Under my skin

“A tattoo is a man’s best friend,” says Nitin Chauhan,tattoo artist at Herbuzer,Tattoo Salon,Sector-35. “I feel that a tattoo tells us a lot about a person who is wearing it,” he adds. ‘Herbuzer’ is brand name that Chauhan has coined,a reference to the fact that Chauhan uses natural colours for his tattoos. Sumit Chandi,tattoo artist at Headmaster’s,a salon in Sector 8 states that “getting a tattoo nowadays is a fashion statement. Young people come to me to get an exact replica of the tattoos their favourite celebrities wear.”

The current trend is towards permanent tattoos,even though air-brush tattoos are easier and painless to get. “Permanent tattoos are like getting a fresh wound and not everybody dares to get one. People who get permanent tattoos feel that they have accomplished something,” says Chauhan. Chandi does not do temporary tattoos since “inks used for air-brushing often contain chemicals in them”.

The hot favourite in the world of tattoos nowadays is the ambigram. It is a tattoo that reads differently,depending on the direction from which it is being read. Ambigrams are much sought after by young lovers,who want their own and their lover’s name to be written together. Often,an ambigram has the same name that can be read from both sides. Expectedly,lovers also show a preference for hearts. Says Ravneet Singh,“I just got into a relationship and to show my love,I got her and my name tattooed on my arm. She loves it.”

Tattoos are also being considered as gifts. Chauhan cites one such case: “A mother in Pune,gifted an angel tattoo to her daughter on her 16th birthday”. But parents in Chandigarh still do not seem very enthused by the idea of their children getting a tattoo. “Sometimes,we have to counsel people that the inks used are coming from the best companies of the world. The inks I use are imported from the US,” says Chauhan.

Peace,a tattoo artist at Azzaro Salon says,“We make our clients fill in a form,which also provides certain guidelines to the customers and answers their queries. Generally,I have to sit down with people for half an hour or so to make them comfortable with the idea of getting a tattoo”. Anant,a student says,“From my childhood,I used to draw animated signatures on my arms and legs. Now I have my name tattooed on the nape of my neck.” “I got my son’s name tattooed on my back,so that he knows how much I love him when he grows up,” says Puneet Kumar.