Significance of kumkuma and katuka

This happens to be my fiftieth post in the blog.
Till now, I was giving recipes for food only. I want to divert a little from the usual line and give recipes for making kumkuma (bindi) and katuka (kajal) at home.

Introduction:

Significance of Bottu (Bindi in Hindi):

Many times, a frequently asked question by foreigners is the significance bottu (bindi).

For the benefit of some readers, I am giving the significance of bottu and the dangers of using stickers and unsafe powders bought from market.

Kumkuma is a red colored powder used for social and religious markings. It is mostly made using turmeric and occasionally saffron. It is known by various names including മംkuṅkumam (Sanskrit कुङ्कुमम्), kunku (Marathi कुंकू), kumkum (Bengali কুমকুম, Hindi कुमकुम), kunkumam (Tamil குங்குமம்), kumkuma (Telugu కుంకుమ, Kannada ಕುಂಕುಮ ), Kungkumam (Malayalam കുങ്കു).

Kumkuma is daily applied to the forehead of Indian women.  In our childhood, we used to apply black bindi (also homemade) till marriage and after getting married, we are supposed to apply the red colored kumkuma. The location for the bottu has to do with the ancient Indian belief that human body is divided into seven vortices of energy , called "chakras". The first chakra is at the base of the spine and the last one at the top of the head. The "sixth chakra" called "Agna chakra", also known as" Third eye"is centered in the forehead directly between the eyebrows . Agna chakra is said to be the seat of concealed wisdom, command and concentration. During meditation, the latent energy (Kundalini) rises from the base of the spine towards the head. The kumkuma at the Agna chakra is said to retain the energy in the human body and  control various levels of concentration. Kumkuma represents intellect and denotes "Soubhagya" (good fortune) when used by women denoting that their husbands are alive!

When a girl or a married woman visits  a house, it is customary to offer her kumkuma when she leaves.  For youngsters, it is a sign of blessing and for elderly ladies, it is a sign of respect. However, it is not offered to widows.

When a person visits a temple, he/she takes the kumkuma used in the puja to the God and apply it to his/her forehead.

In most of India, specially North India, married women apply kumkuma in front of their partition on their foreheads as a symbol of marriage. This is called vermilion or in Hindi, "sindoor".

When I was a teen ager, I started putting a large bottu (bindi) using the commercially available colored liquid (shingar tilakam). My father explained to me the dangers of using the commercial varieties and suggested using kumkuma made by my mother. Since then, I never used stickers or tilakam and learnt how to make kumkuma at home. The recipe came from my grandmother through my mother to us. Most of my cousins use only home made kumkuma. Unfortunately, in our next generation, very few are using the kumkuma, leave alone knowing the recipe! My niece Veni has been asking for the recipe. So, I thought that it is better to document this rare recipe and may be some people who are interested can be benefited!

The recipe I am posting is a very safe but a little tedious process for making kumkuma.

I tried to search for recipes for making kumkuma from google, but I could not find this recipe any where. I could find some recipes using turmeric powder and lime. That happens to be what we call "paraani" that is applied on the feet of bride groom and bride! Quite different from kumkuma as we use!

Use of sticker-bindis and other commercial products:

 

However, the kumkuma has been largely replaced by "sticker-bindis". They are made of felt and  gum on one side, they are easy to apply and are reusable! These stickers come in all colors, shapes and heavily embellished with stones etc. These bindis have become popular with performers etc. all over the world!! These days, bindi has become a fashion statement!!

Most of these commercially available bindis and sindoor powders contain toxic ingredients like mercury and lead! I definitely will not put such stuff on my skin everyday!! These toxic materials lead to neurological damage, genetic disorders skin irritation, hair loss and even cancer!! Most modern cosmetic product manufacturers produce sindoor and kumkuma from synthetic materials, lead, and zinc. The synthetic adhesive used in sticker bindis may lead to eczema, leucoderma or skin irritation!

All these disorders are documented. I am not just exaggerating!!

I am inserting my sister's and my photos where we have our home-made kumkuma on our foreheads.

Katuka (kajal):

 

In many parts of South Asia, Middle East and North Africa, women apply a mixture of soot and other ingredients to their eyes. It is known as Kohl in Arab countries and is known by many names in India like katuka in Telugu, kajal in Hindi, surma in Punjabi,  kan mai in Tamil, and kaadige in Kannada.

Kajal is used as a protection against eye ailments. In addition, darkening around the eyelids, provides relief from the glare of the sun. Kajal is applied to the eyes of infants as it is supposed to strengthen the eyes of the babies and also protect them from the "evil eye" or "buri nazar" or 'drishti"!
If your eyes burn due to the pollution on the roads etc, you can apply katuka lightly before you go to sleep and wake up with refreshed eyes! Katuka is also supposed to improve eyesight.

You are supposed to apply katuka using your forefinger. Use of fingers massages the underside of the eyeballs, which improves blood circulation and is found to be beneficial to the eyes.

In most parts of India, as katuka is applied for new born babies, it is made at home, using clean utensils and pure ingredients.  While making katuka, some edible camphor is added to the ingredients. Addition of camphor makes the katuka, very cool and soothing. Katuka is one of the first make up products that many girls learn to use.
 

Homemade versus commercial:

 

Today, everything is changed. No one produces kajal at home any longer! Commercially available kajal has harmful effects on the eyes. Some impurities found in kajal are charcoal, silver nitrate etc.  If more than 2% of silver nitrate is used in katuka, it causes problems like irritation,burning, redness and watering. Presence of lead content also is possible. Galena (lead sulfide) was used in katuka products when its toxicity was not known. In 1990s attempts to eliminate lead from kohl were triggered.

Even though katuka making process is a bit tedious and messy, katuka has no expiry date! If you make it once, you can keep using it for a few years! So, it is made and saved in small containers and kept away for future use.

Now, in many parts of the world, most of the modern women replaced katuka with eyeliners.

But, if women continued using katuka/kajal/kohl for  thousands of years, in many parts of the world, and still use it now,  it must be definitely beneficial for the eyes!!!
 

Disadvantages of homemade katuka:

 

There is a possibility of smudging during summer months.

Also, the black color is so strong that it might be hard to remove the katuka at night time or when you want to apply it fresh!!

 

 

Home-made black Bottu (bindi) for babies:

 

 

Black bindi called Agulu in Telugu and Pottu in Tamil is applied on the forehead of girls and women in South India. It is considered to ward off evil eye and so applied for babies of both genders. When boys are about one year old, mothers stop applying the black bindi.

Commercial products are not used as they contain chemicals which are harmful for baby's tender skin. Preparation of black bindi is fairly simple and it lasts very long.

After making, it is stored either in a coconut shell or small wooden or silver or any metal bowl and is used for many years.

A picture of my nephew when he was an infant with home-made katuka and black bottu.

 

 

In the next few days, I will try to give the recipes for kumkuma, katuka and black bottu.