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Tattling tale of tattoos

Glamorisation of tattoos and body piercing spurs youth to take to the fad, says HARJEET KAUR ALLAGH

Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Maverick passion Engravings on body parts is a fad that is engulfing the youth

Twenty-year-old Rajeev had his mother Bindu dropping her jaw at the sight of his tattooed shoulders. While raising his tattooed hand to wave excitedly at his mother at the airport, he had little clue that his latest obsession demonstrated on his broad shoulders could upset her so much. “It’s just a case of generation gap. My mom will never understand what this body-decoration means to me,” he says pointing to the tattooed image of Ganesha on his biceps. < /p>

Bindu has no choice but to convince herself that at least her son did not opt for one of those grisly monstrous images. Beauty is skin deep, they say, but a tattoo penetrates to the bone and it is also called dermal pigmentation. The reasons for youngsters going gaga over the latest fad range from personal expression to personal empowerment to just being spontaneous and rebellious.

David Beckham’s famous nine tattoos had football fans aping him all over the world, while rock stars actually sent their fans rocking with their full-bodied tattoos.

Closer home, Nagarjuna in the film Sivamani sported a tattoo of Om symbol on his massive biceps inspiring many a youth to opt for the same.

Most tattoos are just not drawings but hold some significance and meaning for the person opting for it. Adolescents like Surya Teja and Harsha are trying to grow muscles so that they could sport a tattoo too. Prabhas and Ileana also had huge tattoos in the film Munna - a multi-coloured dragon snaked up the actor’s arm, while the heroine had the image of a scorpion on her belly. A cross is an all-time favourite and is the latest trend in tattoos and accessories.

Cribbing about the absence of a tattoo parlour in the city, local youth complain that they have to travel all the way to Hyderabad, Chennai or Bangalore for a tattoo. The tattoo culture has been prevalent for ages, with parents etching the name of the child or some religious symbol to ward off evil forces. Unlike in the past when tattoos were etched using needles which could even led to infection, modern tattoo machine is a very highly sterilized gizmo with five needles that make up to 3000 punctures every minute, thus reducing the pain too. The end result of a tattoo may be gorgeous artwork but the process involves pushing of ink into the skin with a motorized needle, which does hurt. Jabbar is a teenager who has his name engraved on his arm, while Varun has an eagle on his shoulder. “It’s cool and lends a touch of toughness and rebellion”, they say. For the less daring ones, the temporary tattoos are a boon that can be gotten rid of whenever one desired. To attend a marriage function, Geetika and Kartik had temporary tattoos adorning their bodies. “The permanent ones need laser surgery for removal and I don’t want to get stuck with the same tattoo for a long period. I would rather prefer the temporary designs with decal or henna which can be created in unusual patterns for special occasions,” says Geetika.

The tattoo culture has engulfed vast sections. Images of ships, anchors or symbols are a passé. Youngsters have found an effective mode of personal expressions in this artwork. There is, of course a difference between people with tattoos and those without them. The bindas ones reveling in their latest obsession don’t care about the ones without them!

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