To wear or not to wear pottu

Tradituonally, Indian women wear pottu for religious reasons. The spot where the pottu is placed, typically between the eyebrows, is thought to be the location of the sixth chakra, ajna, which is believed to be the seat of concealed wisdom. The pottu is placed in order to retain the energy and strengthen concentration.

Most Indian women don't do the research as per why pottu is worn, even I did not.

I never wore pottu during school days, just an upward streak of vibuthi which disappears as soon as I get of the crowded school bus in the morning.

My Indian schoolmates have criticized my quirk of not wearing pottu, saying that I am not Indian enough and even disrespectful of my religion since I don't wear pottu. Does a tiny dot in between my eyebrows determine my identity and religion? If it is so, then I should have a pottu on when I was born.

Wearing pottu these days is no longer a matter of religious conduct or the identification of an Indian woman; it has become a fashion statement and a matter of preference and volition, to wear pottu or not to wear pottu. It is a right, not an imposition.

The idea of pottu is a red one for married women and a black one for maidens. Some married women wear a streak of vermillion at the parting of hair on their foreheads.

But, commercialism and globalization didn't spare pottu. We now have colourful sticker pottus of all shapes and sizes worn by both married and unmarried Indian women. Westerners have started to wear pottu. From Indian culture, pottu has become a global phenomenon.

An Indian girl is an Indian girl whether she wears a pottu or not. Don't judge her character by a tiny dot on her forehead; that tiny dot doesn't determine her character.  


Selena Gomez wearing pottu