The RED dot !

From the ethnic Sarees,Salwars to Jeans, trousers and skirts my wardrobe is a perfect mix of Indian and western apparels. I believe in being fashionable yet modest in my dressing and so do most of us(I think so!). But, be it Indian or western wear i always prefer to wear a bindi on my forehead. I usually vary the sizes depending upon my outfit. For instance i would like to wear a small black dot on my forehead when in western wear.

Bindi- also known as pottu, tilak or tilakam is a forehead decoration worn in South Asia. Traditionally married Hindu women wear a bindi, whereas in the modern times it has become a decorative item among unmarried women as well. But many fashion folks prefer not to wear it when in western outfit. It is assumed that bindi does not go with western wear. Well, opinion differs from person to person.

I still remember...it was couple of months back, an Indian friend of mine exclaimed looking at me wearing a bindi with a western wear. She asked me with a mild chuckle "You wear it with jeans eh?". She laughed to hear me say that I love to wear it. She went off mumbling that it cannot go with jeans.

Well, the fact that bindi does not go with western wear is our assumption. Let me explain. Western wear, as the name indicates, these are outfits worn by people in the west(US/UK). They are predominantly Christians and hence do not wear a bindi. Of course, this is a aspect of western culture. This does not mean that anyone in western wear should transfigure themselves into western culture by giving up their own traditions/culture. I don't mean to say that all women from south Asia should always wear a bindi and safeguard their tradition. But one should give up the attitude that wearing bindi with western outfit is awful.

Another bitter truth about wearing a Bindi is that, a widow should not wear a bindi to indicate the loss of her husband to the society. I'm surprised to see that unimaginably conservative people still exist in the society.