Henna artistry: A means of empowerment for women

Traditional henna artistry has long been embedded in Bengali culture. For centuries, people from all spheres of life in the Indian subcontinent have been applying henna before every auspicious event as a symbol of purity and prosperity.

Henna artistry – which has long been considered a cultural activity where women applied henna to other women and men of the neighbourhood to celebrate festivals such as Eid or marriages, has helped turn many henna artists into mainstream professionals.

The roots of Henna or Mehndi can be traced to ancient Egypt, which slowly spread to the Eastern Persian empires and the Indian Subcontinent. It is believed that around 700 AD, Mehndi was brought to India, and people used it to decorate their hands and feet.

Eventually, this tradition seeped into neighbouring countries, and applying henna became the customary practice of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and many Middle Eastern cultures.

People of Bangladesh have long been using a paste made from the green or dry leaves of the henna tree to decorate their hands, feet in a manner and designs that represent their history, tradition, hope, aspirations and sometimes they apply henna to commemorate their loved ones.

However, the commercialisation of henna paste began some 22 years ago, around 2000, in the form of plastic or paper tubes, cones of henna paste, which were easier and more convenient to apply and create more complex intricate designs.

As it became available to henna artists of the country, it revolutionised the art.

From a mere hobby, henna artists began to commercialise their craft through different beauty parlours, which were still finding their way to succeed commercially in the Bangladeshi market around the year 2000.

Different companies from India and Bangladesh offer their products through different brand names, such as Shahazadi, Ligion, Elite, Rangapori, Mumtaz (Bangladesh), Kaveri, Golecha, Neha, Kironmala, Jaya, Shat Vai Champa (India) and launched their henna products in the market around the year 2006; through which the people of the country became introduced to a new genre of henna artistry.

The price of these tubes varies according to the brand value, quality and popularity, said the shopkeepers of Metro Shopping Mall at Dhanmondi 32 and Bashundhara City Shopping Complex at Panthapath in the capital.

During a recent visit to these markets, the traders informed that the price of a Shahazadi Mehedi cone is Tk 25, Ligion is Tk 65, Elite is Tk 45, Rangapori is Tk 40, Mumtaz is Tk 48, Kaveri mehndi cone is Tk 50, Golecha is TK 35, Neha is Tk 40, Kironmala is Tk 30, Jaya is Tk 35 and the price of Pakistani mehndi tube Almas is Tk 50.

Almost every beauty parlour in the country offers henna art services to their customers, and the demand for henna artists has grown to a substantial amount. In most cases, the aspirants need to take appointments way before the event to ensure the artist’s availability on their auspicious day. The price of the services varies from Tk 1,500 to Tk 10,000.

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, when operations of all public and private organisations came to a halt, beauticians, parlour assistants lost their jobs. However, it created a unique economic prospect for them. They founded their own online shops via different social media platforms and made their offering available, visible to a larger audience than before. Through these distinctive social media accounts, they could show their unique, innovative style, designs and create their portfolios which made them popular among their customers.

Henna artists offer their services in three categories–Bridal, Semi Bridal and Regular. For Bridal Henna design on both hands, artists charge around Tk 2,000 to Tk 10,000, depending on the intricacy of the designs, the popularity of henna artists and the financial status of the clients. For semi bridal designs, it costs Tk 1,500 to Tk 5,000, and for non-bridal or regular henna art, artists charge Tk 500 to Tk 3,500.

Naureen Roza, a henna artist, told The Business Post that artists used to apply henna on people as a hobby in the past. “However, now the time has changed, and henna artists are getting recognised for their craft. I, too, started henna art as a hobby, but now I am a professional henna artist,” Roza said.

“A henna artist can earn up to Tk 20,000 per month or even more depending on how many events or weddings they visit and how much they charge”, Roza added.

Sadia Alam, owner of the online page Sadia’s Mehedi, said, “Every month, I get around six to seven calls to provide home service for bridal mehndi packages, and I earn around Tk 60,000 a month. It’s more than enough for me to provide for my family.”

Zannatul Ferdous Jinia, proprietor of Jinia’s Mehedi Art, another online henna art online shop, which has more than 40,000 followers on social media, told The Business Post, “The demand for henna artists is increasing day by day, and if we can get a common platform where all the artists can share their stories and support each other, I believe the sector could have been more united and inclusive.”

These henna artists said that there are many online pages where skilled henna artists take virtual training or workshops, and they get huge responses from prospective artists and henna art enthusiasts.