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Mumbai-based artist and musician Tejas Menon, 33, has called Star Wars his religion. So, choosing something from the Lucasverse as his first tattoo was a no-brainer. He went with the red and gold landscape binary sunset from the 1977 classic A New Hope (originally just Star Wars). “Vision is important. Luke Skywalker has just been told by his uncle that he can’t follow his dreams. So, he stares at the sunset, trying to imagine a better future for himself. Handpoked art created by Shivani Zaveri at Stickity Tats in Andheri, Mumbai.
Room for mushrooms
K Shriya Sharma, a 31-year-old writer from Delhi, always wanted to get a nature-based tattoo. His fascination with mushrooms grew after reading British biologist Marilyn Sheldrake’s book Entangled Life and watching the Netflix documentary Fantastic Fungi. He found this design online. “It perfectly encapsulates who I am and what I stand for: I’m a rooter for the underclass.” She is signed to Skindeep Tattoo Studio in Bengaluru.
That’s me in the corner
33-year-old filmmaker Suyash Srivastava got several small tattoos on his hands last year, symbols of his past, present and future. “There’s a compass on the wrist, which represents my wanderer side,” he says. There is also a line from the Geeta, “Do your duties without thinking of the consequences”, a sign for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, and his father’s Fujifilm camera. “The geometric lines that come out of it are memories of my father. He taught me the knowledge of framing,” he signed on a swastika tattoo in Delhi’s Hauz Khas.
No mountain is high enough
Gurugram resident Parul Pratap’s tattoo, a pine tree hanging on the side of his wrist, marks the milestone. The 46-year-old executive chef and entrepreneur signed on after completing eight years as chef at Delhi’s mountain cafe-themed restaurant Music & Mountains. “It took me over 16 years to land my dream job,” she says. This is his sixth tattoo. “All my tattoos are placed in such a way that they can be easily concealed with clothing or accessories.” He was signed to Morphology Studios in Delhi.
Totoro forever
Nupur Bansal, 32, a freelance post-production supervisor, got her second tattoo earlier this year. A doodle of Totoro, a character from the 1988 movie My Neighbor Totoro, represents his love for anime. “This has always been my comfort movie.” So when she was offered a one-of-a-kind themed design at Iron Buzz Studios in Bandra, Mumbai, she jumped at the chance. This is his second tattoo.
Pet project
Nayantara Kumar-Shetty, head of talent management for A&R + label operations at Mumbai’s Misfits Inc, recently got three tattoos on impulse. A pair of matching cats, a tribute to his own pets, Akira and Mooncake, based on the work of artist Flynn Munkey. She also brought a pair of orchids. “I have three tattoos, one of a meditating monkey called Monkey Peace [Mann ki Shanti]a set of stars, and the word faith on my wrist,” she says. The cats were inked by Puncturewala Tattoo pop-up in Mumbai.
A Rabbit and a Milestone
When she turned 26 last year, Chiring Choden, head of the social and content team and a freelance photographer, got a tattoo of Alice in Wonderland on her left arm. “Even as a child, I always related to Alice and her sense of wonder. Growing up with strict parents only increased my fascination with the outside world. Tattoos symbolize being brave, taking more chances and being curious,” says Chiring. She lives in Kalimpong in West Bengal and Sikkim. Signed up at a tattoo club in Gangtok.
Little Miss Sunshine
Mansi Goda, 26, a business strategy analyst, has a permanent sunflower doodle on her shoulder, where she can see it every day. “Sunflowers have been my favorite flowers for years because they have a tendency to survive: to look towards the sun/light, while still rooted. And the fact that the brown part in the center is the most useful, even though it’s not pretty. So, the idea is that while I’m in all the brown parts Even love yourself, not yellow,” she says. He was signed to Rebel Ink Studios in Delhi’s Hauz Khas village late last year.
keeping faith
Mumbai-based musician and bassist Harshit Mishra, aka Hashbas, 32, got two tattoos last year, taking his total to 11. On her left hand is her late mother’s name in Japanese, her favorite flowers and some black and white piano keys. . “It’s a reminder of his glorious life and the impact he had on me.” He also has an unfinished rose and the word faith. “I left it unfinished because the rose represents the precarious state in which faith is alive,” he says. He got his tats from Devil’s Tattoos in Delhi.
divine power
Megha Marwah, 33, who heads strategy at a digital agency in Gurugram, got a tattoo of the triple goddess symbol earlier this year. “It’s also called the triple moon symbol. It represents divine feminine power and is a constant reminder to me that I am a powerful woman in every moment of my journey – whether it’s up or down.” He is inked at Devil’s Tattoos in Gurugram.
From HT Brunch, April 15, 2023
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