Delhi Mehendi Artists - Diwali

As I rounded the corner onto Guru Gobindh Singh Marg I was surprised to see that Delhi's Malviya Nagar Market was completely filled with curbside Mehendi artists decorating ladies' hands for Diwali, which at this point was only a few days away. These are some quick video clips that I got with my Nokia 6233 cell phone. For the exact location see the YouTube map.

Mehendi art involves the application of a Henna paste to the hands, and often the feet as well. The paste is worn for about a day and then removed leaving the pattern on the skin in the dark red color of Henna dye. It lasts for weeks, sometimes longer. This is a popular custom for ladies when celebrating a variety of occasions such as weddings, festivals, and in this case, Diwali.
I would speculate that these artists would move en masse to different markets on different days of Navaratri—just a guess though. Enjoy the living artwork!

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• mehendi
• mehndi
• henna
• hands
• art
• diwali
• navaratri