Do you what is irezumi?

Irezumi means 'tattoo' in Japanese.

Tattoo is associated with various interesting meanings for different people.

If I am given some pictures of tattoos, I might not infer anything out of it.
But not to Meghan Sovell, who was extremely anxious about her mother's health. She took a friend's advice and inked the Arabic equivalent of the word 'courage', near her abdomen.

When her mother recovered from illness, Meghan got a dragon inscribed on her leg. To her, the beast represents might and toughness of spirit. She says she derives strength from these permanent tattoos.

What a belief!

Naveen, who runs a tattoo studio on College Road in my home town Madras, says different kinds of people go in for tattoos for a variety of reasons. Tattooing might still be symbols of power and rebellion, but it is also a popular way to express love and affection.

Take the case of Katryna Beaupre, whose tattoo is a memorial to her father. It's on her back and reads, ‘Gerry, a mon pere adore’ (Gerry my father, I adore you).

When Czech born Jeanette Denkerova, came to Madras, India to pay a visit to Bala Gurukulam, she wanted to adopt a male baby named Subash. But due to legal complication, she could not fulfill her desire.

She says it was in India "I found true love." Subash, the baby boy, who was rescued from a dust bin, has made all the difference to her life and she wanted to let the world know. So, she got Naveen to translate her thoughts into lines in Tamil and inscribe them on her back. In the 'love note', she calls herself Subash's mother and a sister to all the other orphaned children housed at Bala Gurukulam.

Even if she can't become Subash's mother in the legal sense, she is a mother to Subash already. Those lines in Tamil are a permanent reminder of the fact. "I'll never remove this tattoo. This love is different from what you might feel for a boyfriend or a husband. Like the tattoo, it will stay permanent."


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News source: ‘The Hindu’