Tuesday, November 24, 2020

What's a Henna Artist?

  

When someone asked me last week, "What exactly is a henna artist?", I realized I'd missed an opportunity to make last week's book review even longer. 😉

So here's a short tutorial by someone, myself, who had to look up some of the details about henna art in order to share them here.

  

Of course, there's a plethora of online information about henna art (thanks Google!) so let's start with what it is:

Henna designs are a type of body art that often resemble tattoos, but are not applied in the same way and are not permanent. Henna art, called mehndi in India, is the application of designs on parts of the body by a person called a henna artist using a paste made up of ground henna root paste (often sold as a prepared henna powder) mixed with a liquid of some kind - water, tea, lemon juice etc. The design is applied using a piping bag and tip and other instruments, such wooden sticks to get the desired effect. The paste is left to dry; the longer it stays on the body, the darker the design. Application of henna on frequently washed areas, such as hands, will not last as long as other parts, but generally, the design only lasts about 2 to 3 weeks. 

  

Henna art is popular on the Indian subcontinent and is also common in Arab culture where the designs can be quite different, although, of course, a henna artist is usually willing to give whatever effect is desired. And does it really need to be said that henna art is not bounded by geography? Wherever people have immigrated to, there you will also find henna art. 

My understanding is that henna art is especially desirable for social occasions such as engagements, weddings, birthdays as well as for cultural and religious holidays. 


I hope you're as impressed with the skill of henna artists as I am.

Most of the information above and some of the photos were gleaned from this website:
Authority Tattoowhere even more details may be found.



Tuesday, November 17, 2020

The Henna Artist

 


The Henna Artist
Alka Joshi

I was eagerly looking forward to reading The Henna Artist and it didn't disappoint. 

Set in 1950's India the story follows the main character, Lakshmi through the ups and downs of her life. Here's the blurb from Goodreads:

Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950's city of Jaipur. There she becomes the most highly requested henna artist - and confidant - to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own...

Know for her original designs and sage advice, Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her reputation and her livelihood. As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when she is confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down these many years later with a high-spirited young girl in tow - a sister Lakshmi never knew she had. Suddenly the caution that she has carefully cultivated as protection is threatened. Still she perseveres, applying her talents and lifting up those that surround her as she does. 

In the front of the book there is a dismayingly long list of characters, but it turns out the characters are easy to sort out without paging back and forth too often. In the back of the book there is a useful glossary which I turned to more often.

The many themes through the book - cultural differences, including the caste system, the end of the British raj and the beginning of self-rule for India, the role of mothers and mothers-in-law in families, the differences between western and eastern medicine, abusive relationships, teenage troubles to name a few provide plenty of fodder for book club discussions. 

I highly recommend The Henna Artist.



Tuesday, November 3, 2020

How to Weigh Yourself

Ok, after all that pie and Halloween candy, it's time for a weigh-in before the Christmas goodies hit us. ;)