Hindu Prayer by Tina Ramineni

            “What is that dot you all wear on your foreheads? Is it a tattoo?” This is a simple question I receive often from curious strangers and friends. Growing up in India, I always believed knowledge of the bhindi to be universal. However, I quickly realized how little Americans know about my culture. As I’ve traveled and embraced other cultures, I’ve also made it my mission to share my own with others. This documentary project is part of this attempt to shed light on my heritage.

 In the first photograph, my mother wears her bhindi and a saree, a traditional Indian garment worn by women. The bhindi represents the third eye and is placed in the area between the eyebrows which contains religious significance. In Hinduism, this region of the face symbolizes the sixth chakra, where negative energy escapes. The bindi reminds Hindus of their spiritual eye which allows them to see beyond the daily physical world. Only by using this eye do Hindus reach God. My mother also wears a sari, an icon of Indian culture.  Although saris have slowly become fashion statements, they retain a certain degree of religious and cultural significance. Hindu goddesses are usually only depicted wearing sarees and Hindu children often have a ceremony during their childhood in which they wear a saree for the first time. During the ceremony, friends and family come together to celebrate and pray. The red saree is worn in a traditional Hindu marriage, while white sarees are worn during funerals. While modern Indian women have begun to leave behind traditional garments due to the increasing influence of Western culture, many still proudly wear their sarees and bindi’s on a daily basis. For my mother, each saree contains a special significance, from the sarees of her younger years, to her marriage saree, to the sarees passed down from her mother. Thus, for her as for many other Indian women, the saree transcends its current role as a fashion statement and remains a reminder of their culture.

The brightly-colored bangles adorning my mother’s hands reflect the vivid colors found throughout India. Hinduism, and Indian culture in general, is an extremely colorful culture, and Indian men and women reflect this within their clothes and jewelry. Bangles come in a variety of designs, and colors, and certain bangles are worn during certain occasions. I can still remember the tears that would fall from my eyes as my mother would painfully try to push the extremely-small bangles over my wrists as a child.

These three photographs of lamps, called “deepum” in Telugu, symbolize the importance of light within Hinduism. Before a Hindu prayer begins, one of the most important steps is to light a candle or have some source of light. The gods prefer light and such light represents the inner light Hindus feel as they pray. Just as within other religions, light represents goodness and purity, a savior from the darkness and misery of the world. If you walk into any Hindu home, you will undoubtedly find a candle lit somewhere inside. The Hindu festival Diwali, meaning row of lamps, celebrates the triumph of good over evil with the lighting of numerous lamps with oil. Later in the Hindu prayer, the priest walks around holding the lamps, and each individual prays to the candles. For Hindus, light is the personification of God on earth, and his spirit can be seen within the burning flames of candles in temples across the world.

After the lighting has been prepared, food and flowers, along with holy water and scriptures, are brought to the Hindu version of the altar. Hinduism has thousands of gods, and no one altar will exactly resemble another. Each individual Hindu finds his or her greatest faith in a certain set of specific gods, and temples dedicated to each of the thousands of gods exist. The uniqueness of Hinduism in this aspect also makes the religion more personal. The religion has no universal ceremonial procedures, no common set of rules or beliefs. This shrine, made by my mother and grandmother, reflect their personal beliefs which are a result of their upbringing, region, and own choices. The incense in the front of the altar are, just as the fruit and flowers, an offering to the gods.

This may be my favorite image, in which I capture my mom praying, Most Hindus pray with their eyes closed and hands clasped together. Unlike in churches, temples rarely have pews or seating, and shoes are not to be worn near the altar. Most Hindus kneel or sit on the ground to pray. My mother usually sits completely still as she meditates and prays, and I have adapted a similar habit. Watching everyone’s habits while praying can reveal a little something about themselves. 

My grandmother shows off her mangalsutra, the equivalent to a wedding ring. During a Hindu marriage, a man ties a mangalsutra around a woman to symbolize his promised devotion to her. The thread of love contains three knots, representing the bride’s devotion to her husband, his parents, and to God. My grandmother’s nose ring also reflects her status as a married woman. My mother, although married in India, wears a wedding ring. In modern day, traditional customs such as the mangalsutra have been replaced by more modern rituals. However, my grandmother continues to wear her saree, mangalsutra, nose ring, and other parts of her culture everyday. Although she has lived in America for many years, she maintains her culture. I hope to do the same as I grow older