Few days back I saw this boy and he had a white thing on his forehead, I asked him about it and he said that is was ash and that they just put it because its in their culture. Why do they put that? Is it just to distinguish them from other people? does it have a cultural backgroung? I think he was somewhere from South India…he didn’t know much abuot the tradition itself either.
I think a "V" on the forehead, symbolizes worshipper of god vishnu. and 3 parallel horizontal line symbolizes worshipper of god shiva.
I am not sure though.
yup..hindus put the white ash on their foreheads..some even eat it. I asked one of my hindu friends what the ash was made of...she said it was burned cow dung.....
^^ 
Do they add some flavouring
^ Yes. The purpose is the flavor. It is to remind us that we're all from and end up as dust and ash. Does it strike you as barbaric or just pheeeeuooo?
The 'we' here is limited and unlimted.
Unlimited in that it applies to Muslims Jews Christians, even Talebans and the Russian mafiosi
Limited in that it only applies to the physical body. Your soul gets a few innings
oh, if this turns you off, make sure you never ask anyone "how does the human nose smell stuff". You will never be the same again.