Woman sets record in Mehendi application

Lawyer Mona Raju Vipani, Salem, has qualified to apply for a place in the pages of the Guinness Book of World Records for the ‘Longest Henna Art marathon’ . Photo: E. Lakshmi Narayanan

Mona Raju Vipani, a 39-year old woman lawyer from Salem, Tamil Nadu has created a record of sorts in the continuous application of mehendi , the traditional Indian decorative art, for 24 hours here on Sunday.

Thus, she has qualified to apply for a place in the pages of the Guinness Book of World Records for the ‘Longest Henna Art marathon’ and has bettered her own previous record of 12 hours and 229 hands, which facilitated her to enter into the ‘Limca Book of Records’.

Mona, wife of Sameer Raju, also a lawyer hailing from Gujarat, has been a leading

mehendi artiste in the city. She began her marathon effort at 6 p.m. on Saturday and ended it at 6 p.m. on Sunday taking just a 30 minute break between 10.30 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Sunday.

The feat conducted as per the guidelines of the publishers of the Guinness Book of World Records had judicial officers, government officials, noted personalities as jurists and referees on the panel.

She drew intricate designs with exquisite creativity of exotic natural scenes, dancing peacocks, colourful flowers and other art forms on the palms and hands of 121 hands and palm of women during her 24 hour marathon attempt.

Mona told

The Hindu after applying mehendi on the last pair of hands of the lady mayor J. Rekha Priyadarshini that she had prepared herself for this tough task for the past three months. She would send supportive materials and evidence to the Guinness World Records Limited in London soon. The event was organised by the Salem Gujarati Samaj.