Tryst with tattoos

"Earlier people wanted to get tattoos done because it was considered trendy, it was fashionable. Now it’s done because people think ‘it is something beautiful. It will look nice on me. I want it to be a part of me,’” observes Ben (Behrooz) Irani who, beginning April 2008 will be operating from his new tattoo studio, Illustrated Unlimited, on Bom­bay’s Ped­der Road.

Working with need­les he found "much more fascinating” than oil-on-canvas, says the chemical engineer. The inspiration for this new medium manifests as a blend of abstract art and engineering concepts. Manu­facturing pharmaceuticals for a German brand Leustoffwerks Private Limited is thus "a profession” for him while body art is "a passion,” he declares.

When he gets tired of engineering and his technical job, he turns to his art, which, he says, "keeps him sane.” But his profession helps him "to see things in a lot more detail. Thus I’m very meticulous about the tattoos I do,” says the perfectionist who was practicing this art in the US and continues to do so after settling in India six years ago.

At the age of 16 he dared to get his first tattoo done. "It was then that I became intrigued with the art itself,” he says, adding, "This fascination coupled with my artistic nature led me wanting to paint not on canvas but on bodies.”

Fortunately for him, a friend’s uncle owned a studio where he was able to train and learn the art. "The first year was not easy. It was just watching, cleaning and understanding the mindset of the client and the artist,” he recalls. "But the second and the third year were the best.” When he went on to college at Marilyn, US, he met Bob Gale who ran a popular studio called Capital Tattoos and learnt the ropes from him and other artists in the studio. He simultaneously pursued his studies, specializing in digital and fiber optics as also chemical engineering. The evenings would see him do his apprenticeship course under a tattoo artist when the only financial investment he was expected to make was to buy his own machine. "Learning under my mentor Bob Gale was really something,” says Irani giving him credit for "guiding me, helping me see my potential.” Observing other artists, their style, their values, their technique, helped Irani create his own.

The training he received in the US has helped him create certain professional standards for his body art. "Some of the things I’ve seen in tattoo parlors here are scary,” he says. "Even the basic hygiene procedures such as using autoclaves or some form of sterilization, antibacterial ointments and so on aren’t followed.” In some places in Goa, he adds, tattoo artists make simple mistakes such as doing them under the sun where the inks fade and never give the proper effect.

While a three-inch design may take him one hour to complete, covering an entire back may take different sessions over a month. "It depends on the client. I don’t like to rush. I care about a client’s comfort, safety,” he assures. Those who have never got a tattoo done may fear, "Oh my God, it’s going to hurt,” says Irani but that apprehension only lasts until their first experience. "It’s like waxing for the first time,” he explains.

Ben Irani (top) and specimens of his handiwork (alongside, far left) Cinestar Aftab Shivdasani with his tattoo featuring the religious symbols of Asho Farohar, Cross, Aum and the name of Allah

He has had people of all ages and all strata come to him including well-known figures like Aftab Shivdasani or Kim Sharma or Bunty Walia… "The most pleasurable thing is meeting so many different people. I’ve met everybody — from students to industrialists to big businessmen. I’ve met some pretty crazy people,” he laughs.

And the choice of their motifs, usually predetermined, can be as varied as a simple butterfly or religious symbols or… Members of the community too have sought him seeking Zoroastrian motifs as tattoos, he mentions. Irani does not have any visual preferences stating, "A true artist is supposed to appreciate everything for what it is.” Tattooing though continues to be "an art of uncontrollable excitement… Imagine having an arm that’s driven by pistons and levers or imagine three-dimensional angels or mythical figures,” the engineer-artist had conveyed in an earlier interview regretting that he doesn’t often get the chance to play around with concepts such as these because his customers come with specific ideas in mind. His own body carries an imprint of some of the most interesting people in his life. On his right arm and shoulder is a giant tattoo of the faces of his closest friends. "It’s a story; it’s the story of my life.”

The process being slow and time-consuming, tattoo charges can go upwards of Rs 1,500. It is not the lure of money that drives him though and as he would like to advise prospective artists: "Always remember you are not doing it just for the money but the passion for the art. See what the clients want …Help them to see something beautiful…”

Ben Irani can be contacted on tel: 23514958, mobile: 9820647880, e-mail: bbi_308@hotmail.com