Bindi or no bindi – why it should be left to the women (or men)
- Shobhaa De
- Oct 28, 2023, 18:23 IST IST
Micro bindis are a hip accessory for Bollywood stars like Alia Bhatt
Please spare the poor bindi which is in the eye of another storm! To wear it or not to wear it is a personal decision. Ask any young woman (and increasingly, men as well), what the dot in the middle of the forehead means to them, and chances are that they might call it a beautiful but optional fashion accessory.
But for my mother’s generation, the bindi was non-negotiable — an inseparable part of a married lady’s identity. My mother re-applied her ‘kunku’ (bindi), the first thing after her bath. Her mangalsutra never left her neck from the time it was tied by my father in the wedding mandap. Both these were symbols of being a ‘soubhagyawati’ (a married woman whose husband is alive). Being seen even for a minute without either was considered inauspicious.
But for my mother’s generation, the bindi was non-negotiable — an inseparable part of a married lady’s identity. My mother re-applied her ‘kunku’ (bindi), the first thing after her bath. Her mangalsutra never left her neck from the time it was tied by my father in the wedding mandap. Both these were symbols of being a ‘soubhagyawati’ (a married woman whose husband is alive). Being seen even for a minute without either was considered inauspicious.
