Mad About Mendhi

I love mendhi (or henna), at least the way professional mendhi artist Deepali adorned our hands with it at last night's pre-wedding party. While the ceremonial designs looked best when the greenish black ink was first applied -- and then expertly accented with flourescent glitter, as a modern touch -- this ancient art reveals itself in the ornate patterns that endure on the flesh for days, sometimes weeks, in a deep orange hue.

Deepali, a self-taught 15-year veteran, estimated decorating 20 to 25 hands during her 2-hour shift. Her smooth and skilled control of the "cone" - a fine-tipped triangular tube filled with henna paste -- not only awed each woman receiving the treatment; she also drew a captivated audience who gawked in hushed silence and snapped photos without flash so as not to disrupt the artist's concentration.

Afterwards, we stood around in statuesque poses, holding our arms like opera-singers as we shrugged our shoulders to upbeat Indian music. As my mind wanders back to the question, "Do I like these temporary tattoos enough to make 'em permanent?" Hmmm...