Evil Eye In India – Nazar Battu as seen in Bazaar

Buri Nazar Wale Tera Muh Kala-Evil Eye Guy Your Face Black

Evil Eye Guy Your Face Black or Buri Nazar Wale Tera Muh Kala is an old saying in this country. Racist to the core as it marks that evil guys are black, or perhaps our desi obsession with all things fair and lovely. Whatever be the reason I am nobody to go into the merits /demerits of the saying all I can say is that it is a ubiquitous in India from the back of the trucks and buses to day to day conversations and folklore.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 hung on the entrance to the shop. This second one did rather shabbily with no regards to the aesthetics and all the chilies were lumped together unlike some others where there is a 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 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 is a better example of protecting as well as advertising your stuff?

This next shopkeeper a lady who does not leave 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 ones, too busy to make the evil eye or Nazar Battu every week or if you prefer your chilies and lemons in the 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 on the 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.

Thanks for reading, would love to hear your comments on the same. If you have liked reading the post, then please do share it with your friends on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+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  :)How about sharing various evil eyes type things you have seen during your journeys in various parts of the world?

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