I strain my eyes to see the details of the Celtic circle on my friend’s upper back and the compass she flaunts on her ankle. It’s addictive, she tells me, as I try to imagine the pinprick that caused the ink to seep through her epidermis and alter her appearance. It’s astounding that in a matter of hours she has completely managed to change the way people perceive her.

They say the art you own is a window to your soul and how much truer would that axiom be in the case of body art. Humans make no bones about their narcissism. While some rely on ensembles and lash curlers as fashion statements, others go in for quirkier, more enduring transformations. It’s well known that across borders, tattoos and other corporal modifications like body branding have signified status, rites of passage, even virility. Today we actively seek these out and dub them body art. Roald Dahl explored this idea in Skin, one of his fictional stories for adults, in which a destitute man reveals that the tattoo on his back was an early work done by a famous Parisian artist only to have it skinned off.

Tattoos, permanent or otherwise, continue to be a major cultural pre-occupation in literature and movies, witness Asoka and Memento. The most striking aspect of Asoka was undoubtedly Kareena Kapoor’s screen avatar. As Kaurvaki, a princess in exile, she was dressed down and given a nude make-up look but had henna dyes and kohl to add a touch of exotica and glamour. Derived from existent Egyptian influences during the Mauryan dynasty, the movie went for a distinctly period flavour. The deep, dark lines around the eyes sought to imitate the extended eye-liner akin to those of Egyptian queens and this kink soon caught on with beatnik novitiates and punk rockers sashaying their way down the ramp and Mumbai’s bohemian haunts.

But sketching beauty in the modern world involves skirting pageants of the bizarre and the mundane. A man who suffers from short term memory loss tattoos shorthand notes on himself in Memento. This isn’t just the stuff of movies either. My conversation with Al, owner of Al’s Tattoo Parlour in Bandra, teetered around a similar episode. “A mother brought her mentally challenged son to me once who had no sense of his bearings. She asked me to tattoo his name and address on him.

I even had to ink everyday functions like ‘put on your shirt’ across his chest,” he commiserates.
Not all tattoos involve pain in any of these forms though. Consider India’s rich heritage of such forms of art and you realise that the henna prints are the most common. The burnt brown dye used in most weddings is derived from the henna plant whereas the black made famous by Madonna comes from Indigo. And no bridal trousseau could ever be complete without mehndi, a tradition that is indigenous to Southern Asia and Africa. The peacocks, paisleys, dholas and dulhans that are painted on an Indian bride’s hands and feet usually tell a boy-meets-girl-story but those motifs are on their way out. International henna artist Ash Kumar spent 12 days coordinating his designs with those on Vanisha Mittal’s wedding regalia. Stressing the importance of individual designs in the market, he insists, “I match the patterns to the costume or jewellery and incorporate body glitter and Swarovski crystals to make the henna design look more attractive.” The latest vogue involves giving henna a well-defined, golden sheen that resembles Egyptian body painting seen in The Mummy making accessories less viable.

In our fast-paced, flashy world, we are constantly bombarded with the latest fads. So it comes as no surprise that people are increasingly turning towards body painting and henna art to express themselves. “My approach to mehndi designs is more about creating a fashion accessory. I’ve had to get used to painting it on women who don’t have the luxury of time. Celebrity clients prefer unique and temporary fashion statements,” says Kumar. This arty substitute draws crowds in promenades like La Rambla in Barcelona or Camden Town which always sport locals painted and masquerading about in a desperate bid to collect pocket change. Whether it’s a little glitter for some added bling or a top you couldn’t find and decided to paint on, this temporary form of body art is thriving in bars and nightclubs world over.

A more recent trend, albeit one with ancient roots, involves etching your lover’s name on your body. Traditionally, the bridegrooms’ initials were shrouded in the filigree of mehndi that covered his blushing bride’s arms. Today, these are flamboyantly emblazoned across the body. But long after the henna from your wedding fades, the tattoos inked in your skin remain. Body art has always been a part of wedding rituals but celebrities like Pamela Anderson took it a step further by getting a wedding ring tattoo when she married Tommy Lee Jones. This is cheaper and way more efficient than getting an actual ring but also one that requires a higher threshold of pain. It’s only when relationships turn sour that people start to have misgivings about these seemingly permanent ways of binding yourself to your beloved.

Laser surgery is a not-so-easy cop out for some while others just use this as an excuse to reinvent themselves. Given that skin is probably the most precious resource for those who love being sketched on, many tend to just camouflage the old ones in new designs. Anderson has changed her ‘Tommy’ ring to make it read Mommy. But with a spate of Hollywood A-listers like Gwenyth Paltrow who recently had the letter C for hubby Chris done on her right leg and Brylcreem boys like David Beckham and Saif Ali Khan going this way too, masses in tow, professionals strongly advise against the trend. Russell, who owns Comfortably Numb, a tattoo studio in Bangalore finds that “Most people who come asking for this fare are young and invariably regret it, they eventually return for cover-ups.” Al has done a bunch of tattoos for war veterans to cover their bullet wounds. “I usually do Boy Scout codes and people seem puzzled when they see a 6 x 9 = 42, they generally assume I’m terrible at math but it’s just a code.”

There is something deeply personal about the process, though. It’s something you can tell from just watching shows like Miami Ink. The heavily inked virtuosos on television always quiz their clientele on the rationale behind any tattoo and it’s incredible to see people open up to them. It almost seems therapeutic. Russell admits he did his most personal work for his son by creating a tattoo in memoriam of his daughter.

When it comes to icons of the flesh, guys usually seek out tribal designs or Celtic patterns while women go for more delicate archetypes like fairies and butterflies. Chinese characters are common with both sexes. These trends are taking a nosedive with increased exposure and innovative techniques. Russell prefers working on fine lines and details. “Shadowing and portraiture is way more interesting than tribal signs and they’re more challenging too.” Realistic imprints that replicate photographic images, usually portraits in black and grey ink with fineline work are catching on. Emphasis is being placed on the aesthetics. “The biggest change, honestly, is that people are giving a lot more thought to what they want. They want something meaningful and not just a random image that looks nice,” he admits. International tattoo conventions actually have works of art reproduced on skin.

Most intriguing, are the newer methods that connoisseurs like Al are trying to bring here. UV tattoos are becoming all the rage with alternative subcultures. These markings are completely inconspicuous in normal light and only glow under black light. Bamboo tattoos are also finally coming into their own with the help of celebrity endorsements essentially in the form of Angelina Jolie. Believed to have originated in Khmer (now Cambodia) over 3,000 years ago, contemporary artists use bamboo sticks and needles to engrave the skin. The artist uses one hand to hold the stick and the other to direct the needle by alternating pressure. This method requires tremendous skill and should only be done by an experienced hand.

More extreme anatomical art comes in the form of body branding in which decorative scars are created by exposing the skin to excessive heat. These methods are reserved for the doggedly determined because unlike simple tattoo regret, there is no plan B once your flesh has been seared. An interesting offshoot is Moxabustion an ancient oriental technique in which Japanese or Tibetan incense is lit and applied to a person’s body till it burns through and is eventually snuffed by the skin. Only degrees of separation differentiate these various human stains and while the negative associations that these eccentric art forms have evoked are being painted over, new forms of arty arm candy are getting ready to hit the streets.