10/27/2022 0 Comments Skin deep tattoos“Many people consider it a painful process but tattoo enthusiasts liken it to a buzz,” he says. Zohaib, who has a tattoo of a coffin and a clock with the word ‘ashes’ written in Japanese letters, says that the hardest part is getting your first tattoo. Tattoo art is a recent phenomenon in Pakistan and it will be sometime before people are completely comfortable with the idea of getting a tattoo,” says Raza. “The tattoo trend grows with a developed culture. Raza, who runs a tattoo parlour in Karachi, says that he gets a fair share of clients who want to get tattoos of their favourite celebrities, music bands and even African and Indian tribal symbols. This is just for me and my friends and family to see.” “Too much can draw too much judgment, particularly in Pakistan. “The guys are more interested in dragons or the names of their spouses written in kanji - a system of Japanese writing using Chinese characters.”Īlizeh, who got a butterfly tattoo her wrist, says she didn’t want to opt for something flamboyant. “Girls in their early 20s are fond of butterflies, floral designs and zodiac signs,” says Raza. “While most of them initially don’t know what to get, you can usually predict what they would finally settle on,” says Karachi-based tattoo artist Asif Raza. “I tell them to get a tattoo they will always appreciate or something that would spark a positive sense of self, and to avoid getting skulls or bones or negative words.” In most cases, I see them again in a few months when they show up and ask me to remove it,” says Zohaib. “Teenage boys usually come in asking to get the name of their girlfriends tattooed into their skin. “I also advise them not get something they would regret later.” “I tell them not to hide anything from their tattoo artist or their doctor as the repercussions will last forever,” Zohaib remarks jokingly. “I usually interview the clients and then suggest something suitable for their personality.” As many as 50 per cent do not know what they want to get,” says Zohaib. They want tattoos of either their name or their spouse’s name. “Most people who come in aren’t really that creative. The clients never come prepared and Zohaib usually has to help them decide on tattoo ideas. I tell my clients that the purity of your prayers is based on your conscience and intent, and not the tattoo on your body.” The only difference is that a tattoo stays on longer than mehndi. SKIN DEEP TATTOOS SKINMehndi (henna) usually gets absorbed in the same part of one’s skin as a tattoo. “My argument is that, how can something that has no social, psychological or physical disadvantages be unlawful?” He explains further, “It’s just an imprint, a result of ink penetrating under the first multiple layers of your skin. “They are sceptical and usually ask me about tattoos and religion.” “Ninety per cent of people come with the concept that tattooing is forbidden,” says Zohaib. “More time is spent explaining and convincing than really working,” complains Zohaib, who spent three months in Bangkok training in tattoo art. Ironically, the tattoo she had come in for was no more than two words on her little finger. “I offered her simple logic: How could an art form, which can help people deal with scars or remind them of a motto they want to live by, be sinful?” The discussion went on for about two hours and ended with the girl being convinced in Zohaib’s argument. Zohaib Amjad Butt, who runs a tattoo studio in Lahore DHA’s Y Block, recounts one such encounter: A girl accompanying a client once forced him into an argument about tattoo art being forbidden. The often heated discussion usually involves the tattoo artist offering multiple religious, philosophical and psychological rationalisations for getting a tattoo. Blood, sweat, tears and a whole lot of convincing… that’s what goes into making a tattoo in Pakistan.įor tattoo artists in Pakistan, the process of making tattoos does not begin with a needle, it begins with an argument.
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