who can wear a bindi?

[amala]

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I was told that young girls wearing black pottu is for protection from bad vibes especially the "evil eye" (nazar)

 

[P.J.]

Wearing Sticker pottu might be a fashion, but not Sindhoor or Kunkumam on the forehead. it is a sacred symbol of married Hindu women.

 

[Raji Ram]

I was told that young girls wearing black pottu is for protection from bad vibes especially the "evil eye" (nazar)

Dear Amala,

Home made black 'chAndhu pottu' was used by us during young days. Mom used to make it and pour in a steel cup.

On cooling it solidifies. A few drops of water mixed with the solid 'chAndhu' will give black thick liquid to use as pottu.

Even eye make up 'mai' was home made in those days.

 

[Raji Ram]

Google search gave me this link: Do it all Mom: Home-made Bindi(pottu) for babies

Bindi or 'Pottu' in tamil is a dot that is applied on the forehead of girls and women in India. It's considered inauspicious

if a married woman is not without Bindi. It is said to ward off the evil eye and so applied for babies of both genders.

However the commercial ones contains chemicals and not good for very small babies. My grandmother prepares this at

home. The method follows:

Ingredients:

1. Sago (Javvarisi in tamil)- 1/2 cup

2. Few teaspoons of water

Method:

1. Heat a non-stick pan till it's very hot (do not use oil)

2. Add the sago and keep frying till it turns black

3. This may take anywhere between 20-30 minutes

4. The sago melts in the heat

5. When it's dark brown/black, add a little water

6. The fried sago melts in water and forms a paste

7. Keep adding water and stir until all the sago melts into a smooth paste

8. Transfer it to a glass bowl and store

9. It will become hard once dried, add a little water before use

Traditionally it's stored in a coconut shell or a silver container. I used a glass bowl and it was good enough.

 

[prasad1]

I see on the movies/TV men wearing Vibhuthi, Kumkumam and Chandanam simultaneously. In most case they are Villains. I wonder why?

Jatilo Mundee Lunchitha Kesa,
Kaashayambara Bahu Krutha Vesha,
Pasyannapi Cha Na Pasyathi Mooda
Hyudhara Nimittam Bahu Krutha Soka. (Bhaja Govindam…..)

It is general statement, please do not take it personal.

 

[prasad1]

prasad Sir

Indian is in villages not in cities; Fashion has nothing to do with their wearing Kunkumam in their forehead.

I have not lived in Indian village, and I thought you lived in USA.
Probably this topic is not discussed in Indian villages. So I do not understand your comment.

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

Jatilo Mundee Lunchitha Kesa,
Kaashayambara Bahu Krutha Vesha,
Pasyannapi Cha Na Pasyathi Mooda
Hyudhara Nimittam Bahu Krutha Soka. (Bhaja Govindam…..)

It is general statement, please do not take it personal.

Like you do Mr. Prasad?

 

[amala]

Dear Amala,

Home made black 'chAndhu pottu' was used by us during young days. Mom used to make it and pour in a steel cup.

On cooling it solidifies. A few drops of water mixed with the solid 'chAndhu' will give black thick liquid to use as pottu.

Even eye make up 'mai' was home made in those days.

Dear Raji mami, I remember wearing ChAndhu pottu alot in my childhood too, well made to wear is more exact! Very big ones in my baby photos and then got progressively smaller as one ages and then none at all....i still wear it to temple, but I use liquid eyeliner for pottu these days.

 

[Raji Ram]

......i still wear it to temple, but I use liquid eyeliner for pottu these days.

That is a idea, Amala!

I used eyebrow pencil for black pottu during college days.

For red / maroon color, singar chandhu was available.

 

[Raji Ram]

A few years back, I found red color sindhoor stick in a shop and started to use it to draw a line

just above the bindi and it has been established as 'music ma'am style' by my 'shishyais'!

I also use it to replace sindhoor near the parting of hair since it won't drip even when I sweat!

Here it is:

 

[Raji Ram]

Sorry for deviating from the topic. But just to share the fun.

I have a relative who uses the black eyetex stick (similar to the sindoor stick) to color his pure white

mustache, because he is scared to dye it! I gift a couple of sticks whenever I visit him!

 

[kunjuppu]

raji, amala,


it was the custom in my maternal grandma's house to make 'maii' out of blackening the end of a knife or spoon, by a smoky oil lamp, filled with ghee. the lamp wafted off pure carbon which was captured by the metal, which was scooped into a kuzhi type aappai, mixed with ghee (again), and applied to the eyelids, and also to the nethi and the cheek of the babies for dhrishti.

the adults resorted to bottled chaandhus with the kungumam, for the parting of the hair (if ever). i dont know if it is prevalent in malabar pattars, to have the married women put kumkum in a prominent way, the rest of tamil nadu does.

personally, i like it the north indian way, where it is smeared rather liberally at hair parting. i have seen north indian women, with kumkum at the hair parting, with the nethi bare.

whatever it may be, nowadays, i find youngsters in jeans and pants, doing away with bottus even in chennai, though they appear to have one, most times they wear salwar kameez.

 

[amala]

Wearing Sindoor (kumkum in the hair parting) is a NI custom but i guess it has become a trend to wear it down south without any pottu. I've seen married women here who wear sindoor but never pottu/kumkuma on the nethi probably because pottu is more obvious . SI follow northies all the time but its never the other way around. Sometimes i think its cool and other times i feel its rather pretentious.

I remember my aunt putting maii for me as a child (traumatic times then) by making me look up at the ceiling fan...but i was terrified she'd poke my eyes and what should take less than 5 mins would take 1/2 hour without either of us letting go.

 

[amala]

Sorry for deviating from the topic. But just to share the fun.

I have a relative who uses the black eyetex stick (similar to the sindoor stick) to color his pure white

mustache, because he is scared to dye it! I gift a couple of sticks whenever I visit him!

I have my liquid eyeliner at the ready for anyone who needs to dye the temples of their hair in a hurry. Very versatile invention, these liquid eyeliners. Can be used as pottu, eyeliner, dye, why even as a pen in an emergency!

 

[renuka]

Dear RR ji,

As a child I never wore any black pottu..so when I got married and my husband looked through my baby pics..he asked me how come I dont have any baby pic with a big black pottu on my forehead?
I said it was not the practice at my home.

Then when my son was born..I did not put for him too and when my son started to get bigger I remember my MIL voicing her dissatisfaction that my son was not wearing black Pottu.

But I did not let him wear it cos I feel sometimes black pottu on a baby decreases the cuteness of the child and every child has the right to look their cutest best as a kid.

Ok so one fine day my MIL was going on and on asking me where is the black pottu for my son..and she bought for my son the black liquid pottu to put for my son,

So I thought OK I will put it for my son only when I go to her house so that she will stop nagging me.

My son was some 10 months then and just learning how to stand.

So I put the black liquid pottu for him and went to visit MIL>

My son was extremely uncomfortable and was trying to scratch his forehead and then he held the new sofa set of my MIL and rubbed his forehead on it and stained the new sofa fabric black!

After that my MIL told me no need to put pottu for your son anymore!LOL

When my son grows up and gets married I am going to leave it to him and his wife to do what they feel is best for their child.

Since I know how it feels... feeling uncomfortable when being asked to put black pottu for my son when I was not keen for it....so I would not want my future DIL to feel pressurized to follow what she might not feel comfortable doing.

 

[Raji Ram]

I have my liquid eyeliner at the ready for anyone who needs to dye the temples of their hair in a hurry. Very versatile invention, these liquid eyeliners. Can be used as pottu, eyeliner, dye, why even as a pen in an emergency!

Dear Amala,

Even the eyebrow pencil, which was a much earlier invention does all that you have mentioned!

And while using as a pencil, it is more stable! :thumb:

 

[Raji Ram]

............. So I put the black liquid pottu for him and went to visit MIL.

My son was extremely uncomfortable and was trying to scratch his forehead ..........

Dear Renu,

That is why most of the tambrams use only 'mai' till the child is about one year old. :baby:

Black chAndhu comes later!!

 

[renuka]

Dear Renu,

That is why most of the tambrams use only 'mai' till the child is about one year old. :baby:

Black chAndhu comes later!!

Dear RR ji,

Yes..out here also even NBs use Mai only..but my MIL knew I will never make it so she bought the liquid pottu.

 

[Raji Ram]

.... it was the custom in my maternal grandma's house to make 'maii' out of blackening the end of a knife or spoon, by a smoky oil lamp, filled with ghee. the lamp wafted off pure carbon which was captured by the metal, which was scooped into a kuzhi type aappai, mixed with ghee (again), and applied to the eyelids, and also to the nethi and the cheek of the babies for dhrishti............

Dear Kunjuppu Sir,

My mom also made 'mai' at home. The two changes are that the lamp was filled with pure castor oil and

the carbon emitted was captured in the convex portion of a stainless steel 'kaRandi'! There was a small

'mai' dabba which had convex shape on both sides, fixed at one end and a tiny lock on the other end!

 

[Raji Ram]

........ Yes..out here also even NBs use Mai only..but my MIL knew I will never make it so she bought the liquid pottu.

Dear Renu,

Only a few tambrams make 'mai' at home! Our generation used only 'Eyetex' brand for babies,

both boys and girls! You know, the home made 'mai' used to bring lot of tears when applied! :Cry:

 

[Raji Ram]

The only difference with tambram and nonbram babies: The 'pottu' on the forehead and 'drishti pottu'

on the left cheek are smaller in size for tambrams and fairly bigger for nonbrams. :becky:

 

[Raji Ram]

Courtesy: Google images

 

[renuka]

The only difference with tambram and nonbram babies: The 'pottu' on the forehead and 'drishti pottu'

on the left cheek are smaller in size for tambrams and fairly bigger for nonbrams. :becky:

Dear RR ji,

You forgot one more category of NB..the one's who do not apply any Pottu on forehead or cheek!LOL

 

[renuka]

Dear Renu,

Only a few tambrams make 'mai' at home! Our generation used only 'Eyetex' brand for babies,

both boys and girls! You know, the home made 'mai' used to bring lot of tears when applied! :Cry:

Dear RR ji,

My dad's mother (paternal granmum) was an expert at making Mai.

But since my mum does not believe in putting Mai for babies so we never wore any Mai but my other cousins used to wear.

But at least in South they do not use Surma for babies eyes like in North..that is extremely dangerous cos there is a risk of transmitting bacteria causing Trachoma..a leading cause of blindness.

 

[Raji Ram]

Dear RR ji,

You forgot one more category of NB..the one's who do not apply any Pottu on forehead or cheek!

:becky: