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Mark, the old style is new!
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What our grandmas did — having rangoli patterns tattooed on their arms — is just what the PYTs are doing these days
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LOOK AT ME A tattoo is a fashion statement and more PHOTO: MURALI KUMAR K.
Everything really comes around full circle. Doesn't it? I mean, look at yoga, vegetarianism, ayurveda... after the world loved and embraced them, we in India finally did. So is the case with tattooing.
All those greening rangoli patterns, symbols of Om and Shree, deities' names, their own... all tattooed on the arm were not cool for us till someone brought it back, complete with dragons, exotic Celtic symbols and naughty fairies.
Sample this piece of information that Bangalore tattoo artist Pradeep Menon has — branding is the next big thing that will sweep the tattoo-weary world. That is, throwing a flame out of a gun to melt skin for an embossed effect. "This kind of branding is fast replacing tattoos in the U.S.," says Pradeep, who runs Dare Arts, The Tattoo Clinic, in the city. Sushil Gupta, a dermatologist with him, smiles: "In other words, it's basically torturing yourself."
Oh and the next big thing (pun unintended) is body modification — piercing, painting and extending body parts like the ears or the neck.
Together with his guru Samir Patange from Mumbai, the tattoo-gun wielding duo did a neat demo and interactive session at the Oxford Bookstore. Dr. Sushil Gupta provided the medical angle to the whole process.
Doesn't "branding" again sound similar to the common practice of having religious mudras stamped onto the forehead, arm or stomach? What makes tattoos such a rage now though is that it's moved away from being something ritualistic, a means to cover a scar, or a badge of a particular group to simply being a style statement, says Samir, who runs Studio D.A.S.H. in Mumbai. Peer pressure is now high, almost forcing many youngsters to get it done to just stay "in" with their peer group.
"I've tattooed almost every possible Bollywood actor and actress. People are more style-conscious today. Tattoos have become an important part of films and advertising too. The latest Aishwarya Rai ad for Lux is an example," he says.
"Women being more fashion conscious, they form nearly 90 per cent of my clientele," says Pradeep. "Men like their tattoos big. Women like them small, but they always come back for more!" grins the young artist.
But why would anyone put themselves through such pain just to get a permanent mark on themselves that they may not want five years from now?
Tattoos are an expression of the client's inner desire, says Samir. "Yes, people these days are more pain conscious so we sometimes use local anaesthetic gels and creams. But the anaesthetic's effect lasts only an hour, while doing the tattoo takes longer. So the pain starts playing on your mind," says Samir. Does mere fashion drive it? "Yes, India en masse is catching up with Western culture at a high rate. It's big and hyped only because it's an integral part of the fashion industry." For some people though, it goes deeper than that. Very often they get it done "in places only they can see". But isn't it embarrassing to do such work? Pat comes the answer from Samir: "It's our profession. Just like a doctor's."
Dr. Gupta stressed how most dyes today are metallic salt-based and safe. "But a lot of people develop problems. Infections, pain and bleeding are common. In some cases, people contract HIV and serum hepatitis. No tattoo artist can assure 100 per cent safety." Eventually a tattoo is nothing but a wound that needs much care.
In fact, Samir and his shishya Pradeep are such diehard tattoo freaks that the day of the workshop they landed an hour and a half late because Samir was busy doing an elaborate fish tattoo on the entire length of Pradeep's arm!
BHUMIKA K.
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