It’s not just skin deep

This is a recent fad,which has only started during the run-up to the Cup,say the tattoo artistes. “It started when the warm-up matches were being played,and with the World Cup officially starting on Saturday,the requests have come in thick and fast. Most of the tattoos are simple,with a bat or a ball,according to the customer’s preference,but there have been a few special designs that we have made as well,” says Harshal Thorat of Bulls Tattoo Studio,Camp.

One of those who have gone for a special design is 22-year-old Badshah Palukdar,a medium pacer for a local cricket club,the Cricket Next Academy. “I have always been passionate about the game,and with the World Cup being held in the country,I felt it was but natural that I show my passion for the game in a very permanent way – by getting a tattoo done,” he says. “My tattoo is the word ‘cricket’ on my forearm,and what makes it so special is that the design is an ambigram,which means that no matter which side you see it from,the word is legible.”

This trend is not limited to guys. Many girls have gone in for these tattoos too,but here a difference arises,as girls prefer a temporary tattoo instead of a permanent one. “I’m proud of my national team,and I want to show it,but I feel having a permanent tattoo done is taking it a bit too far,” says Malvika Kapoor (name changed),a student at Symbiosis. The temporary tattoos vary from parlour to parlour,with Sabby’s offering designs with the silhouettes or portraits of cricketers and the national flag,and Jitesh Gaikwad of JG’s Tattoo Parlour,Dhole Patil Road,offering clip arts,depicting batsmen or bowlers.

Gaikwad says that very few people have gone in for permanent ink. “The World Cup tattoos are specific,which is probably why people don’t want to mark it with permanent ink. However,even these temporary tattoos last upto 15 days,which is perfect for a tournament like this.” However he had a customer who got a permanent tattoo made. Twenty-year-old Pawan Shinde got his tattoo to commemorate the World Cup being held with India as one of the host countries. “I got my tattoo because this is the first World Cup that I can attend. The last time the World Cup was held in the country (1996),I was too young.”

The Sachin Tendulkar fan has gone in for a tattoo that he will never forget. “My tattoo is the shape of the cup,with a lot of tribal motifs around it,” says the young man with pride.

Then there is actress Mink Brar. The little-known muse of director Dev Anand,who was last seen in Oops (2003) was seen gleefully posing for shutterbugs in Mumbai two days ago,revealing her back with the official logo of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup in multi-coloured body paint.