Tribal Tattoo ShopNisarga Chamber, |
Established in the year 2007, Tribal Tattoo have earned a monicker as the pioneers of tattoos in Mangalore. Started by two enthusiastic youngsters Pradeep and Nagesh, the first two years was quite the struggle. ” Mangalore as a new market was not quite open to the concept of tattoos. People still considered tattoos to be a taboo back in those days.” says Pradeep, the pioneering Tattoo artist of Mangalore.
There was a lot of fear, inhibition and rumour mongering among people. It was a risky thing to get themselves into, but even after 2 years of extremely low business, these youngsters decided to stay firm and dedicated. Initially, they had to rely on their friends, but now Tribal Tattoo is doing roaring business to the extent of being booked for the next 6 months!” says Nagesh.
Praveen Gowda from Tribal tattoo hardly imagined that the neo traditional tattoo he was sketching would bring him laurels. Tribal tattoo Mysore emerged as winners at the three day third edition of Inksoul Bengaluru tattoo festival held at Manpho convention centre, Bengaluru on 25, 26 and 27th May 2018. The festival showcases the finest talent in a variety of creative fields from contemporary to the traditional art form. Inksoul Tattoo Festival is attended by hundreds of Tattoo artists from all around the world.
Praveen Gowda said ” It’s a proud moment for us and we would like to thank all who showed us love and support. Platforms like these are very encouraging and helps us better ourselves with healthy competition”
How the name Tribal Tattoo Shop came into existence is a story in itself. Pradeep, who had gone to Nepal on a vacation happened to get himself a tribal tattoo inked on his chest. And that was where it all began. This love for his tribal tattoo soon blossomed into a living brand of its own in Mangalore and Mysore.
They have customers coming in from across the globe. From youngsters to the elderly, people queue up at Tribal to get a tattoo of their choice inked for posterity. Some of the international customers include ones from USA, Hungary, Germany, Switzerland, France, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka etc. In fact, there was a time when two foreigners came to their shop and got ‘Swatantra’ (freedom) inked in Kannada.
Often people come in with a rough idea of what they want, while sometimes people are absolutely sure of what they want.” says Monish Shetty, the professional tattoo artist at Tribal Tattoo. Whatever the case, the friendly staff at Tribal Tattoo make sure that all of them are welcomed, respected and given what they exactly want. From suggesting designs to coming up with unique designs of their own, the tattoo artists at Tribal do it all.
“In the past 10 years, I have seen a massive shift in the kind of tattoos people ask for. Earlier it used to be religious in nature, but now people like to experiment with something that suits their personality.” adds Monish. There are several styles of tattoos ranging from Tribal, Polynesian, Samoan, Old School, Flash Art, Line Art, Geometrical, Biomechanical, 3D, Cover Up, Coloured tattoo etc.
Monish admits that the toughest tattoo was the one that took him a total of 10 hours to make. It was a mechanical tattoo, which consisted of a lot of shading work. Nagesh says that every day is a new challenge in terms of new designs, and meeting new people, this process in itself is quite interesting he adds.
“Our artists are well trained as they have been trained from the well known and experienced artists from Mumbai and Nepal. Our artists are good at free hand drawing and they are all from the art background. We believe tattoo is a permanent piece of priceless art. Clients come to our shop with a picture or design in mind or they consult us to create the desired image. We use our artistic skills to advise clients on size, color, design and placement of their body art.” says Pradeep.
On the hygiene front, Tribal Tattoo Shop is very particular. They do not cut any corners when it comes to matters of health and hygiene. Fresh gloves and needles are used for every client and this is done right in front of the clients to make sure that they are aware of the cleanliness factor. The inking pens are all sterilized before every use. Vitamin A & D ointments and tattoo lotions of high quality are used. Natural pigmentation ink is used, so that it does not harm the body or skin.
While they presently do cover up tattoos, they are also in the process of introducing tattoo removal through laser technology soon, similar to the one Deepika Padukone had done during her Cannes visit.
Tribal is home to several happy repeat customers. At Tribal the artists believe that as tattoo artists it’s important to be a part of one’s story, journey and experience rather than just designing the tattoo. They say it’s a part of a person’s journey on earth, a piece of their success, a symbol of their love, their victory or just inspiration, but it is significant and one must own their tattoo with pride. A tattoo is a reminder of hope for a person, while they can’t seem to find any. It acts as a sign that people look for at the right time.
Content by Laxmi Shenoy
