It Started when I saw a indelible symbol tattooed in my grandmother's hand, at the instance my curiosity increased to be part of inking culture. However I asked her if it hurts she replied-"A little". Giving a thought to my story of indulging into tattooing it came a long way of up gradation, I heard of getting a tattoo with needle and ink which is extremely basic but the method then was heart melting, sequence of the little cuts in the skin was made by the tattoo artists and then the ink is directly hammered in the cuts made in the skin. This process is known as “ stick and poke”.Now a days , with the technology things are easy and less painful, no cuts are made no inks to be filled just pick the symbol you wish to be engraved and with a pinch of pain it can be made with the help of electric pen.
Tattoo culture has been in India since the ancient times,within the lower echelon or tribes. Tattooed tribes of India mostly live in hinterland of the country,from where the common occurrence was stealing of women by rival tribes.In southern India, permanent tattoos are known as Pachakutharathu. Among the toda tribe of South India, they co-relate the geometric pattern used in their embroidery with the tattoo they have in their hands and claves and shins. One of the largest tribe in India, the Gonds traditionally exposes most of their bodies and to look decent the bare skin was covered with kohkana. The Rabari women engrave tattoo on their necks, breasts and arms signifying their strong faith in magic.
Within the past few decades Indian youth have been inspired by Tattoo culture a lot,but the regional and spiritual aspect have been left behind. The aspiration for making a memory will never allow the tattoo culture to fade away. Body art is fashion statement now. Tattoos have become a part of pop culture, where inking art is path to express their beliefs, memories and their current phase of life. They are no longer just about identity and territory , it's also a way of expressing the creative ideas .In India, from tribes to pop culture to body art, Tattoos have come a long way. Now a day's Tattoo culture is always seen as a combination of high trend Fashion and ancient times.
In terms of Fashion “Trickle up” - is a theory which states that a Fashion comes from streets and worn by lower income groups and picked up by Upper Class people. Tattoo in Indian history have worn by tribal people and now if we compare the scenario the majority of youths wish to have a tattoo. The populace not only want to have a tattoo but they are considering being a tattoo artist as a career option for them.
