With the holy month of Ramzan coming to an end and Id-ul-Fitr just around the corner, there’s never been a greater demand for mehndi artists in the city.
“Mehendi is considered to be pavitra, or pure. The community elders say that it glorifies a woman. The demand for mehndi during Id is unmatched by any other festival. Regardless of age, every woman applies mehndi to deck herself up for the celebrations,” says Noorjahan, the owner of a designer mehendi shop. The popular form of body art is a tradition almost synonymous with the festival itself.
“After fasting for a month, we celebrate Id with pomp and gaiety. We like dressing up and decorating ourselves. So why would we want our hands to remain empty? There are traditional reasons for applying mehndi too,” says Syed Sumera Abdul Sattar, a housewife.
Gone are the days of harvesting your own mehendi leaves and grinding them to a paste at home. Today, myriad varieties are available in readymade cones in the Old City area.
“It is hard for city-dwellers to find natural mehendi, prepare it, and apply it in the traditional manner. People prefer modern methods which allow them to choose the designs they like,” Sumera adds.
Most choose to have their palms adorned by professionals, to complement their impeccable outfits for the occasion.
“We have a heavy flow of customers for Id, especially on the last two days of Ramzan. We organise a two-day camp at a school in Abids, which goes on from 6 pm to 6 am, or later. We get about 200 customers each day, and we charge about '800 to apply mehndi on both hands. If a customer wants a more intricate design, the rate is higher. Just like clothing, mehndi trends keep changing, and we need to keep up with them. My ten-member team does its best to satisfy customers’ demands,” Noorjahan says.
