Student 4

Bindis used by my mom in the late 1990s

When I got old enough to understand the concepts of culture and my role in it, I was introduced to the idea of the bindi, or as South Indians call it, a pottu. We were taught how sacred it is to wear the pottu, as it represents your third eye and your connection with religion. When I was younger, I wore my bindi to school for the first time. I had immediately received a barrage of questions, from both students and staff asking whether my bindi was burned into my skin, and even kids trying to pick it off from my forehead. This experience had led me to avoid my culture for many years following. However, to my surprise, when googling bindi, above all the pictures of beautiful cultural displays, I had seen a picture of Katy Perry misusing a sacred symbol. The symbol of marriage and religion was being worn by a 27-year-old pop star, while she captioned an Instagram post with Goddess Kali captioned “current mood”. This was disheartening, as the knowledge and power that comes with culture as well as the significance prove how culture can belong to certain groups of people, especially when a person in power degrades and displays such sacred symbols so carelessly. The colonization and spread of misinformation about culture creates two extremes: direct degradation of culture through bigotry, or degradation of culture through ignorance. Changing the very meaning of culture shows why it is beneficial for certain pieces of culture to be untouched by people who disrespect them. Culture should be preserved because of the importance it holds and the way it shapes the beliefs of our lives. It should not be deemed acceptable when it is appropriated and degraded: instead, it should be taken with the years of symbolism behind it.

Rudraksha beads gifted to me

My culture and my religion are synonymous, as Hinduism is considered an ethnic religion. This being said, Hinduism is considered more of a lifestyle than religion itself. Hinduism originated from many small ethnic practices grouped into one culture. One such practice is the rudraksha or stone fruit seed, which is a very important part of Hinduism. I received my first rudraksha when I was 10, along with a strict list of rules to maintain it. The rudraksha has been scientifically proven to have many health benefits, both physical and psychological. The rudraksha is mostly donned by the god Shiva, and the beads are often used in prayer. As the hippie movement led to more mainstream attention towards Hinduism, its popularity grew among many Americans. The appeal originated not only from the aesthetics of the culture itself but the openness of Hinduism. The rudraksha is one cultural symbol that is open to the public, as long as it is treated with respect. It can be worn by anyone, irrespective of their cultural or religious heritage. While culture should be preserved, it should also be shared, especially if it helps others. The spread of rudraksha leads to health benefits as well as shares important heritage with the world. Spreading pieces of information and freeing it to be used around the world demonstrates cultural appreciation as well as acceptance of differences among different cultures.

Mehendi prior to a Bharatantyam recital

The third object is a Mehendi cone, which I have been using since I was young. I have put it on for weddings, before religious events, and especially before Bharatanatyam performances. Mehendi was a core part of my childhood because of my involvement in cultural activities such as Bharatanatyam when I was young. Mehendi is used to create designs and as a semi-permanent tattoo, as it stains the hands red to create cultural designs. The theme of the relationship between religion and the knower is important because not only is a cultural symbol being used, it has ties to one of the oldest existing religions in the world. Recently, mehndi has gone viral for the usage of “henna freckles ', especially on TikTok. The appreciation of the South Asian community to be credited for such useful applications of cultural substances, but the misinformation, especially in the media shows the importance of the input of certain communities of knowers. The forefront of these videos is non-South Asian women, some of whom have spread misinformation about mehndi usage. The use of media in spreading is an effective way to ensure cultural diffusion, but also very dangerous. The use of “black henna” especially shows the health risks that are posed. Instead of buying from naturally sourced Mehendi sellers, buying cheaply made black henna uses harmful chemicals to get the synthetic properties of Mehendi. Taking advantage of it as a trend cycle is harmful not only to the culture but to yourself. Additionally, spreading ideas through apps like TikTok blocks the voices of Indian creators, as it is hard to spread information when it cannot reach as many people as a “positive'' video about henna. These videos can also be censored and taken down, and comments can also be deleted, creating a barrier between how knowledge is spread between different communities of knowers. Culture should be spread on the terms of who it “belongs” to. It is important with the spread of culture to realize perspective as well as take into account how those communities feel about it. Even if it is cultural appreciation and not appropriation, it is important to respect other cultures. The selective hearing of other communities is also negative because it makes communities apprehensive about sharing their culture.