If you’ve ever looked at photographs of Indian women, you’ll see a familiar identifying feature: the red dot on their foreheads. Have you ever wondered about the meaning of this red dot? Let’s find out how it really works!
Some Indian women have a small dot between their eyebrows. That little dot is called a bindi , and it has its roots in an ancient Hindu custom. Bindi symbolizes female strength and is believed to protect women and their husbands. Along with the development of modern medicine , red bindi can also have a life-saving effect.
According to the concept of the Indians, the area between the eyebrows is called the place where all human intelligence is concentrated. Indian women put red dots or gems here to be wiser, more lucid and also ward off evil spirits. Many people also think that the red bindi mark is like the third eye of the Indians.
The red color of bindi symbolizes honor, love and prosperity. In South India, it is common for women to get married and then dab bindi on their foreheads to let men know that they are married.
“Red dot saves lives” for thousands of women in India.
However, the bindi red dot can also have a life-saving effect.
This is because in the area where they live, crops grow on soils lacking iodine and about one-third of households do not have access to other sources of iodized salt. Some are struggling with breast cancer, fibrocystic breast cysts and complications during pregnancy. Most of these cases are the result of iodine deficiency.
How do we ensure that women in such rural areas get enough iodine? Most Indian women wear a bindi dot, a small circular decoration on the forehead.
Stemming from this fact, Gray for Good – a newly established charity arm of Singapore’s Gray Group has joined forces with the Neelvasant Medical Foundation and Research Center – a NGOs in India. They produced bindi packs , called “Life Saving Dot”.
Iodine deficiency is the leading cause of brain damage in the world. You may not have heard much about the mineral iodine, but it plays an extremely important role in the human body. In pregnant women, iodine deficiency can lead to birth defects or stillbirth.
The back of each life-saving dot, or Jeevan Bindi, is iodized, turning it into a small packet of iodine.
The Neelvasant Medical Foundation and Research Center India has coated the back of the bindi with iodine and this red dot will deliver up to 150 micrograms of iodine absorbed through the skin. The problem with the use of food supplements is that the cost is very high and most households cannot afford it. But with the red dots that save lives, the price is quite cheap at 10 rupees, or 16 cents for 30 days of use.
According to the International Business Times, the group is still conducting research to determine how effective the bindi dot is in delivering iodine into the bloodstream. Equally important is determining whether iodine can persist on the bindi dots in hot, dry weather. To date, iodized bindi has reached more than 30,000 women in 100 villages.
Hopefully, this idea will work as expected. This is a great start towards our goal of helping people with iodine deficiency.
Not only that, the red dot also has many health meanings such as helping to calm the mind, avoid eye strain, avoid insomnia, support hearing for women… if massaged on bindi points regularly.
Thus, the meaning of the red dot on the forehead of an Indian woman is very impressive because it brings many uses to life, not just spirituality. This is a traditional Indian culture that has been preserved in this country with the hope that everything will be lucky and smooth.
The red color of bindi symbolizes honor, love and prosperity.
Today, the form of using bindi has changed a lot compared to the traditional way. Many Indian women and even men dot bindi for beauty, regardless of age, status, or gender. Bindi is now decorative and has no color limit. Girls can buy bindi patches or put gems on their foreheads as jewelry.
Bindi is no longer limited to India but has spread rapidly to many other Asian countries. The image of a woman with a red dot on her forehead has also inspired the makeup style of many young American and European girls.