What's new?

So, things were kind of slow with my posts this summer while I was busy enjoying my internship :). To think of it, its been more than 3 months since I made a post. I had almost forgotten my account details which were required for me to log in and make this new post. Maybe I should keep my username and passwords the same across the tons of different accounts. But my training and education as a computer scientist and engineer don't allow me to do that :)


Anyways, this is not a blog about me as an engineer or even my life as an MBA candidate, but about the art of henna and of me as a henna artist, so let's get along with that. So, what's new with my henna art?


Until now, I always offered my henna art as a service at arts and craft events, street shows, individual events and at groups events. However, there were several who loved the designs but didn't want henna on their skin as a tattoo. I thus had to find a way to convert my service to a product. And nothing seemed better than greeting cards. That's right -- Blank Greeting cards featuring my henna designs (in original work and as prints).


Over the summer I came up with several new designs, some of which I incorporated in this new product offering. For the original work, I used real henna and/ or acrylic paints to put my henna designs on the greeting cards.


And this month, on popular demand, my paintings and greeting cards are back on display at the Bean Counter in Worcester, MA. I'll post some of the photographs from the Bean in a week, so check back then. Until then, ciao.

Swastikas .... the loaded symbol

In one of my earlier posts I had mentioned about swastikas being a common design pattern in Indian mehandi. So, today when my friend Jen asked me if I knew what a loaded word "Swastikas" was here, I realized I had to write a post to explain the significance of swastikas in the Indian culture.



The Swastika is a holy symbol in the Hindu and Jain religions. Seen at most Indian temples as well as entrances of houses (yes its true, you'll find swastikas made of vermillion paste on the door frames), at weddings, festivals and celebrations, the swastika is used in religious and civil ceremonies in India. The word swastika is derived from the Sanskrit word svastika meaning any lucky or auspicious object, and in particular a mark made on things to denote good luck.

I am aware that in the west, swastika has been associated with Nazism, which I believe led to Jen's question. This has led to confusions to the use of the symbol in the pre-Nazi era as well its religious and sacred significance in other cultures. I hope that this post will help you understand the alternative meanings associated with the symbol in other cultures. There has and will always be more good than bad associated with this word in most cultures :).

For more information on this, check out Swastikas on Wikipedia

** Note that the information and photographs used above were obtained from Wikipedia and variety of sources.

Fun with Mehandi

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In the last few decades, Mehandi has evolved into a must-have product. Whether you use it to

• Condition, enrich and naturally color hair


• Decorate a bride's hands and feet with intricate patterns


• As an alternative to temporary tattoos


• Or a means to beautiful body art

it is fun to use and you can get as creative with it as you like.

Once done as block-prints using heavy wooden stencils, match sticks and tooth picks to being drawn using a cone, the art of mehandi designing has come a long way. This had also resulted in the once popular big and small dots and swastikas giving way to delicate patterns and attractive designs.

Today, there are different patterns that come under four main categories which can be mixed and matched. Arabic, Marwadi, Indian and outlines are the major and well-known categories. While Arabic designs comprises of huge flowers and leaves, Marwadi designs are thin patterns where the entire hand is filled without a single gap. The basic Indian designs comprise kalash (a vase, normally depicted as being covered with mango leaves), doli (a palanquin), peacocks, kanguras (mango seeds) etc.

Mehandi tattoos, color mehandi, glitter mehandi, zardosi mehandi, mehandi adorned with Swarovski crystals are other ways of using mehandi application to adorn your body. Faces, names, sun, scorpions, dragons, abstracts and floral designs are currently the "in" patterns for tattoos. Tattoos on neck, forearms, upper arms, waist, navel, sides of the shoulders and back are very common these days. (And for all my 'XY' gene pool friends who are reading this blog, do not despair, because even though its not completely cool for you to get intricate designs on your palm, getting and flaunting a henna tattoo is "Coolness Factor Unlimited" :) ).