Some people say tattoos are like potato chips – you can’t have just one. People believe that tattoos are a way to express themselves and this could be the reason that they are a huge part of popular culture these days.
Tejaswi Prabhulkar, a 21-year-old Mumbaikar, is one such lover of tattoos who has gotten herself inked multiple times. She has undergone the needle 103 times and has registered her name in the Limca Book of Records as the most tattooed woman in India.
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In a recent interview, Tejaswi opened up about her tattoos and her struggle of being an Indian girl with so many tattoos. On being asked about her first tattoo, Tejaswi said, ‘I was 17 when I started getting tattoos and my first tattoo was my name. The reason was that people used to pronounce my name wrong most of the time, calling me Tejasvini or Tejashree.’ She has plans for getting more tattoos and ‘has kept half my body empty for them’.
Now a tattoo artist, Tejasvi shared, ‘I thought why not turn my passion into a profession. I thus enrolled for my course as a tattoo artist which intensified my love for tattoos even more. The same inspired me to chase the record for which I covered 78 tattoos in the span of one month.’
But the tattoos came at a price – she was almost disowned by her parents, her family and friends thought she had gone mad and people judged her on a daily basis. She feels people always stared at her whenever she went outdoors in sleeveless clothes or shorts.
Reaction of people on her tattoos? She said that a woman once told her, ‘even while getting henna done, I feel like it’s a big commitment as it would last for the coming week or so. How can you take these permanent decisions at such a young age?’ Another common response is the question that who will marry her.
Tejasvi finds such kind of unsolicited opinions and labeling highly sexist and uncalled for. Society still thinks that a girl with a tattoo is not a ‘sanskari’ girl and she wants to change that myth. She says,’ I want those people to know my looks don’t define my character- I can cook, do household chores and wear traditional clothes. Just because I am 21 it doesn’t mean I can’t make permanent decisions in life. Everyone’s journey is different- some people go through major experiences early on in life. So no one should be defined by their age, gender or looks.’
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