Journalism of Courage
Cricket is a banner under which the entire country unites,cheering our men in blue. The fans and the intensity of fan following vary: some may obsessively watch every ball bowled,others just tune in for the latest score. Then there are some,who wear their heart on the sleeve. Literally. With the World Cup being played on home soil,some people in the city want to proclaim their love of the game by inking themselves.
A lot of people have been coming in to our studio over the last couple of weeks,wanting to have a tattoo made that has some connection with the World Cup. Most of them just want a temporary tattoo done,but then there a few who are willing to go that extra mile to show their love for the game and are getting permanent tattoos done, says Saurabh of Sabbys Tattoo Parlour,Koregaon Park.
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. Im 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 Sabbys 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 dont 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.
