Traces of Divine in Indian Tattoos

DAWN
April 10, 2011

Indian Tattoo artist at work in studio

INDIA - Girish Giridhara’s arms are tattooed with Hindu gods, goddesses and sacred mantras. The spiritual designs are intricate but also hardly surprising for a man who once trained to be a priest. Shaven-headed, with gold earrings and a red tilak on his forehead, the 36-year-old tattoo artist looks relaxed in a sleeveless t-shirt, knee-length shorts and flip-flops at the Indian Ink tattoo convention. The exhibition in Mumbai this weekend is billed as India’s first, with organisers hoping to tap into a growing interest in permanent body art among young Indians. But Girish, an exhibitor at the event, knows that body art in India is not a new trend set by cricketers or movie stars. Tattooing has been an integral part of Indian tribal culture for centuries and no Hindu wedding is complete without the mehndi ceremony, where the bride’s hands and feet are elaborately decorated in non-permanent henna. [link]