kohl

“She sat quietly in one corner of the sofa, the end of her sari drawn modestly over her hair. Like the motionless illusion of a madly spinning top, she was staring vacantly into space.”

~ Lihaaf: A film by Ismat Chugtai

In Indian culture, symbols are never simple. A bindi, kohl, and a nose ring carry so much more meaning than what people see as mere ornamentation. On one hand, they are celebrated as expressions of beauty, and on the other, they are markers of expectation, and constraint. What is worn for freedom of self-expression is also a shackle, binding the individual to societal gaze.

Consider the bindi. In Indian culture, to many, it is a declaration of femininity, spirituality, or cultural continuity. Yet, historically, it has also functioned as a sign of marital status, and in some spaces, as an instrument of monitoring the boundaries of propriety.

Kohl scientifically protects eyes against the sun and is said to ward off the evil eye. It accentuates beauty, but in doing so, it also says that the eyes are not just windows to the soul but that they are meant to be looked at.

This is beautifully illustrated in the works of Satyajit Ray, whose films often portray women trying to balance their own freedom with society’s expectations. In 'Charulata', for example, the main character lives in a world where her desires and intelligence are both shaped and limited by the domestic and cultural rules around her. The windows through which Charulata gazes aren't just simply openings, they're symbols of the possibilities beyond her life beyond domestic labor. However, the frames confine her vision, and this visual juxtaposition captures the boundary between desire and societal limitation. Also, her conversations with her cousin tell us that she longs for knowledge, but they are conducted in hushed tones, behind closed doors because free and open expression itself would be transgressive. 

In Hindu culture, everyone is said to have a third eye that opens only upon attaining the highest form of spirituality, and unsurprisingly, the position of the bindi aligns with that of the third eye. But, as the saying goes, 'with great power comes great responsibility'; only in this case, the responsibility is an obligation imposed on a woman, not based on any real choice, but simply because she is a woman.

These symbols are never completely freeing or completely limiting.Wearing a bindi can celebrate heritage, but it can also be a performance. Kohl can empower, but it also sets beauty standards. This duality is like a mirror: the symbols we celebrate can illuminate our freedom, but they can just as easily trap us in the very boundaries we think we are escaping.