I am a fan of… The Evil Eye

You must be wondering…who in this world loves ‘Evil Eye’?

The Evil eye is an ancient symbol of protection.

“May every evil eye in your life go blind” Unknown

Is this quote good or evil?

Do you agree with this quote?

As I was walking, I slowed down at this tender coconut seller and was in two minds whether to take a shot or not, since I felt he was not all friendly.

But when I lifted my camera to click him with his coconut cart, he had a pleasant surprise since he never dreamt that I am going to take the shot.

Luckily he waved his hand and wished to know if I am going to refresh myself with the coconut water.

I gladly said yes and enjoyed the drink since it boosted my energy to continue my walking.

These coconut sellers on the roadside is a common sight and nothing great on a routine basis but I was hooked to the demon looking face & a cobra hood shaped structure along with some snake gourds hanging to the side of the cart.

I thought I should talk something about this weird stuff to my foreign friends regarding our culture, especially in South India.

Cobra hood and snake gourds in the company of the demon

This demonic Doll is known as ‘Drishti Gombe’ in India.

Drishti Means ‘ Evil Eye’. In Hindi, it is well-known as ‘Buri Nazar’

This particular doll is unique in India, became part of the culture and is centuries old

The purpose of ‘Drishti Doll’ is that it has an evil look and thus can ward off the Evil Eye (evil nullifying the evil) and protects the Owner from the misfortunes & jealous onlookers.

In other words to frighten off unpleasant & evil-minded people.

In India, one can come across these ‘Drishti Dolls’ on the buildings, on the vehicles (trucks, lorries, auto-rickshaws), construction sites and even during festival celebrations. (Pumpkins are painted with the demon face’)

Besides the demonic face, Drishti items can include, lemon, red or green chilli, Snake hood, black bear’s hair strands and every possible thing you can imagine.

A Protector at the entrance gate of the house

Truly ‘Intriguing India’

When you visit India and happen to come across this scary doll or different stuff hanging (Strands of hair, pumpkin, chillies, lime etc)… don’t get surprised or start wondering.

But these things are slowly fading especially in cities where people love to give aesthetic look to their entrance doors be their houses or shops.

What is the best solution to face an evil eye?

“People speak of the evil eye but they overlook the good eye. The good eye exists. Just as the one possessed of the evil eye can cause illness with a glance, the one possessed of the good eye can heal with a glance.” Habib Ahmad Mushhur Al-Haddad

Thank you for visiting my site and taking your time to read.

Take care, my friend.

Namaste 🙏🙏🙏

Philosophy Through Photography

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This post is part of Jez’s I’m fan of.. photo challenge