This Mother’s Day, affection comes with tattoos. By Shrabasti Malik
Mikesh was 18 when he got his first tattoo done, a lightening bolt. The tattoo artist remembers him saying that it was because of his love for Harry Potter and recalls him squirming in pain with every touch of the needle. Mikesh’s mother stood by him all the while, holding his hand. Ten years later, today, Mikesh walks through the doors of the studio with his mother. But this time, he did not take the chair — his mother did. The 53-year-old lady very politely requests a tattoo of her son’s name on her forearm.
SurprisedIJ Well, don’t be. Mikesh’s mother is just one of the many brave and spirited women, nay mothers, who are going to go all out and wear their emotions on their sleeve (or anywhere else they please). Now that Mother’s Day is around the corner, this is a new indulgence that mothers can resort to as an option for a ‘return gift.’
Tattoo studios have been going crazy busy catering to such requests. “We are swamped with requests with elderly women wanting the name of their children tattooed. It is lovely to see the change that has come about — both in parents as well as their kids. It is just a few years ago that parents were here, supporting their kids as they got their tattoos done but now the tables have turned. Children are not only encouraging their parents to get a tattoo but are also standing by them through the process,” said Vibhuti, manager at Body Canvas and a tattoo artist herself.
Women today are not afraid of social stigma and bothers very little of what people might say about them getting inked. So why should a motherIJ “It is just that we are not so vocal about our love and affection, but now things have changed. We are not afraid to show it and getting tattooed is a very intimate thing. You are literally wearing your emotions, feelings and affections on you, for everyone to see,” said Malvika Gupta, mother of two.
We spoke to a few tattoo artists and they say that the trend is new and very heartfelt. “You do not always find a 70-year-old woman come in and ask for a tattoo,” said Vikas Malani, founder of Body Canvas. He shared that most of his female clients, who are mothers, either directly get their child’s name inked so something that is related. “I had this client once who came in with a scribbled piece of drawing and asked to get that done on the forearm. Turned out that it was the first piece of drawing her son had made and she wanted to get a tattoo of that as a fond memory,” he shared.
Sometimes it is not about a direct connect but choices are of struggles and pain, too. During our talks with tattoo artists, we realised that women do not shy away from displaying their life and struggles either. Om Acharya, from Skivas Studios, had a rather interesting story to share. One of his clients had a sleeping baby done all over her chest. “She was a fashion photographer for pregnant women and also had a miscarriage. It is a real touching piece that I did because it not only speaks of her work but also the sentiment that is attached to it that only a mother can fathom,” he said.
While there is all that — emotions, attachment, and affection — there are also a few adventurous mothers who are not afraid to try something off the hook. Malani introduced us to Gitanjali, a mother to a 28-year old boy and a daughter, who was occupied with getting the words aatma, karma and life engraved on her. “My son thought that I was crazy but my daughter is right here with me, supporting my decision,” she laughed.
Now, when it comes to sentiments as subtle and intimate as these, there is a lot of onus on the designers to make something that is appealing. “Because it is permanent. You cannot just change it whenever you want,” said Malani.
“A lot of consultation goes in before we get down to the execution. A lot of questions are asked and we make sure we understand what a client wants before we make a sketch. It takes a good amount of time before we finalise a sketch,” said Acharya.
Tattoo artists are flabbergasted at the age of their clients. “We once had a 80-year-old woman who got a tattoo done of her granddaughter’s name. It is great to see women coming forward,” smiled Malani.
If you have been thinking of getting a tattoo and have been holding yourself back, this just might be the right time.