Dazzling henna art

By Fathima Riznaz Hafi

The application of henna (mehendhi), back in the day, simply involved outlining a big circle in the centre of the palm, filling it and then surrounding it with little dots all over; and of course the finger tips and nails would be capped  – a rare and practically forgotten sight these days. 

Trends have evolved and that big circle applied by our mothers and grandmothers has been replaced with the most intricate of designs applied by a new generation of henna artists who have learnt and conquered the new art form and turned it into a successful income-generating source.

The Weekend FT met one such henna artist in Mount Lavinia recently. Young, bright and bubbly Zainab Sultan applies henna in a swift, smooth flowing motion which is so artistic, watching her in action left us mesmerised. Observing the design unfold was like observing an artist work on his masterpiece. She applied it with such precision, her flow was seamless, concentration was intact and creative designs were fascinating. We wondered how she could apply such a complex pattern, free-hand and with no sample paper nearby to refer to, so fast and flawlessly. “It just comes with practice – I’ve been doing this since I was 12!” she said. 

“As a kid I found it to be so much fun and since I didn’t know much at that age I looked at pictures from other artists and tried them out; my hands soon got used to it and at 17 my hobby turned into a business and I named it ‘A.R’s Mehendhi Boutique’. Since then I have done many bridals and participated in many exhibitions and stalls.” 

Besides weddings she gets requests for festivals as well, especially the Ramazan festival while some customers just call her when they want their hands beautified – for no particular event. “Some people are real henna lovers. They’re crazy about it and sometimes want me to apply it like it’s for a bride but that’s fine as it takes very little time for me now,” she said.

Designs for all

Now that she has become quite the expert, she doesn’t need to refer to any samples – she just starts applying the design and decides on how to develop the full picture as she goes. However if customers request a particular pattern, she applies accordingly. 

“I normally explain what the design is, the name, etc., and they get inquisitive; they ask me about the designs and what would suit them. For small-made people the Indian design is really nice as it’s filled and is like a carpet spread! For others, the Arabian design would be better because it has more shading. The real Arabian design has only flowers and leaves but Sri Lankans love mango so they just connect the design with mangoes. 

“Before I start with my cone I ask them what they want; if they tell me ‘I want a filled one’, I tell them that’s ‘Indian’ and sometimes they say ‘I don’t want that much filling’ then I tell them that’s ‘Indo-Arabian’. Indo-Arabian means there’s a lot of space here and there and a little shading with a classical Indian style. Then with the ‘Pakistan’ style there will be a big ‘mandala’ or the fingers will be filled with a bracelet-like pattern.

“Some customers are very fashionable so they want the henna to look like some sort of anklet or chain. Some really want tattoos but their parents don’t allow it so they ask me to apply henna to look like a tattoo but of course it goes off soon.”

The colour appears darker on some hands than others depending on the body heat of a person; when the body is hot it will react to henna giving a beautiful, darker colour. The sad part is that henna eventually fades off after a week or so – faster if you do a lot of work that involves water such as washing clothes and dishes. She adds that it’s not a problem for brides as they don’t do any work. 

When asked how long it takes to apply these designs, again she said it depends on the customer. “You have to sit and concentrate; if you shake here and there I have to erase, erase and erase and re-do – it’s a mess! When you sit still it’s very easy for me and I can do it fast,” she explained.

Home-visits

She makes home-visits but only for groups; therefore she suggests if there’s a function of some sort, that friends or relatives gather in one place and she would make the visit, with the travelling costs covered by the customers.

“I’ve travelled a lot; it’s really nice especially if it’s a long journey. I’ve learnt so many places; the nicest was Piliyandala – I had to go very far in and before this I didn’t know what Piliyandala was. I’ve also learnt about a lot of people; they start telling their own stories – like how their wedding came to be. Most people say I’m very friendly and I’m happy about that because I’m normally a person who talks a lot,” she said.

Henna home décor

In addition to applying mehendhi on people, Zainab uses those patterns on home décor, working on candles, lanterns, jewellery boxes, frames, pots, jars and other ornaments with glitter, also trying her hands on cookies, cakes, mugs and tea sets. They are embossed and give out an appealing look. She makes these as gifts too, for Teacher’s Day and other occasions.

She also plays a part in wedding planning wherein she uses henna designs to decorate the items in the bridal suite to match the theme. “I don’t decorate the room – just the ornaments; for example if it’s a candle and the theme is maroon and gold, the candle will be in maroon and I will do the henna design over the candle in gold.”

In case you’re wondering (as I did), she does not use actual henna paint but 3D glitter paint for that. “If I use actual henna it would just dry up and fall off,” she explained as I nodded sheepishly. “I only use the henna pattern and not the cone.”

Other services

The young henna artist conducts classes and again she visits homes if it’s a group. “At the end of the training if they plan to start a business I help them with that too. Sometimes I bring them along to stalls to get some experience on how to run one,” she said. 

Zainab also sells henna on pre-order basis. They are 100% natural, with no added chemicals – there’s no ammonia. These are the same ones she uses on her customers. 

Well we now know what to do when the next function comes along and we want a complete traditional look – we can present ourselves with colourful hands of ethnic art to complement our colourful ethnic attire. Zainab will assist in choosing the best henna pattern to suit not only the clothes and function but also the person. We watched her apply henna seamlessly in minutes and can vouch for her creativity and speed.

Pix by Shehan Gunasekara