Share your nose ring story here - Ettukkallu Besthri Potta...

Many of us have gone through this ritual, the piercing of the nose, as south Indians have to have their ettukkal besthri and muthum thalukkum other wise there is no status…they start with piercing and putting a broom stick and then slowly graduating to the gold nose ring..nowadays ofcourse with a shot gun the nose ring goes inside...


I remember my mother telling me that she pierced it herself, with a lemon thorn and how it hurt a lot but she did do it, and my grandma a mother of 13 screamed who is going to get one nose ring for you now, what is the hurry to pierce and so on, but even now my mom looks great in her muthum thalukkum and besthri…

We had convent education so this ritual had to wait until we came to the college and my sis got it done much later, and decorated it with a diamond, even my daughter priya had it done in college of course that was my Bengali mom’s great aspiration to see her granddaughter with something in nose and ears extra pin ups and luckily for her I got a diamond nose ring as settlement for some silk saree account and priya used to say she got her first class due to that. Some notions, cannot be verified..

Our great Sowkar janaki in yedirneechal who can forget her “Ettukkallu besthri potta eduppa irukkum mookku” aduthathu ambujathey paarthelaa ava athukkarar konjaradey kettelaa”, so there is no south Indian wedding without this beautiful nose ring, that too diamond, the diamond earring is a must whether it is good astrologically or not, that shows the status they say, can’t credit much to it nowadays, it is tough with jeans and tops to go with nose ring, but some of the foreign guys are piercing in the name of fashion along with their one ear…

During my wedding my parents were ever ready for this but my dear husband refused saying during winter I may have a blocked nose due to this, so his stubborn stand I am without a nose ring today, not that I regret, it may not go with my short hair that I love..

Each lady here sure has a story behind their nose ring will they come forward and decorate with their experience..sunkan

I think I had mine during my +2 school days. I am now using a gold nose-ring, eventhough my daughters asked me to wear the 'big' diamond one which they say would suit me better.
I am visualising my pain which i had gone through when i first wore the diamond nose-ring (not after marriage) but after 10 years of marriage, for a function, the hole got small for the 'thandu' of the diamond nose-ring and it still brings me the shivers!

sriniketan

I have 2 elder sisters and a brother .I am the youngest.My first sister got married in mid seventies.My brother in law was firm,he did not agree for having my sister's nose pierced.My second sister was married into a very orthodox family.So he mother in law insisted .Even now she is wearing one.She had come to stay with my parents for her first delivery.I was not married then.It was in the year 1983.We were living close to Pondy Bazaar.So one lazy afternoon she,my mother and myself went shopping.Our goldsmith had his shop there.So we three stepped in to see some jewellry.Suddenly the jeweller who is long standing friend of ours showed some gold nose rings.My mother and sister liked one and insisted that I should get my nose pierced.My sister kept saying it is always better to get it pierced earlier.After lot of persuasion,I had it done.My god ,it was too too painful for words.When we reached home,my father thought I looked very very pretty!!!!!!!!!!!.So the next day on his way from the office he bought a diamond one and made me wear it.My sister was supremely happy that one more is in the nose to join her band.
When I got engaged the first thing my husband said to me was that he never liked nose pierced and I found that none of my co sisters and sister in law were wearing.So I removed it .That dent is slightly visible.Anyway I was very relieved as I never liked wearing it.Both the nose rings have found a secure place in my locker.................

Originally Posted by kanaka Raghavan

I have 2 elder sisters and a brother .I am the youngest.My first sister got married in mid seventies.My brother in law was firm,he did not agree for having my sister's nose pierced.My second sister was married into a very orthodox family.So he mother in law insisted .Even now she is wearing one.She had come to stay with my parents for her first delivery.I was not married then.It was in the year 1983.We were living close to Pondy Bazaar.So one lazy afternoon she,my mother and myself went shopping.Our goldsmith had his shop there.So we three stepped in to see some jewellry.Suddenly the jeweller who is long standing friend of ours showed some gold nose rings.My mother and sister liked one and insisted that I should get my nose pierced.My sister kept saying it is always better to get it pierced earlier.After lot of persuasion,I had it done.My god ,it was too too painful for words.When we reached home,my father thought I looked very very pretty!!!!!!!!!!!.So the next day on his way from the office he bought a diamond one and made me wear it.My sister was supremely happy that one more is in the nose to join her band.
When I got engaged the first thing my husband said to me was that he never liked nose pierced and I found that none of my co sisters and sister in law were wearing.So I removed it .That dent is slightly visible.Anyway I was very relieved as I never liked wearing it.Both the nose rings have found a secure place in my locker.................

ah kanaka,
any way as u also dont like it it is good, even i have a dent which my mom had pierced and i dont even remember may be too small to remember the pain...some woman look so good like our M S she is so breathtaking in her pictures..sunkan

Originally Posted by Sriniketan

I think I had mine during my +2 school days. I am now using a gold nose-ring, eventhough my daughters asked me to wear the 'big' diamond one which they say would suit me better.
I am visualising my pain which i had gone through when i first wore the diamond nose-ring (not after marriage) but after 10 years of marriage, for a function, the hole got small for the 'thandu' of the diamond nose-ring and it still brings me the shivers!

sriniketan

so srini,
oru pose pl with your daal adikkum diamond sunkan

Dear Sunkan,
the title is so catchy, one has to visit this.
My friend and her sister were piercing their noses. I have to initiate everything for myself, nobody would do that at home- so asked the asari to come home too. (Both the families have the same asari ). He brought a gold one and I had the piercing very unceremoniously, much to mom's chagrin.
Then it started giving trouble and the nose began to swell. I tried to treat but in vain. Then I had to take the nose ring off.
During my wedding, my inlaws asked me to pierce again. By that time, my liking ofr nose ring had worn off and I did not want to suffer again. Fil's promise of a diamong one also did not tempt me.
I had a little dream of having diamond studs once I came to Chennai. I had told my hubby that he should get me a pair by the time I turned 40. (My mil has on a very dazzling pair of large thodu- she had a huge face). When she passed away, hubby got me her thodu by giving his brothers their share as money (the elder sil already had and next one did not want then). I was 31 then and so was happy that my dream came true. Hubby bought diamonds only because it was his mother's, otherwise he is against any stone in the gold.
Nowadays I wear the thodu regularly, what is the use of keeping in the locker?
I would like to express my opinion that large nose rings make a lady look older. My friend already looks a little older and she bought a muthunthalukku. But her 6 year old daughter told he that she looks like a grandma when she wears that and so it sleeps in the locker now.

hi sunkan,

Mine is the most stupid/painful way of getting the nose pierced. it is a must. We used to have tribal lady coming home to give honey, soapnut and those items from their area...she passingly told me that i should have my nose pierced like mom...(I was 11)....she told me she will do it the next time she comes....i was scared..but who was to take mom's wrath..so agreed and was waiting....

she did not bring any parnaphelia...she asked me to get a new needle with a little thread.....and yes you guessed it..she just pierced me with the needle and tried the thread around...(oh my eyes are watering even as i think of it...)
It used to be so painful..and with all the teasing in the class as my nose was swollen....i put my foot down to two sides..thank god for that...
I used to wear a golden nose ring...then mil...she presented me with a diamond one...and I wear that...now... ....I will not be forcing my dd to pierce....it is her wish..........

Shanthi - reading your piercing story - my god! Brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it! My mom has her nose pierced - but there was no way in this world I was going to do it. My grandmother used to ask me 'what if your would be mother in law wants you to pierce your nose?' I told her - no, I was not going to do it, no matter what. No piercing for me!! My in laws had no opinion about it - if I wanted to do it, I could. My MIL herself does not wear one!! Sorry to disappoint all you "mookuthi" lovers. I am not a fan of it!

Such an intersting post. The replies OMG I can feel that pain too. Luckily I did not get my nose pierced. no one asked me too and inlaws were too liberal and did not really care for any ceremony. Mother wears one and grandma wore 2. I think my mothers besari and all diamonds will go to brother. I was given diamond earring for wedding and dh was given diamond ring which i wear today. It really is a fashion today to have many piercings. Recently when we went to have my nieces ears pierced at the mall, they did it so painlessly. A little discomfort for the girl but after reading your stories no trouble at all.

Hi Sunkan,
It is a wonder in our house that my elder daughter wants to pierce her nose and we had postponed till her college days.
this decision she took when she saw her cousin got hers pierced.

My co-sisters both didn't have one, but the 2nd co-sister did pierce recently alongwith her daughter.
My grand-ma on both the sides, my mother, my mil and atthais,my chitthi all got theirs both sides pierced, my other chitthi, only on one-side and my cousins also on one-side.