Five must-see tattoos (and the stories behind them)

October 21, 2016

The tattoo culture existed since time immemorial, yet it is looked at with scorn and disdain. To a lot of people getting inked means an act of rebellion or something that convicts would get. At a recent tattoo festival held in the city, we realised that the connotations associated with getting a tattoo are slowly dispersing and it is seen more as a way of enhancing beauty and confidence. Here are some interesting stories about how and why people decided to get inked!

Photographs by Sanket Wankhade

Leonie Van Sprundel

Every tattoo I have is special to me. The first tattoo I got was more like an act of rebellion because my mom said she would never allow me to get one. I got the Carnival Corpse (metal band) logo since I loved the band. This was just the beginning; my second tattoo was of Lord Ganesha which I got introduced to while I was India. Whenever I need guidance in life I look at it and it really helps. It inspired my dad also to get one. Another special one is the that of a lotus. Just like a lotus grows even out of muck, I have been through a lot in life and managed to come out of it that’s what it signifies.

Bimal Rai

I have been a tattoo artist in Nepal for the past five to six years. I have lost count of the number of tattoos I’ve got all over my body. For me tattoos are a very personal thing, it’s an expression of my inner feelings. It’s quite funny how I became a tattoo artist, I wanted to be a monk but I have always been fond of art. So one day I did a tattoo for a friend and then slowly I did some for his other friends and now here I am. I should share a weird but not really funny tattoo story with you. Once a girl came to get her lips tattooed because they had turned black due to smoking. I told her that it can cause repercussions but she was pretty adamant and so I did it, but it didn’t turn out well at all after a while.

Mickey Malani

I have a lunchbox tattoo near my ankle, which is quite an unusual design to get. The story behind it goes this way; I come from an orthodox Marwadi family and when I shifted to Mumbai for work I began living with a female roommate. Our relationship was extremely platonic, though my family never understood that. We shared an amazing relationship, every day she would lovingly pack lunch for me and I would somehow forget the dabba (lunchbox). We would always argue and fight over this. So when time came for both of us to leave Mumbai, she went to Paris and I went to London, we were talking over the phone and felt that we need to do something to symbolise our bond of friendship. That’s how I’ve now got my lunchbox tattoo.

Tehmina Chaudhari

Well I got my first tattoo at a really young age, much to my mom’s disapproval. Now I have six in total. But, there’s one that is extremely special. It is a geometrical arrow. I had come down to Pune while I was taking a gap year and randomly one day I decided to get a tattoo. I didn’t know what kind but I just knew I wanted one at that moment. So I walked into the studio and got a design which I saw while browsing through my mobile phone on the way. It’s a geometrical arrow which symbolises direction in life and apparently I need that very often in life (laughs). That day I had to literally empty every penny from my wallet and also had to walk back home. But, I was totally pumped and it was so worth it!

John Ma

I am a tattoo artist so of course I have a lot of tattoos. Though there are two unique tattoos I’ve got which are tattooed on by using blades. It’s called scarification. I was just sitting with my friends and we were quite bored so we did it. The design is of the Saraswati Yantra, it doesn’t mean anything I just liked it so I got it done.