I discovered an important item while I was standing for my return bus towards adayar from luz in mylapore at chennai where in I was observing the bhindis displayed in various shapes and sizes with different color combinations, designs, patterns ,etc.
In India these Bhindis are available in plenty. It might be because we have many people to wear them and hence this market is dominating. In foreign countries, am not too sure as to whether these are available in every European country or asia pacific countries for women to wear them if they like it and adopt it according to their traditions. Infact, Even the kumkum of goddess
I think can only be exported to foreign countries for Indians are available in plenty and scattered across the world to make use of these items for daily use apart from using for festivals and other rituals. Iam highly unbiased and feel strongly that in fashion every woman must enjoy whatever thing she is expected to possess according to the community in which she is born, for that the necessary item must be made available in any part of the world for her. Also parents must insist on certain things that is very necessary for a woman to be according to their family traditions mainly to pass good things to the next generation .
The procedure in Indian Tradition
The most common designs of bhindis are round and thilagam which are standard ones based on which many designs have come now. In ancient days of our grand mother and athai's we must have seen them keeping bhindis using kumkum dipped with silver thick pencil in order to get the desired round shape or thilagam shape.
For new born babies, the bhindi was kept even for male child when upto 1 or 2 years in using kajal which they prepare using sabudhana by heating in deep hot curry pan.
It is believed in the hindu tradition that bhindi is a sacred item for every woman and she keeps it right from birth in her father's house. The bhindi has greater weightage after her wedding as this bhindi along with kumkum in every women's forehead in the vekudu they say in tamil along with bangles, maangalyam and metti in leg depicts that her husband is alive. This is the purity and sanctity which is specially available in jewellery and bhindi business which must be made available to every women in any part of the world to wear incase if it is mandatory custom of her family.
The author can be contacted at sowmya_ramani@yahoo.com
