Some time ago I was in the changing room of some boutique, as usual struggling into an outfit several sizes too small, when two giggly teens squeezed into the cubicle next to mine.
‘Hurry, ’ I heard one whisper ‘I can’t wait.’
‘Hold on a sec, ’ the second girl said ‘I have to remove my jeans, na?’ and then I heard the sound of a zip sliding down.
At first I listened because I couldn’t help it - the partition between us was thin, and hardly reached up to the top of my head, but by the time the zip slid open, my curiosity was aroused.
‘Oh god, it's so beautiful’ the first girl sighed ‘ I haven’t seen anything like this before. Can I touch?’
‘Sure, ’ came the reply, then a quick breath drawn in sharply. ‘Careful, ’ she snapped, ‘that hurts!’
By this time, I had my ear practically glued to the partition, and all sorts of sinful images racing through my head. If my arms and head were not stuck in the kurta I was trying on, I swear I would have climbed onto the stool kept in the room, and shamelessly looked.
‘How much did this cost?’ the first girl asked.
How much did it cost? What on earth was going on in that room!
Some whispering I didn’t quite catch followed, then the sound of the zip again, some more giggles, and they left the room. I got out of the room as quickly as I could, and discreetly followed the girls, eavesdropping madly.
I almost laughed out aloud when I found out the reason for their furtive giggles and conversation!
Flashback to a couple of decades ago - It’s a hot summer afternoon. A grandmother lies on a swing, fanning her granddaughter, lying beside her, as she tells her a story.
- ‘When you die and go to heaven, God will ask you what you have brought with you. For you to enter heaven, you will need your punya, or the good deeds you have done. This is the only thing you can take with you, nothing else. And of course you are going to God, so you can’t go empty handed, you have to take an offering for Her also.’
‘But you just said I can’t take anything except my punya, and that’s for me. So what can I take for God?’ the girl asks.
‘This, ’ the old lady says, holding out her arm, and showing the girl an intricate design imprinted in green pigment. It is a beautiful tattoo. ‘A tattoo is your offering to God.’
The girls looks at her grandmother wide-eyed, and traces the design, imaging how it must have hurt, and how one day she will also have on her hand an offering to take with her in her after-life.
Through the ages body art has been a very important part of Indian culture, and tattoos have been around since time immemorial. Earlier, gypsy men and women went from village to village with their green herbal pigments, plying their needles and art with a strong hand, an eye for design, and a song meant to distract their victim from what certainly must have been tremendous pain.
Today, thankfully, getting a tattoo is a whole lot simpler. If you are getting one, here are some nice to knows.
What It Is
A tattoo is colour placed in the dermis, or second layer of your skin – it is permanent.
*The Process
Prep Work** Once your design and placement has been selected, the tattoo artist will wash his hands, put on new disposable gloves, and will prepare the area by cleaning and shaving it.
Outline - 1 Now the outline will be stencilled onto your skin. Make sure you are completely satisfied. You don’t want to look at a crooked design for life!
Outline – 2 Next he will start up his tattoo gun. It sounds much like a dentist’s drill, and has the same effect of making you want to jump up from the chair/bed and run. The outlines of your design are etched into your skin with thin black ink, in long, even strokes. As the needles puncture your skin, it feels like molten wax dripping onto you relentlessly, and you stiffen with the shock of the pain. But it is too late to scream stop. Your only option now is to breathe deep, to think of something other than this fire, and wait it out.
You are surprised to find that the pain fades in a few minutes – maybe the endorphins kick in and numb your senses, maybe the breathing techniques actually work, or maybe you are just so fascinated by the design taking shape on your skin, you forget to feel pain!
Shading/Colour Here comes the most interesting part. After the blood and excess ink is cleaned, the artist starts to fill your design in with colour. This is done with quick back and forth strokes, wiping up as he works. It no longer feels like a hot knife carving into your skin; you can actually start to appreciate tattooing for the art it is.
Clean-up After a final clean-up -this is your last chance to check if the tattoo is all you wanted it to be- a sterile gauze bandage is taped over the wound, you are handed some antiseptic cream and showed out.
Aftercare Keep the bandage on for a couple of hours only. Wash gently with soap and water – don’t scrub; apply the antiseptic cream. It will itch as it heals – don’t scratch – the scabs and colour will come off. Keep your skin moisturised and keep your hands off your tattoo till it heals(a couple of weeks)
Now for the Must-knows
There is a very real risk of hepatitis and even HIV – insist on new needles, sterilised equipment and fresh ink being used. Don’t hesitate to ask about and even inspect sterilising equipment.
Don’t get a tattoo done if you have sensitive skin, are prone to allergies, keloids or excessive scaring.
Think twice before going under the needle if you are the kind that gets bored quickly - tats are permanent, and getting rid of them is painful, expensive and never fully successful.
Many business environments are still very formal and frown on visible body art.
Do your research - Look at the thousands of designs available on the net before making your decision. Ask to see previous examples of the artists work.
If you find a temporary tattoo similar in size, colour and design to what you want, try it on to see how it feels/looks on you.
Never get a tattoo done under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
If you want to donate blood, wait one year after getting inked, get a blood test and an all clear certificate.
And finally, never, ever get a name, unless it's your mother's, tattooed on your body!
Maybe your tattoo won’t go with you to your after-life, but it can give you a lot of pleasure in this one. Take your time to decide, be cautious, and enjoy your body art!
