This special feature is about Get D'signed, a place for people who are looking out to organizing mehandi events on their special occasions. Sneha Jain from Chennai spoke to The Shopzters on her journey as a young mehandi artist.
Mehandi has been my hobby since childhood. I later started to learn from a lot of designing books and tried patterns on my hands. My mother was always there to encourage me by allowing me to practice the art of mehandi on her hands!
In no time, it became a profession. When I was in college, my friends and I kept a stall for the MOP bazaar, which was a big hit. Soon, people started recognizing me and orders started pouring in. Teachers, my seniors and of course my friends and cousins, all of them used to get the mehandi done through me for their special occasions!
With Mom's support, I started taking it seriously and it was a routine affair for me to put up stalls in colleges and exhibitions. My articles, published in Tamil magazines like Kumudham & Puthiya Thalaimurai encouraged me to try innovative designs.
These days, every wedding includes a grand mehandi ceremony for the bride and as well as the guests! Generally, there are two types of mehandi Bombay & Arabic! Bombay design is something that is very intricate, usually with mango and peacock motifs. Arabic designs are simple yet elegant with flowers, leaves and other motifs!
The present day brides prefer unique designs. Indo Arabic, Designer and Persian mehandi are the recent trends. Not just that, the traditional Chakra Design or the Kuppi is back again! I use pure mehandi from Sojat (the place in Rajasthan, where mehandi leaves are grown). I mix pure eucalyptus oil and some clove oil (only for those who complain that they don't get a good colour). I make the paste and use it on the same day! I do not use any chemicals for the mehandi so that they don't harm the skin in any way! I have design books with over 1000+ design to choose from and finally you can have a wonderful design in your hand that you can be proud of!
