Shaukat,
a mehendi walla, has been sitting on a stool, on
the pavement of the Greater Kailash market
for five years. He sits here everyday and applies
mehendi to his customers.
Mehendi is a symbol of happiness. As Shaukat remarks,
"Any girl passing by invariably applies
mehendi to our place. It's our family tradition.
My grandfather and dad were mehendi wallas too.
I started learning this art of mehendi applying
since the age of ten.
He was quick to dismiss that there can be only
be a few good designs. "I can apply various
types of mehendi - from Arabic to Mumbai style."
Sitting
on the pavement on a stool, the only thing he had
was a small bag which contained plastic cones, mehendi
powder and other ingredients required for mehendi.
Every passerby stops and admires at the way he puts
mehendi. Rasna, a little girl, says,
"I love mehendi. Specially the smell of
it. I cannot resist it." She settled on
the stool besides him and told him, "Bhayia
koi bhadiya sa design laganaa. Ek haath mein yeh
hari walli lagana aur ek haath mein Bombay style"(
Apply some good design. Put the normal green one
on one palm and the Bombay style on the other.)
Within
five minutes he completed the job with a beautiful
design. While he put mehendi a crowd stood
there and waited for their turn. As Meenakshi,
one of the onlookers, said, "He is the best
in south Delhi. He really applies good designs,
and the quality of mehendi is very good. I come
here often to apply mehendi."
"During the festival season and especially
during Karva Chauth there is a mad rush. Once I
had to wait for five hours for my turn," says
Neera Sharma.
Shaukat says, "Sometimes the crowd is so
much that I hardly get time to eat."
Despite his popularity, his charges are very reasonable.
It is Rs. 50 for both palms.
- Avni Sood
9:29:09 PM 
