Henna-aah - Nature's own body-art ingredient
Deepika Lal holds a cone made of plastic bag, filled with henna paste. Grasping it with artistic perfection, she uses subtle, meticulous strokes to draw out lines on the palm, converging to create an intricate design. The process, to the bystander, looks more like putting icing on a cake, but Lal is practising the ancient Indian and Middle Eastern art of applying 'Mehndi' (the name for Henna), which, over the years, has become a fashion statement as well as a mystic Eastern charm. Even after centuries, the rudiments and fundamentals of this art of adornment are based on the skill-set, imagination and creativity of the person applying henna. "The designs are nature-inspired and, most times, not predetermined," says Priya Anaokar, a veteran in the art of mehndi. "They (design elements) have evolved over the years, but certain elements have never changed." Traditionally, preparing the henna was a multi-pronged, labour-intensive process, taking s...