Small amount of investment on stools and mehendi cones, fabulous imagination of dazzling designs and dexterity skills are all the mehendiwalas from Rajasthan, Delhi, Ahemedabad, and Agra need to find a place and do brisk business in various commercial areas of the city. These men take girls and women by surprise with their effortless application of designs on the palm within a few minutes.
They have a variety of designs to offer to their clients such as ethnic, Arabic, Bombay, and South Indian. Pots and peacocks form the main feature of ethnic design.
Floral patterns are the characteristic of Arabic type and dots and circles make the South Indian design. Bombay designs are similar to Arabic ones.
Raj and Lokesh, both mehendiwalas of Second Avenue, Anna Nagar (near Adyar Ananda Bhavan), do wonders in a jiffy at affordable rates. They take up appointments through beauty salons also.
For bridal, they charge Rs.1,000, black mehendi costs Rs. 150, gold and silver designs at Rs. 100. They say that on an average they receive about two to five clients during weekdays and a maximum of 12 during the weekends.
Naresh, who has a shop opposite to Kumaran Silks, Nageswaram Road, Panagal Park, T. Nagar, says that he charges very minimal for children.
He also takes up appointments through phone (99624 78553) and visits houses for marriage and other functions.
Mehendiwalas are also found in areas such as Purasawalkam (near Saravana Stores) and in Mylapore (near Kapaleeshwarar Temple Tank).
