The Nose Ring

Turning a corner in the Pakistani area of aziziyah, I got a glimpse of an all too familiar sight of Pakistani couples shopping on week nights. A typical Pakistani scene of merriment in a bustling bazaar. The more common sight is of desi ladies with ear and nose rings. Those small shiny silver pieces of jewelry, which shine off the woman’s nose.

It gives a sensuous and a subtle symbol of desi concept of beauty, especially in the more mature women. In any other culture or country, especially in western the nose ring is given the same respect as a belly pierce ring or tongue piercing. It looks frightful and ugly on hippie looking teens trying to look cool. Especially fat chicks who wear it between the nostrils. Like a Danish cow.

Going back to the Pakistani version. The nice little speck reveals the shyness of a newly married girl, who clings to her new husband’s arm. With a shy smile she turns her head, looking around at the bazaar and its offerings. The speck reflecting off the light around her, also reveals a more arrogant young love, with a slight sneer at the oldies around her limping with aged body mass, doing purchases for their future daughter/sons in law.

Little she knows that the speck of arrogance will become small with the tussles of marriage and the army of children her husband is going to gift her with. It may lead her to a rich life or one of pain. But probably never of happiness – though I have never seen a happy and satisfied woman in 26 years of my life….especially after the Star plus kyunki saas bhi kabhi bahu thii series –shows how wily and scheming women can be (more writing to follow on that later)

However as many contradictions may be rife within a desi woman and her values, her nose ring continues to mesmerize me and I get a chill in my spine just contemplating that one day my better half will be wearing it and I will stereotype her fate just as I have done above.