Mittal has been in the business for a little over two decades now. Young and not blessed with the opportunities and education that girls these days get, she looked to use her minimum skills to carve a path through the financially constricted times. It was not that she was trained to be a henna artist, but with the support and encouragement from her mother, she pushed herself to enhance the skills she had and hoped that she would learn the rest on the job.
"I didn't know a lot about the art of mehendi when I first started out. In fact, I barely knew what I was doing," she says. She got a lot of criticisms from people who complained that her designs were not really that good, as her customers were used to wearing complicated designs. It got her at times. "I did my best to keep my emotions at bay," she says. With no place to turn back to, she was then forced to concentrate, instead, on sharpening her skills.
Once she had settled into the profession, it seemed as if the bright color of mehendi had filled her life with hope and reassurance. It only took her a few years to master the art. Now, Sushila is sought throughout the year during various occasions. Her fame has even taken her to the quarters of the rich and famous, and she is proud of her achievements.
No one, it seems, has benefited more from the Indian soap opera craze than Sushila. The trituals that were shown to be celebrated with much aplomb in the various serials increased the trend of applying henna before marriage. She was already providing service to women from the Marwadi and Indian communities, as applying henna is considered to bring luck and prosperity, when even Nepalis brides started seeking her service.
In the Marwadi and Indian communities, henna serves the purpose of coloring the bride's nails as it is believed that the bride's nails should be painted red. Hence, the mothers and mother-in-law of the bride ensured that her hands, and even her feet, would be colorful, so as to maintain the culture and goodwill of the two families.
Over the years, Sushila has noticed quite a few changes in the mehendi culture. While cell phones and smart phones have helped her expand her business, they have their own setbacks as well. "Before, they had to be entirely reliant on the artists and the designs and art depended on their skill and knowledge. But it's quite different now. There are many sources like Facebook and other online forums, from where people get different designs from, and we are expected to follow them," she says.
Having spent two decades learning, and mastering this art, she has accumulated a priceless knowledge, and feels that an artist should be allowed to explore her skills and talents rather than following a random, albeit beautiful, design from the internet. And she gives good logic for that, too. "It takes too much of time when I'm trying to copy the design from the pictures which slows the process and puts extra strain in the eyes," she says.
As Sushila is exposed to henna most of the time, she frequently has bad headaches because of the strong smell. Applying henna also takes a lot of time and concentration, putting a lot of pressure on the eyes. She also has to compromise with her sitting positions for hours at a stretch as even the slightest of movements can affect the design. This has had quite a few ramifications on her health. But she brushes this off just as an occupational hazard.
She is willing to keep on continuing despite all this, because she believes her work gives her a sense of freedom that she wouldn't get otherwise. "I have been so used to leaving early and staying out till late that at times when I don't have any work, staying at home becomes really difficult for me. I become restless and wait for the mehendi season to start again," she says, laughing. It isn't only the habit, however. Sushila is of the belief that women are better off working, as it makes them independent and able to manage all their expenses on their own. "That is the best thing about my work," she says.
For all these years she has held on to the mehendi cone as her main support system. And why not? "My hands may falter when I'm holding pens while writing, but that's never the case while tracing delicate patterns with mehendi. To be honest, I write better with my cones than any pen," she says.
With two sons who are in their twenties, she expects to marry them off soon. People who know her suspect that she will force her daughters-in-law to learn this art, too, but she shrugs off such allegations. Her plans, instead, are to listen to her doctor who is suggesting early retirement, and enjoy time with her family.
But as of now, with the wedding season just around the corner, she is all set to keep her dates with the brides and their female relatives and transform their hands into little works of art.
sachimulmi@gmail.com
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