A stamp of love: Tattoos say it all

Move over Saif and Hrithik! Lucknow youngsters are now getting names of their beloveds inked to proclaim their love

Bitten by the love bug, but don't know how to proclaim it? Looking for a way to shout out your undying love for your partner to the world? Ask Lucknow youngsters, and they will tell you that the way to everlasting love is via an everlasting tattoo. When Saif Ali Khan tattooed 'Kareena' on his forearm, we thought he'd lost it, but then, Hrithik Roshan did the same. Now toh, Sanjay Dutt's wife has also tattooed 'Sanjay' on her ring finger. Trend toh banta hai na? And where there's a trend, can Lucknow be far behind? And so, aaj kal, many lovelorn youths of the city find themselves in a tattoo parlour, immortalizing their love with a splash of ink. Seen as the ultimate show of affection, the love-smitten young population of the city has no qualms in going that extra mile to get a permanent stamp on their relationship.

Says Shruti Singh, a 21-year old arts student, "I'm very possessive about my boyfriend. I want him to get my name tattooed so that everybody knows that he belongs to me." And Shruti's boyfriend is more than willing to give in to her wish as he believes that it would make her feel "more secure" about him.

Clinical psychologist Dr Shweta Tandon feels that such a trend has got more to do with one's own feelings of insecurity than the partner's. "Getting a partner's name tattooed gives the person a false feeling of security. They feel that since they've got their partner's name tattooed, he/she is going to stay with him/her forever. It's got more to do with overcoming their personal feelings of insecurity. Youngsters today fail to realise that there are more important things like mutual trust and care that sustain a relationship," she says, adding, "Peer pressure is also a major cause behind such a trend. With so many people doing it today, youngsters feel compelled to follow the trend."

Inked, my love!
Samar Khanna*, a 22-year old law student took to tattoos to proclaim his love for his now ex-girlfriend. "I was 17 when I got the tattoo done for my then girlfriend. I got the first alphabet of her name tattooed on the nape of my neck. That time, it wasn't so much a trend, so she was completely taken aback. Now that I have broken up with her, I've got the tattoo reworked upon," says Samar.

While Samar wasn't shy to sport his love tattoo, Shikhar Arora* chose to be more discreet. "I was in love with this girl during my engineering days. We were in a long-distance relationship and things were pretty unstable between us. To show my commitment towards her, I got her name tattooed on my thigh. That was because the tattoo was extremely personal and just for her. I did not want to show it around to the world," says Shikhar, a 23-year old management student.

Rashi Kapoor*, a marketing executive, got her tattoo done to surprise her fiance. "Guys do not expect girls to be so forthcoming in showing their love for their partners. Moreover, they feel that girls very easily ditch their partners. So, to prove to my fiance that I'm completely committed to him, I got his name tattooed on my lower waist on his birthday. It was a surprise for him," says Rashi.

Artistes' speak
Tattoo artistes in the city confirm the trend. "We do about 100-150 tattoos per month, out of which 50% are love tattoos. Typically, youngsters between the age group of 16-25 years are the ones who follow this trend. They get tattoos done that cost anywhere between `1500 to `6000," says Sana Khan, owner of T4 Tattoos, a tattoo parlour in the city.
Tattoo artiste at Replay, Mudit Mohan, adds, "Lately, we have seen a huge spurt in the number ofcouples coming together to get each other's names tattooed. I do about 30 such tattoos in a month. The most common designs are ambigrams. The name is flipped and entwined in a design, so that makes it difficult to read. So, all those who want to get the names tattooed but are afraid of societal pressure, opt for such designs. Also, writing the names in Urdu is a very common trend. Most of these youngsters choose to get their tattoos on their wrists, just like Priyanka Chopra and Hrithik Roshan."

Parents say
While the youngsters may be all up for it, parents are not very appreciative of this trend. "I have nothing against tattoos in general, but getting your girlfriend or boyfriend's name tattooed is extending it too far. These days, 99.9% relationships of youngsters are not serious. So, I don't see the point in getting stuck with a mark of your current relationship that will stay with you for life," says Vikram Maniktala, father of a 19-year old boy.