Mehndi lagaake rakhna…..
Sameera’s red-stoned chandeliers twinkle as she
talks and her bangles jingle. She blushes as her friends whisper innuendo
jokes. She is in her final touch ups for her mehndi function. The bridegroom’s sisters
have arrived to apply the mehndi on her hands. They bring dress and ornaments
for Sameera. Girls make the function lively singing ‘mehndi songs’. Looking at
her beautifully designed hands, Sameera begins to dream of a new life…
Mehndi…a word, weaving bliss and hopes, evokes
images of happy weddings and colourful festivals.
An auspicious and traditional wedding ritual, mehndi
has many legends behind it. It is believed that the darker and brighter the mehndi
gets in the bride’s hands, the more she would be loved by her in-laws, and that
a bride should not do any domestic chores in her spouse’s house till her mehndi
fades away.
In North India, there are no festivals or
weddings without the colour of mehndi. They put mehndi during festivals like
Eid, Karvachoth and Diwali. The mehndi ceremony on the eve of the wedding day
is celebrated with much gusto. The youngsters sing and dance and make the event
unforgettable. We see many ‘mehndi ki raath’ and mehndi songs in Hindi movies.
The popular song ‘Mehndi lagaake rakhna’ from Dilwale Dulhaniya Lejayenge shows their passion for mehndi
ceremonies.
Mehndi is prepared by the leaves of a plant
called ‘henna’ which is derived from the Arabic word ‘hinna’. Historians say
that the Mughals introduced mehndi in the country, while some others insist
that the origin of mehndi is India itself. Mehndi applying is popular also in
South Asia, Middle East and Africa.
Mehndi designing is truly a form of art. The
most popular designs are of Arabic, Indian and Pakistani. Over the years, many improvisations
have come into the designs. Anila Joseph, a renowned beautician in Trivandrum, says:
“We do mostly Arabic and North Indian designs for brides. Nowadays girls demand
instant mehndi which fades off in a day, especially for receptions and parties.
Glitters are also used for better effect.”
“But Muslim brides are conservative. They still cling
on to the traditional designs. They need the conventional patterns,” she adds.
Among the fashion-conscious youngsters, mehndi,
apart from a traditional ritual, has become a body art or a fashion accessory.
Now it’s not just palms and feet that are embellished with mehndi but also
neck, arms, shoulders and belly.
Glittering mehndi is quite popular with the
young generation these days. The traditional designs are highlighted with gold
and silver colours which give a glistening effect to the designs.
John of Variety Fancy, a leading fancy shop in
city, says, “Glittering mehndi is also in vogue now. According to the colour of
the dress, silver and gold glitters or jerries are used to fill the minute gaps
within the designs.”
Though there are several methods of applying mehndi,
the most popular one is by using cones. These are convenient to use and are
less expensive also.
Anna Najim, a fresh engineering graduate and an
amateur mehndi artist, describes herself as an ardent user of cones. “We
friends used to go college with beautiful mehndi designs on our hands. Though
there are many types of designs, I love the Arabic pattern,” she says. “I think
the cones are the easiest way to draw mehndi designs. Its well-honed tip makes
it easy to do minute designs.”
Mariyam S Hameed, a bank employee from Kollam
who is recently married says: “I chose Rajasthani design for my mehndi as I’m
fond of that particular design and I preferred natural brown to the dark mehndi which is a trend now.”
Usha
Philip Koshy of Eves Beauty Parlour, one of the popular beauticians in Trivandrum,
says: “Nowadays brides prefer fully covered designs, but earlier most of them
were hesitant to do this, because most part
of the designs would hardly be shown
under the bangles. But now the trend has come back. Arabic mehndi has also
become a trend recently. But more than the brides, her friends and relatives are
applying this design for the ceremony.”
Saying that glitters are used for an exotic
look, she adds: “ We use imported cones for bridal mehndi to make the designs
brighter. Dark mehndi is also available in market now. It would look better
if the designs are bordered with the
dark mehndi.”
“Applying mehndi is not an easy job. Normally it
takes 3 to 4 hours to finish the bridal mehndi. We charge from Rs 1000 to Rs
3,500 depending on the design,” adds Usha.
Mehndi cones are one of the best moving products. John of
‘Variety Fancy’ says, “ Mehndi cones are moving well. Stick-on mehndi
which is very convenient and reusable is also popular now. You don’t have to
waste time on designing when the stick-on mehndi is around. Just stick on and
remove after the use. The stick-on mehndi or the tattoo mehndi is mostly
imported from Jaipur and Kolkatha. We make bridal and normal cones in our own
factory. Different colours of cones are available these days. The dark and the
natural brick colour are going well.”
Many improvisations
may have come into the mehndi designs, colours and types as time and generation
change, but mehndi, as an auspicious icon remains the same in hearts.
Let the chandeliers twinkle and the bangles
jingle along with the designs blooming in hands…
Brides….mehndi lagaake rakhna….
(Vibrant Keralam)
