Why do Women in India Apply Red KumKum?

Sadhguru: See, you need to understand what’s color first of all. The color of any substance is not because of what it is. It is what it rejects or what it gives away or what it reflects. Something looks red, not because it's red, because of the seven colors that the white light contains. It holds back everything and reflects red, so it looks red. So red does not mean it is red. Red means it is not red (Laughter). You understand. Yes, something is red, not because it's red, because it doesn't want red. That's why it looks red. So, whatever you give away, that will be your quality in the world also, isn't it? So, Devi’s color is red, because she gives away red. Red means if you're walking in the forest, it's all green but there will be one spot of red somewhere, one red flower blossoming. That draws your attention because in your perception, red is the most vibrant of all the colors. All other colors may be pretty, good, nice, but red is vibr… vibrant, vibrant. Sindoor, you must understand, the important thing is that it is turmeric that is it’s properly made. If you take the sindoor from the Devi, it’s made of turmeric. If you buy elsewhere, it's a chemical powder. If you want to chemically poison yourself, you must use that. Turmeric has phenomenal benefits. So, there is a certain way of using the turmeric. Turmeric and lime together, mix this and it is very, very beneficial and the color turns red and it is also used as a… as symbolism in the society. If a woman is wearing sindoor, she's married. That means she's not approachable. Essentially it was a social way of discerning who is who in the society. And it has certain health and other benefits to apply. Turmeric, the color is _____ (Unclear), you don't want to put yellow color on your head like Mussolini (Laughter). So red is better, and it is also the color of the Devi always, not just here, always. So, it is also symbolism that… One aspect of it is, it may not end up like that for everybody but this is the aspiration in the society. This was the aspiration in the culture. Once a woman is married, she was referred to as a Devi. I was amused that in some of the airlines, Indian Airlines, I think in Indian air… Air India only they're doing this. When they make announcements, they're saying sajjanon or deviyon. Have you heard this? No? In Hindi when they make the announcements, they're referring to the men as sajjanon, that means gentlemen. They refer the ladies as devis. It is very common. In our families, my grandmother and others were always referred to as devi by her husband, always, to recognize that there's an element of divine in her.