Red Bindi, Nalli, Protests and Brand Communication

The red dot or bindi became the cause of a storm of sorts on social media for the well- respected brand of South India, Nalli. Its ad exhibited celebratory moments in which women models donned traditional jewelry and attire. The focus of the camera rendered jewelry and outfit prominent. The facial expressions of the ladies showed happiness and joy. Everything appeared normal like any other piece of communication. The intent was to render clothing and other elements of celebratory ensemble as means to happiness. The ad appeared during the onset of the festival season starting with Navratri and Puja. The ad however left the foreheads of the women blank. This blank forehead drew attention of some people and unleashed an uproar on social media.

The blank or unmarked foreheads left the brand facing a major controversy. Many people were of the opinion that it was nothing short of violation of sense and sensibilities. However, for others, the absence of a bindi might have gone unnoticed. The interpretation of forehead without bindi explains that people look at reality in different ways and in very personal ways. The meaning received does not entirely rest in the hands of sender. The communication is all about meeting and congruence of minds. A mismatch between the two could cause anything from a minor misinterpretation to a major sense of outrage especially when it is perceived to violate norms and values. The blank forehead minus bindi of women in the ad exposed how vulnerable brands tend to be. The social media went abuzz with posts and reposts voicing sentiments ranging from minor indignation to outrage.

Is bindi  simply a red dot? The answer to this question is not as simple as it appears to be. Physically, yes, it is, in the same way that a car or cow is a car or a cow. The materiality of objects is only one layer of reality which operates in sensory realm. But this is not all. The layers invisible to eyes that envelop them render them symbolic. This transfers the site of meaning to the receiver’s end. Accordingly, objects acquire non- objective meanings that are culturally conditioned. The abstract ideas or shared meanings extend their boundaries to intersect with socio-cultural spaces. Bindi is an innocent material object nothing more than a round dot. It is believed to enhance the aesthetic appeal of a woman.  But the hoopla that ensued proves something else. A forehead with missing bindi has probably less to do with diminished attractiveness.  It is something else.

That is, the meaning conveyed by foreheads in a celebratory setting of women in the commercial meant something deeper which to some groups meant violation. But then the question is, violation of what?  At the root of all this was on the one hand the essential expected presence of bindi (not mandated by law but by norms or customs) and perceived undesirable transformation of meaning due to absence of bindi. What does an innocent decorative dot on woman’s forehand imply?

In a physical or material sense a bindi is nothing more than a red dot with differing circumference, but it is imbued with deeper meanings:

Forehead:  Considering foreground and background it is situated on the forehead. Anatomically it is the highest part of human body. This position is religiously and culturally also the site of other meanings including honor, third eye, enlightenment, vision, concentration and expression.

Red color: The color red has the highest wavelength hence attraction and visibility. Besides it conveys passion, love, energy, danger and sacrifice. Religion adds another layer of meaning to red making is sacred by its links with goddesses Durga and Lakshmi. Red finds place in ritualic practices including weddings, auspicious occasions, celebrations, henna ceremony, vermilion, swastika and thread around wrist.

Dot or bindi: The bindi has something to do with ‘bindu’ or point. The dot does not exist in a vacuum ; it belongs to fields including language, grammar, mathematics, art and religion. At the deeper level, dot’s meaning shifts from mundane to sacred whereby it is layered with connotations like full circle of life, liberation from beginning and end, eternity, singularity, void, transcendence, lord Shiva and Shakti, creation, convergence, meditation and enlightenment.  

In mathematics or arts, the position of a dot can change meaning in a very radical way. The bindiless foreheads of models in the ad altered the sense profoundly that some groups felt outraged. It tantamounted to violation of something sacred. But what was violated?

Viewed from the angle of culture the picture signified something obnoxious. If bindi is not simply an object of adornment rather is implicated with socio-cultural-religious significance, the meaning conveyed could be hurtful to sensibilities of some people. Using binaries and contrasts, the women without bindi signify a status devoid of what is valued, cherished and honored: married v unmarried/ window; goddess v goddess less; blessed v unblessed; celebration v mourning, unity v disunity; shakti v no shakti; fertility v infertility and complete v incomplete. Viewed from religious angle, bindi is an integral part of women’s identity in Hindu faith. Absence of bindi also subtly inches the protagonists closer to non-Hindu identity. The matter assumes bigger proportion in the context of beginning of Hindu festivals. This could be insignificant for some but it may be unacceptable to those who hold a purist view.

Sociologically, is it really important that women should wear signs to represent their status? Does conformance to prescriptive or proscriptive norm constitute infringement of personal liberty? But from marketing or brand communication perspective, is conformance to socio cultural norms essential?