KETAN VAIDYA
After being inspired by Miami Ink, Vaidya decided to take up tattooing, and has been doing it for 11 years now. Vaidya co-owns the Tat2Me tattoo parlour in Mumbai, and mostly does styles like oriental, Japanese, portraits and American old school.
What is the biggest tattoo trend you’re seeing right now?
While small tattoos were always a thing, big tattoos were not something we saw a lot of people doing. That’s changed completely now. I get a lot of people asking me to do an entire sleeve or the whole back.
What do tattoos mean to you?
For me, tattoos are powerful and even magical, when it comes to the stories behind them. I believe tattooing is a journey where the artist and the client create art by recreating memories that stay with you forever.
What is the most emotionally-charged piece you’ve done?
The most emotional piece I ever worked on was the time I tattooed my mother in 2013. I have never been that nervous while tattooing. She trusted me completely, and let me tattoo a hibiscus flower on her forearm.
What is your most bizarre tattooing experience?
My most bizarre experiences almost always come from when I have to tattoo butts. I would love to tattoo Shunga-inspired tattoos, which are highly explicit Japanese erotic art, which could fall under the bizarre category for some people.
ERIC JASON D’SOUZA
Eric Jason D’Souza gave up his job at a travel agency and pursued tattooing. After mastering the skill, thanks to his apprenticeships, D’Souza started Iron Buzz Tattoos, along with his partner Aishin Diana Chang.
What is the biggest tattoo trend you’re seeing right now?
Trends don’t really matter because people still want to get script/name and tribal/Maori tattoos in 2020. But something that definitely tops the list is getting mythological gods and goddesses. It’s just something that will never get old or outdated.
What do tattoos mean to you?
I believe tattoos are a physical impression of your consciousness. The things you like, the stories that leave a mark, memories and sorrows that have made you or broken you, etc.
What is the most emotionally-charged piece you’ve done?
One day, a girl walked in and opened a zip lock bag and spread a cluster of festival bands, some beads, a rosary, and a few other wristbands. She told me that she lost her brother in an accident, and this is what he was wearing during the time, and she wants them tattooed on her. I’ll always be grateful to her for letting me do that tattoo.
What is your most bizarre tattooing experience?
Honestly, I don’t think anything is bizarre. The more bizarre the tattoo idea is, the bigger the challenge that person poses in front of you as an artist. I have had requests to tattoo the groin area by both men and women, and by people of other genders too, but I never saw them as weird.
ZAHEER CHHATRIWALA
Zaheer Chhatriwala started tattooing at 18. He would head to Kraayonz tattoo parlour in Mumbai to sharpen his skills after college. Once he graduated, he opened his own tattoo studio in Mumbai.
What do tattoos mean to you?
Tattoos are a bolder visual form of self expression. It is a statement, not a style. It is commitment, it is a culture that has subcultures and a deep history attached to it.
What is the most emotionally-charged piece you’ve done?
People sometimes wish to express grief, failure, personal struggles, etc. I understand that it is my job to deliver something that captures what they feel. But one moment that is special, is the time I tattooed my grandmother and mother. To me, it meant that they finally accepted and were proud of me as a tattoo artist.
What is your most bizarre tattooing experience?
I’ve done a portrait of an ex-girlfriend, Miley Cyrus lyrics, Shiva riding a Royal Enfield, visions of acid trips, and insects crawling on the butt, to name a few.
RISHABH NARANG
Rishabh Narang started his tattooing career in 2009. Even though he had an engineering degree, he wanted to pursue tattooing. After his apprenticeship, he opened his own tattoo studio, Immoral Tattoos.
What do tattoos mean to you?
I think tattooing brings people together. We’re a tribe. Unknowingly or knowingly, we are actually building our own community.
What is the most emotionally-charged piece you’ve done?
I can’t name just a single piece. Several clients have come to me with such deep and beautiful backstories behind their idea, it’s hard to just pick one.
What is your most bizarre tattooing experience?
If we’re talking about out of the norm, I am working on a bodysuit for a client that is interesting. It’s a single piece starting from his head to his toes. He gave me complete artistic freedom, and it’s all original and done freehand.
ANIRBAN ROY CHOWDHURY
Anirban Roy Chowdhury was home schooled in arts. He fell in love with tattoos as a form of art. He has been tattooing for eight years now, and setsup his own studio — Forever Poetry — in 2016.
What is the biggest tattoo trend you’re seeing right now?
Fortunately, the biggest trend now is getting custom tattoos. This pushes an artist to grow, and also contributes to the evolving form of tattoos as an art form. Clients now usually prefer getting something sketched exclusively for them.
What do tattoos mean to you?
For me, it symbolises journey and transformation. Tattoos make a memory, an emotion, or a train of thought, permanent. It’s about acknowledging what’s beautiful, and not losing it in the sea of time and new experiences.
What is the most emotionally-charged piece you’ve done?
A lot of my clients talk extensively, in order for me to encapsulate their feeling into the design. Not sure if it’s my place to share it publicly.
