Science imbibed in our traditional attire
In the current era where we have compromised a lot of our cultural practices and traditions in the name of time management, and modernisation, we have failed to notice the gradual diminution of it. It’s high time we look back at what we have rendered being to no effect from a whole different point of view.
The reason behind every simple traditions be it aesthetics, ornaments, have a scientific reason that in one way or the other is a benefactor to the wearer. Even now women continue to enjoy most of it simply because we are women. From head to toe our ancestors have engineered objects that are worn as ornaments and also fulfilling a higher purpose.
The nethi chuti
– hanging with a pendant on the forehead not only adds radiance to the face but is said to control the level of heat in the body.
The ear ring
– the ear piercing is a significant ceremony performed in the Hindu culture. The ear is pierced with high precision at the acupuncture pressure point between the nerves that run to the eyes and reproductive organs in the females. The friction the ear ring creates thus results in better eyesight.
The nose ring
– According to ayurveda the pain women experience during monthly periods is reduced when a particular node on the nostril is pierced.
The Bangles
– These are worn on the hands to promote blood circulation and the electromagnetic energy passing through the outer skin is reverted back to the body because of its ring shape. Pregnant ladies wear lots of glass bangles to give acoustic stimuli to the foetus encouraging normal delivery.
The Ring
– Mostly these are made in metals like Gold, silver and copper. These are worn by both men and women usually in their ring finger and thumb finger but not preferred in the middle finger, since it has the end of the nerve which passed through the brain divider. The ring finger has the heart’s nerve ending in it and the thumb finger if pressurized gives out pleasure hormones.
The Ottiyanam
– a metallic waist band is elegant ornament that helps avoiding menstrual cramp and mostly thin silver string is worn to control belly fat.
The Anklets
– worn on the ankles usually made of silver which help to retain energy and helps to lessen the joint pains and the jingling sound keeps away the negative energy.
Every married Hindu woman’s greatest procession and pride are their mangalsutra and toe rings. These were worn as a symbol of love and responsibility by every married woman. Mangalsutra- The mangalsutra has a curvature which attracts the negative energy on the body. It regulates the blood circulation and keeps the body and mind healthy.
Toe rings
–During olden days, it was meant even for married men but as days passed, it slowly faded. It is still followed by married women. The toe rings regulate blood pressure levels and the nerve in the second toe in which the toe rings are preferably worn is directly connected to the uterus and passed by the heart and so it regulates menstrual cycle and helps conceiving. Kum kum or vermilion, that’s kept in the centre of the forehead is believed to protect against hypnotism and repulses negative energy. Kum kum also helps in enhancing life force.
Indians usually prefer to wear ornaments made using gold for the upper part of the body and silver for the lower part of the body. It is said that, the reason behind this concept is, that the gold reacts with the body’s energy where as silver reacts with earth’s energy.
Saree, now a fashion statement, is traditional ethnic wear that has its origin dated to Indus valley civilisation. Most parts of India have warm climate, tropical country flow of free air keeps you cool and comfortable. A saree is draped in such a way that it is airy and behaves as a thermos. The hip is left open because it is believed that life energy is received through here only. The saree behaves as an insulation from negative energy; the energy force weakens before it reaches the body, circulating through warped 5 to 6 yard long saree.
Indian culture has great respect for animals and had high morality. Kolam was seen as an example set for the same, feeding ants through powdered grains, but the other aspect of this was to cheer ladies to come out early in the morning and take good breath of the fresh air that has more oxygen and ozone. Also the complex floral designs encourage them to become a good problem solver and happened to be a great stress reliever too.
Mehndi, also known as Maruthani, Henna is applied by women on special occasions like wedding ceremonies, festivals, etc., onto their feet and hand as it relieves them from stress and cools down the body. Mehndi is a powerful herb that prevents body heat release due to stress and other metabolisms.
Indian women are always known to love bright colors and wearing ornaments. Ornaments made of precious metals like gold and silver are considered as symbols of Goddess Lakshmi, because it actually enhanced their health, indicating “health is wealth” and they have been in usage for more than 1000 years, which is evident from historical sculptures and paintings. The saddest part is that the traditional practices of wearing ornaments, kum kum, saree etc are deviating from their actual purpose.
In my perspective I feel that the fault lies on our ancestors, who failed to preach us the science behind those practices which has resulted in people being unaware of their importance, and so these practices have started fading away slowly. All that I would like to remind is that when we were a progressive culture, we gave the world literature, philosophy, civilization and if we still don’t realize our culture’s value, we would remain illiterate and restrictive, while the western barbarians whose culture is farfetched and who, now have begun to follow our tradition and are seen to be progressive, selling our own technology to us, might even overtake us, one day. I hope we wake up soon and reclaim our ‘true’ cultural values and live a healthy life.
