Who would have thought the terror of September 11, the scorching concrete and steel and human flesh, would make thousands of women from the subcontinent reach for those little circles of security? I refer to the accessory that accompanies the traditional Indian married woman -- namely, the bindi, tika, pottu or the whatever-you-call-it-on-your-forehead. It has suddenly shot into prominence. It is protection for Hindu women from racist hooligans, the easiest way to distinguish themselves from their Muslim sisters. "I am not going out without one anymore," a friend confided. "What if they think I am some Muslim woman terrorist? One can't be too careful, you know." If I remember correctly, just a week before the attacks she had sneered at a new young import who had committed the cardinal sin of pairing a denim skirt with a giant red bindi. Now call me foolish, but to lunge for my bindis, which all lie largely neglected except for an occasional outing to a desi party or religious gathering, at a time like this seems craven. I consider my bindi more of an accessory than a symbol of marital status or religion. So I feel it is unadulterated cowardice to hide behind it. I can say confidently that no American can tell Hindus and Muslims apart if he meets us in a bunch, say, at the neighbourhood movie theatre. And we want to keep it that way. It is unimaginable to conceive a scenario where you throw your Muslim friends to the mercy of racists on the strength of your Hindu heritage. What I am saying is, if you have always worn a bindi and believe in its sanctity, continue to do so. But if you have never attributed any importance to it till now, then don't hide behind it. There are better ways of defending yourself than with a 3mm dot. I put this argument before those who believe in exhibiting their Hinduhood selectively: Let's say I wear a bindi and step out in my jeans. What guarantee is there for my kids? And my husband, who has been endowed with a particularly regal, hooked Middle-Eastern nose? Of what use is my safety if that of my family is at peril? And reflect on this. It hasn't been that long since the infamous 'dotbuster' crimes in the New Jersey area. While escaping one kind of hatred you may very well be opening the door to another evil. Who can say what warped racist minds will come up with? If you hate minorities, you just hate them. It doesn't matter if you have a red dot, a clear forehead, or a turban on your head. Bigots will be bigots. Partisans will be partisans. If an educated person makes an ignorant statement we can hope for a dialogue on tolerance and co-existence. But when the foolishness is in the form of random violence and hateful words we can only protest as a community in a democratic way. Whether it is religious intolerance or racial intolerance, a responsible recipient can change the outcome -- but certainly not a scared, illogical one. In this time of increased hostility, let us not forget the strength of unity. And that is true of all people all over the world. Coming from the subcontinent, we should be even more aware of that fact. We need to keep our wits about us, certainly. But we will be making the same error that we are accusing hate crime proponents of if we look at everyone with suspicion and fear. Long live democracy. Long live freedom. Los Angeles-based Hema Ravikumar wrote this diary after a 'swamiji' exhorted Hindu women to wear bindis. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh Tell us what you think of this diary Be part of an exciting venture! Write a Diary!
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