, eyelashes, arms, neck, cheeks. Bindi tattoos are a rage amongst the young.
