Evil Eye In India – Nazar Battu as seen in Bazaar

Evil Eye Guy Your Face Black

—Let us begin the New Year by saying Evil Eye Guy Your Face Black. Happy New Year.Evil Eye Guy Your Face Black or Boori Nazar Wale Tera Muh Kala, is an old saying in this country. Racist to the core as it marks that evil guys are black, it probably has its roots in the victorious and fair-complexioned Aryans who were the original racists in this country and probably on this planet.Anyways this post is not about racism it is about the Evil eye or Nazar Battu that we see almost everywhere in India.

  Though present in many forms like this body less guy, a disciple of Shiva I spotted outside Under the Mango Tree Restaurant in Hampi or the various avatars you see behind trucks in India. We will keep this post to the simple Chilli and lemon version. This post has been in me for some time, but last week when I went to Shilparmam for a photo walk with Hyderabad Weekend Shoots, I could click many variants at various stages of life there. So here are some of the pics that I clicked there with a brief about them.

This first one was protecting equally colorful sandals in front of a shop and is the simplest form with just a lemon and some chilies nailed with a needle and a thread and hanged on the entrance to the shop.

This second one done rather shabbily with no regards to the aesthetics and all the chilies were lumped together unlike some others where there is method to the madness.

This shop was hiding the Evil eye or Nazar battu or the chilies and lemon behind a layer of hanging toys which were of almost same colors. I guess the shopkeeper was trying to protect the Evil eye from Evil eye. Go figure  :)

This next one above though at the end of its life cycle with shriveling chilies and lemons not fit to make even lemonade is actually a piece of art with chilies at different stages of life carefully strewn together. One can also see Cowry shells and what appears like nutmeg (please comment if I am wrong and I will correct it)

My personal favorite is this one strategically placed between the handle of a large bag and hung on the door of the shack. What better example protecting as well as advertising your stuff?

This next shopkeeper a lady who does not leaves anything to chance had not only added cowry shells and nutmeg, she has also added some vermilion powder on the lemons (Hey if Vermilion can protect her husband it better protect the lemons and chilies). But just as an insurance policy a small ball with a picture of what appears like Lord Jagannath of Puri has also been added for that extra bit of protection.

This next one is the protection for the lazy kinds, too busy to make the evil eye or Nazar Battu every week or if you prefer you chilies and lemons in pickle and not on your shop entrance? Well  here is a ready-made ceramic one with chilies and lemon with blue ceramic pearls to add to the effect. Everybody is happy can eat your chilies and lemons and hang them too.

Well this next one should not be in list but if you read the sign you will know why it has made. This lady who put this sign in front of the shop should get a prize for national integration for she has taken the art of Madhubani paintings from Bihar and trained the Keralites into the art and now is selling them in the City of Nizams.

Well this last one is to show the end of life-cycle of the Nazar Battu or evil eye, but as you can see a fresh dose of vermilion sprinkled to squeeze a few more days out of the vigor of the lemons to ward off evil.

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Wishing you all a very happy new year and may god protect you from Evil Eye irrespective  if it is from black, white, brown or yellow-faced evils  :)

Disclaimer: This post is not an endorsement  of the superstitious belief, merely a documentation of what is observed.