Mehandi is the art of apply-ing henna in intricate, lace-like designs on women’s hands and feet. Now that tattooing and other body parts are increasingly popular, Mehandi is beginning to gain wider recognition, and to be done outside South Asian ritual events and special occasions.

Living in New Jersey, Rashmi Jhaveri is an Indian Mehandi artist active in the greater Philadelphia area. Born in 1965, in Gujarat, India, Ms. Jhaveri learned to create Mehandi as a child by watching other women applying henna in preparation for weddings. By the time she was 15 or 16, she and her sisters were already learning this traditional art. Every Mehandi artist creates her own individual designs, but she must first learn the technique and it’s meaning in the wedding ceremony. Soon after their informal apprenticeship, Rashmi and her sisters were going to friends and neighbors’ houses to do Mehandi for the women of these households. Ms. Jhaveri continued to develop her knowledge, and over the years she has become a ritual specialist on matters related to Indian Hindu wedding ceremonies. She knows how the bride should dress (including subtle details that differ by region of India) and how her hair is braided with flowers. She also is skilled at painting a bride’s forehead with the traditional makeup: a delicate beaded line of red, white and gold that follows the line of the bride’s eyebrows, meeting at a bindi, or jewel, in the center of the forehead.

These are social, not solitary, arts. Three to four days prior to the wedding, women will often have a “Mehandi party” with members of their extended family and friends. The bride has her Mehandi done, usually covering her hands (from the tips of her fingers to just below the elbow) and her feet (from her toes to the mid-calf). Many of the other women attending will also have Mehandi done for the wedding, but it is usually a small design on the hand, not nearly as elaborate as the bride’s. “They want to show their joy for the bride, and this is a way to do that,” says Ms. Jhaveri.

In 1995, soon after marrying Biren Jhaveri, Rashmi joined her new husband in the United States. They settled in Edison, New Jersey, and now operate a jewelry store in nearby Iselin, selling jewelry imported from Biren’s family’s business in India. Selling the jewelry worn for weddings leads naturally into Ms. Jhaveri’s Mehandi work. Posted near the phone are photos of brides with whom she has worked. When customers see the photos, they immediately want her to do the Mehandi for their own weddings. Other business is generated by word of mouth. Since the Mehandi lasts for about a month, other women see it and ask about the artist. Word spreads, and Ms. Jhaveri is very well known.

Ms. Jhaveri has developed new designs, worked out in more than a hundred drawings. Light pencil on newsprint, the drawings are simple outlines of hands (including palm, wrist, and forearm) and feet (ankle to mid calf). The outlines are filled in with intricate designs relating to the natural world, like birds, leaves, and flowers. Ms. Jhaveri also uses some abstract, geometric patterns — for example, a checkered pattern interlocked with a reversed swastika. Associated with marriage, this pattern is often used in Mehandi designs. It can also be found in Hindu temples and in rangoli, decorative and ceremonial floor painting. Ms. Jhaveri uses many traditional motifs in her Mehandi, and some of the designs that are appropriate and popular for weddings have numerous ancient and symbolic associations: the peacock, musical instruments, coconuts (exchanged between the bride’s and groom’s families), and pictures of a bride and groom. Formerly, the bride was carried to the ceremony in a litter while the groom followed on horseback. Although this is seldom done today, both images continue to be used in Mehandi.

Each artist brings her own style to Mehandi so every design is unique. While most artists create their own Mehandi patterns, the art has become so popular that books of patterns are now available. Ms. Jhavari feels that copying a design is much harder than creating something as she works. She doesn’t even copy her own designs, using them chiefly as a source for ideas. Even when a customer asks Ms. Jhaveri to reproduce a Mehandi design from a book, she never copies a pattern exactly. More often, because of her reputation, her customers give her artistic freedom.

Other variations that affect Ms. Jhaveri’s Mehandi painting have to do with how Indian women cope with life in America. Occasionally, a bride will ask for partial Mehandi to avoid attention or potential problems at school or work. Ms. Jhaveri feels that while the back of the hand is painted for fashion’s sake, it is essential that the bride have Mehandi on her palms at least. In the wedding ceremony, the bride holds a leaf and betel nut in her open palm while the groom cups his hand over hers. It is important for the bride’s hand to be covered in Mehandi.

The tradition of Mehandi has varied widely over time and space. In small cities and towns in northern India, Ms. Jhaveri recalls that the men also have Mehandi done for their wedding. A much simpler form, it consists of five large dots on the palm (one large dot in the center surrounded by four smaller dots in each corner). The other traditional ceremony when women have Mehandi applied is Kadva Choth, an annual day on which women gather in temples to pray for their husbands’ health and prosperity. Here in the Philadelphia area, where temples are not always available, such gathering occur in people’s homes, and women have Mehandi applied the day before the ceremony. Nor is Mehandi used only for ceremonies these days. Indian women also use Mehandi for engagements, baby showers, and even simply for fashion’s sake.

In her business, Ms. Jhaveri often does Mehandi for secular purposes and on non-Indian women. In such instances she may change her design to better suit the customer, her reason for having it done, or other special circumstances. For instance, many of the motifs connected to marriage would be inappropriate to other occasions. Ms. Jhaveri also has pragmatic concerns to consider when she does Mehandi at festivals (and at the artists’ marketplace at the PFP Folk Art Auction). She creates designs specifically for these events, often without much Indian symbolism, “so that people can understand them better,” she says. In order to keep the price low and accommodate long lines of customers, Ms. Jhaveri preserves the quality of her designs, but simplifies them a little, using geometric shapes (circles, diamonds, and rectangles) that people can combine in multiple ways.

Ms. Jhaveri is aware of other changes in style, as well. She has been told that 50 years ago women had the whole hand dyed in solid henna color, without designs. She attributes some changes to the current availability of powdered henna, which makes a finer paste, in turn allowing more intricate designs.

Like many other Mehandi artists of her generation, Ms. Jhaveri brings henna powder from India. She mixes the henna with lemon juice and eucalyptus oil, allowing the mixture to stand overnight, or for 12 hours. Recipes vary. Some artists mix the powder with tea water instead of lemon juice, but Ms. Jhaveri feels the design does not last as long. She also makes the cones, similar to pastry tubes, with which she applies the henna. Whereas, women used to grind their own henna, now some women even buy henna pre-mixed in cones that look like toothpaste tubes. Technology has changed, but Mehandi remains a popular woman’s art form. During the Mehandi party, women talk with one another while Ms. Jhaveri creates beautiful patterns with henna. Once the Mehandi has completely dried on the women’s skin, she moistens the design with a small cotton cloth dipped in sugar water and lemon juice. When the resulting paste has dried and fallen off, a small piece of cloth heated and infused with the aroma of cloves is then patted on the design very slowly, over and over. The sugar, lemon, and heat all act to “set” the dye, producing a darker, richer, and long-lasting color. Done five hours to two days before a wedding for optimal effect, Mehandi eventually fades. Ms. Jhaveri’s customers send her wedding photos and letters, thanking her for guidance and attentive artistry. While the beautifully designed Mehandi is temporary, most women preserve a record both of their special day and of themselves in Mehandi.

Article by Teresa Jaynes

Rashmi Jhaveri is available for bridal Mehandi or any other occasion. She can be reached at Natraj Jewelers, Tuesday-Sunday, noon to 8 PM. (732) 283-0899.