Denied entry to temples and forced to use separate wells,
low-caste Hindus in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh first tattooed their
bodies and faces more than 100 years ago as an act of defiance and devotion....
Ramnamis, as the followers are called, first wrote the Hindu
god Ram’s name on their bodies as a message to higher-caste Indians that god
was everywhere, regardless of a person’s caste or social standing. Now 76,
Tandon’s purple tattoos have faded over decades under the harsh sun of his village
of Jamgahan. In the nearby village
of Gorba, Punai Bai, 75, spent more
than two weeks aged 18 having her full body tattooed using dye made from mixing
soot from a kerosene lamp with water.
“God is for everybody, not just for one community,” says Bai....
No comments:
Post a Comment