Dramatic as it sounds, I took great pleasure in repeating the act of applying sindur, each time taking his name. What that meant to the young and naïve 13-year-old me, was an audacious attempt to claim my ‘love’ for him by applying real sindur, while taking his name. When the day of the performance arrived, I had to, as a part of the costume, apply red paint on my forehead to signify sindur (or the red/crimson powder women apply on their foreheads as a marker of their marriage). This was one of those many dance dramas, where I had to play the role of a wife while my ‘husband’ was enacted, much to my excitement, by someone I had a massive crush on. By Anannya Chatterjee Categories Issue In Focus Popular Culture and Sexuality December 3, 2018īack in the days of my early teens, dance performances and theatrical activities would consume most of my school days.
