the dot

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T H E F O R E H E A D D O T

For centuries, Hindu women have worn a dot (Bindi) on their foreheads. Most of us have naively thought this was connected with tradition or religion, but the India Embassy in Washington , D.C. has recently revealed the true story.

When a Hindu woman gets married, she brings a dowry into the union. On her wedding night, the husband scratches off the dot to see whether he's won a convenience store, a gas station, a donut shop, a taxi cab or a motel in America .

If nothing is there, he must remain in India to answer telephones and provide us with technical support.