"Funky Monkey", located in the easily accessible Carter Road in Bandra, is Mumbai's first high-tech, professional Tattoo and Body Art Studio. "Funky Monkey" comes to Mumbai from New Delhi where it has completed a year of tremendously successful tattooing for a wide variety of people from all sections of society.

Funky Monkey follows guidelines set by the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and utilises autoclave and ultrasonic machines for the sterilization. After the procedure the needle is cut in front of the client, kept in a box and presented to the client as a keepsake of the "tattoo experience", but more so as to assure the client that they are not used again.

Hardy Mitra, the brain behind the concept, came up with the idea while travelling in Paris. A lover of tattoos and all forms of body art, he found himself wondering why India didn't have a tattoo studio, which followed all the international standards of hygiene and skills.

Hardy expects to see a wide variety of people from all walks of life converging at the studio to see how a tattoo changes their lives. In fact, barely has the studio opened its doors that various well known faces of the ramp and silver screen have lined up to get themselves branded by their own unique symbol.

It is important that prospective tattoo wearers insist and question the sterilization standards of wherever they are getting their tattoo from. Unsterilzed needles as well as reused ink may cause blood-transmitted conditions such as AIDs, syphilis, and hepatitis. Getting a tattoo can be completely safe as thousands of people have tattoos applied each year.

Bangalore, Chennai, Pun and Kolkata will see Funky Monkey's shutters lifting in the coming months. Till then the tattoo curious and the tattoo believers can head to Gurgaon or Carter Road, Mumbai.

What's with the name Funky Monkey? Hardy replies that "we are all monkeys at the end of the day…but we are the funkier ones."

Tattoo Styles at Funky Monkey

Celtic

Known for its complex and beautiful knotworks (intricate weavings of a single line). Common themes are mythological creatures, people, knots and scrolls. Armbands, circles and crosses are the most popular designs for this style, often made entirely in black ink.

Traditional

Also referred to as 'sailor' style. Very popular in the 40s and 50s, it is usually a very basic style that only uses a minimum amount of details. The lines tend to be thick and bold with colourful motifs. Typical ones would be flowers, hears, mermaids, birds etc.

Fineline

This is a very delicate and often highly detailed technique. It has its roots in prison tattooing where artists had to show skill in detail rather than in colours. It is often used for portraits and similar motifs.

Oriental

The traditional Japanese tattoos would cover a very large area on the body and would be carefully planned and custom made. The western version or modern oriental tattoos tend to be smaller and only borrow smaller samples. Common themes for this style are dragons, flowers and people for the foreground, water and waves as the background.

Realistic

This style makes some of the most breathtaking and detailed tattoos you can find. The themes are usually portraits of either human/animal or a nature scene. This style is usually done in black and grey ink.

Black and Grey

This is also referred to as 'Joint Style' or 'Jailhouse', originally derived from prison tattoos, the style only use shades of black and grey, creating a result much like a black and white photo. You get the grey colour by diluting the black ink with water to make a gradient from black to light grey.

Gangster/Biker Prison

The ultimate symbol for gang members are their gang tattoos, getting a permanent mark is a sign of showing total commitment. The style of the tattoos can vary in quality quite a bit; for example the Japanese Mafia also called the Yakuza use large, colourful tattoos, while the western prison tattoos are less sophisticated. Common themes for western jail tattoos include skulls, knives, and women, using crude techniques.

Tribal

The designs are often black in colour, abstract, with bold silhouettes. They have a strong base in traditional form. The tribal style can be modified by mixing with shaded detailed shapes or parts. Common themes are triangles and abstracts sharp curving bold objects.

See Vishesh Verma's black and white photos of Funky Monkey customers in Delhi, exclusively for Verve.