Body of work: Tattoos as a statement

Sahiba Kaur is 26, and has 27 tattoos. “Each of these is an expression of my thoughts, beliefs, and the things that I cherish the most,” says this aspiring Punjabi singer, who is popularly known as Sahiba Sherni. “I wanted to look different and stylish when I got my first tattoo four years back but today, my tattoos are much more than mere fashion pieces,” says this celebrity stylist and designer from Delhi. “I tattooed ‘295’ on my arm as a tribute to my dear friend Sidhu Moosewala. I inked ‘Sherni,’ a name VJ Rannvijay Singha gave me while I was participating in MTV Roadies in 2020. I literally carry my beliefs on my arm. My tattoos give me the strength to face any kind of risk and bear pain in life,” adds Sahiba.

Know the hazards

According to the European Chemical Agency, an agency of the European Union, tattoo inks and permanent make-up may contain hazardous substances that cause skin allergies and other serious health impacts, such as genetic mutations and cancer. Ink pigments can also migrate from the skin to different organs, such as the lymph nodes and liver. Sometimes, tattoos are removed using a laser that breaks down pigments and other substances into smaller particles. If these include harmful chemicals, the removal process will free them to circulate in the body.

“With each of my tattoos, I’m stamped in time. These are like my own journal,” says Mumbai-based social influencer Moose Jatana (21), who came to India from Australia to join the farmers’ protest at Singhu border, near Delhi. Her first tattoo, ‘Inquilab,’ on her wrist was a tribute to the resilience and strength of the protesting farmers. This aspiring filmmaker, who has since been on three reality shows, including Bigg Boss, gets herself inked “each time my heart tells me”. Often people find the tattoo of a snake on her arm intimidating, she says, “but that reminds me of my time in Bigg Boss, a show known for people conniving against each other”.

While the tradition of tattooing is age-old with its various forms being practised by different tribes in the country, the present manifestation has been aped from the West where bikers and anti-social elements would have their bodies tattooed to make a statement, says sociologist Sherry Sabharwal. “A tattooed body of a sports icon like Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav or KL Rahul gives validation and we find people ready to experiment with their bodies.” Many in their late 60s and 70s too are getting tattoos made on their bodies as they feel they have lived with enough care and it’s high time they took risks with their life, she adds.

‘Godna’, ‘tarajva’, ‘pachai kuthu’, etc — the art is known by different names in various parts of the country and goes back centuries as a symbol of identity, gender, faith, caste, traditions and belief systems. From tribes like the Santhals in Bengal and Jharkhand, Todas in Tamil Nadu to the Ao Nagas of Nagaland, the Kutia Kondhs of Odisha, to the Mers in Gujarat, the art form is deeply entrenched in the cultural and anthropological heritage of the country and carries varied meanings. For instance, the Apatanis of Arunachal Pradesh, Rabaris of Gujarat and Dhanuks of Bihar tattooed their women to make them unattractive while these were a symbol of manhood and gender identity for men of the Konyak tribe in Arunachal Pradesh.

Psychiatrist Simmi Waraich attributes more autonomy and an increased focus on self-image through social media to tattoos being seen as statement pieces. “Using tattoos, nose pins and hair colour is the way to form identity and a sense of self. Standing out from the crowd gives a sense of distinctiveness,” she says.

For Rajanbir (25) of Shahkot in Jalandhar district, getting a tattoo of Bhagat Singh was an idea close to his heart. So when he got down to discussing it with Harminder Singh of Singh Tattoos, he literally took out a page from history and stamped it on his body. On his forearm is tattooed the front page of The Tribune of March 25, 1931, carrying the news that the freedom fighter, along with Rajguru and Sukhdev, had been executed on March 23. I worship these bravehearts who sacrificed their lives for the country.”

Delhi-based tattoo artist Karan Tattoographer (33) has an extreme take: “It is my body, and I can do whatever I want with it.” He has inked every part of his body. In 2017, he got his eyeballs tattooed — an act that can have serious medical consequences and is ill-advised. “As a child, I was very skinny and often a butt of ridicule. I started tattooing myself when I was 13. The pain gave me a sense of achievement. I work very hard on my body and skin. I’m aware that these inks can have long-term effects. For nearly three months, I couldn’t enter a dark room or go out at night.” Delhi-based celebrity tattoo artist Lokesh Verma of Devilz Tattooz strongly advises against such indulgences. “We often get requests for eye tattoos, but it’s a big no.”

Then there are enthusiasts like businessman Vibhor Dimri (30) of Dehradun. He has been getting his body tattooed for the past three years and is now getting a full body suit done. However, he does not post photos on social media. “It is not for the world to see,” he says.

“The stigma associated with tattooing is no longer there. Unlike earlier when people went in for random designs and blindly followed sports icons, rappers, singers, the tattoo enthusiasts are experimenting with designs, forms and inks. This has also increased the scope of the art form,” says Lokesh Verma, who specialises in ‘coloured realism’ and is among the pioneers of modern-day tattooing in the country.

Interestingly, the number of people getting tattooed went up after the first lockdown got over, says Chandigarh-based tattoo artist Rishabh Narang of Immortal Tattoos. “Maybe, the uncertainty of life hit them and they wanted to do things they always wished to,” he says.

Not a bright picture

The increasing demand has been responsible for the mushrooming of tattoo studios across the country. The industry, which generates a revenue of Rs 20,000 crore every year, is in the unorganised sector. While the European Union has outlawed the use of nearly 4,000 chemicals used in tattoo inks and permanent make-up products with effect from January 2022, many of these chemicals continue to be used in dyes and inks in India. With hardly any laws or regulations in place to monitor the safety and hygiene standards, this booming market is putting lives at risk.

“There is no monitoring of the hygiene standards being maintained at thousands of tattoo studios in the country. Nor is there any check on the sale and use of inks, many of which have been internationally banned,” says Mumbai-based Vikas Malani of Bodycanvas, whose chain of tattoo and piercing studios is a favourite with Bollywood, TV stars as well as Page 3 socialites. “Each state should make it mandatory for a tattoo artist to submit a medical certificate, besides documents of all the products, including inks and needles being used, before opening a studio,” says Malani, who has two tattoo studios in India and one in London.

“In the past 20 years since we have been tattooing, no one from the health department has come to check for the safety and hygiene standards being followed. We have to self-regulate since we follow EU and North American standards at our three stores in India and one in Luxemburg,” says veteran tattooist Lokesh Verma, who has inked celebrities like Tapsee Pannu, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, etc, adding that “there should be mandatory training in safety and hygiene for every tattoo artist. Only then can we make lives safer”.

“A needle is coming in contact with your skin, and you cannot be casual about it,” says Chandigarh-based skin specialist Dr Monika Mittal. “It is vital that utmost hygiene is being maintained when going in for such invasive procedures. Else, you may end up being infected with serious diseases. Also, you need to make sure that the ink or dye you are getting into your body is certified with international standards. Ink a small patch before going in for a full-blown tattoo,” she suggests. It is important, says Dr Mittal, to know the healing history of your skin before getting an invasive procedure. “Tattooing, which is sometimes recommended to hide conditions like vitiligo, can get aggravated if the patch is unstable.”