Why do I wear Sindoor!

Why do you wear Sindoor? I am often asked……..

Well, and why should I not? I ask ……… I am God’s chosen one. My birth as a woman offers me the honor and the privilege of wearing red, the red Sindoor.

(The red vermilion in the hair parting is, supposedly, only to be worn by married women. Generally, it is not worn by widows or divorced). 

RED is the color of life, living blood is red. I am a woman and am sooo sooo alive! Procreation is through me the Woman. And of course, Red is also the color of celebration, of joy. My Sindoor is not a declaration of my marital status. Whether married, unmarried, widowed, divorced or separated just does not matter. It is just one of the many things with which I celebrate my life as a woman.

And my dear friends, I wear, not only Sindoor, I also decorate myself to celebrate my femininity. The bindi on my forehead captivates minds, the brilliance of my nose pin pierces right into the hearts of all. The beads around my neck, my bangles, rings, earrings and of course my anklets, sing odes of femininity. The sway in my walk, the glint of my glance, my womanly smile and grace, are all greatest assets of womanhood bestowed upon me!

In fact, everything about my being is a testimony of joy, gratitude and pride about me being a woman.

On the other hand, many women feel being born as one is a curse, and here I am one of those few women who feel blessed for being born as one. Being an incorrigible narcissist, I am even proud about being a woman while I enjoy being one.

Perhaps, it’s a great challenge of being a woman in the so-called male dominated world, and more so in a country like India, where a woman is a piece of pleasure, a door mat, or a service-providing device. The purpose of her form and function, instead of being respected and valued, is often used against her, reducing her to be a baby-producing, and a utility machine.

So, what’s so special about being a woman? Surprisingly, leave alone men, many women too, ought to be reminded about how and why they are so special,

The woman, perhaps, feels what she feels becoz she has to do so much more to prove herself, to earn her respect or a place of pride and to be valued by her counter-parts.

Well, face the challenge, we women do with great aplomb! By nature, we women are so much more alive and aware in any situation, be it social, personal, intellectual, spiritual or even physical, that, despite all odds, we take them all head-on! We are more than a match for them.

Modesty be damned! Let’s all think seriously about the fundamentals of creation! Can there be any procreation without woman? Of course not! Yes, man does give the sperm which can be fertilized even in a test tube. But next, it requires a woman’s womb to be born through. Men can fulfill themselves and their role in procreation only through women. You are Life and the giver of life, and you nourish it too, first inside your womb and then after birth through your milk. Wow, Ye Women, honor yourselves! You are all God’s chosen ones! Go strutting about with pride!

Me the woman, I decorate the world, I decorate a man’s life, my presence decorates the home, and me the mother shall decorate the future of the world through the child born of me, through the teachings I give him as his first Guru.

I reiterate, I am God’s chosen one, I have had the honor of being born a woman. I am life, I am the giver of life! No man gives me the red, and no man shall ever take it away from me. I AM THE RED OF LIFE! Me the woman is born with the privilege of decorating myself with red. I honor and celebrate my womanhood, I WEAR THE RED SINDOOR!