JOYFUL HUES OF MEHENDI IN DELHI
We speak to women who go the extra mile to get the perfect mehendi designed on Karva Chauth
It’s Karva Chauth today, but women in Delhi-NCR are leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that they get the perfect mehendi design – perfect is the one that’s of their choice and at a cheaper price! And to achieve this feat, they ensured almost every possible way including taking off from offices to arranging drivers to getting mehendi applied two days prior.
‘EK HAZAAR TOH MERA HUSBAND PURE MAHINE KE NA DE’
Jaya Joshi, a businesswoman who was visiting the Hanuman Temple in Connaught Place on Tuesday, said, “I had come here with my mother to go to the temple after getting a visa, but when I found out ki kal se mehendi lagwane ka price ₹1,000 hoga ek haath ke liye toh mai to bas kursi pakad ke baith gayi idhar. Ek hazaar toh mera husband pure mahine ke na de… Since I didn’t plan to get mehendi applied today, I didn’t go for waxing, but nevermind uske price aise nahi badne wale kal tak.”
OFF FROM OFFICE, MEHENDI EXPEDITION ON
“I’m on a long leave, and my sister-in-law Prerna took an off from her office because we planned to do something big this time, and travelled all the way to Connaught Place to get henna applied on our hands,” says Asmita Sihag, a resident of Gurugram, who was spotted with mehendi on her hands.
BETTER BE TWO DAYS PRIOR
Those who didn’t want to wait in long queues got their hands henna tattooed two days in advance. “I know that a day before Karva Cahuth I’ll be robbed of all my money if I go to a mehendiwala... and waiting bahut hoti hai... So, I specially went to Lajpat Nagar’s Centre Market all the way from Model Town, two days before the festival to get mehendi on my hands. Not only did I pay just ₹250 rupees for regular mehendi on one palm, I also didn’t have to sit in long queues,” says Megha Dawar, an IT professional.
DESIGN MATTERS
Women travel great lengths to get the design by their favourite mehendiwalas. “I prefer my own designs, ki Insta bhi kar do... maine shortlist online kare,” says Kavita, who got henna on her hands at Model Town-2 Market. Sikander, a mehendi artist at Hanuman Temple, shows a figure design in his mobile and informs, “Hum apne design bhi banate hain aur log khud bhi design late hain... Jaise kisi ko figures pasand hai, koi husband ke naam ko banwate hain.”
BIG BUCKS
The Karva Chauth is a big day for the mehendiwalahs, too. With the demand rising up at such times, mehendiwalas at popular locations in the city earn anything around ₹60,000 to a lakh in just two days ahead of Karva Chauth. For instance, Deepti Kapoor, who holds mutliple diplomas, has been making good money for the past 16 years as a mehendi designer near Hanuman Temple. She says, “Meri mummy 30 saal se ye kaam kar rahi hain. I have done a lot of diplomas but enjoy applying mehendi. So for the last 16 years, mai yahi kar rahi hun!”