Dancing with the Dolphin

They say you shouldn’t get a tattoo, till it holds deep significance for you. My dolphin is an ode to the sea, to life, to the life I have seen under the sea, to my brother who is dancing among the dolphins, to happiness, freedom and love!

So how is the experience of getting a tattoo done? Not really as exotic as you would hope. My tattoo came not in some exotic shack in Goa or Ibiza, but in a tattoo parlour called Mike’s Place. Taking along a friend for comfort, hand holding, help in negotiation and courage, we reached there yesterday for a 5:30 pm appointment. In an extremely unusual and uncanny situation, a quiet balding man, sat in front of two sophisticated computers, and detailed out the intricacies of the sketches and the trade. The first half an hour was spent in commonplace decisions, which dolphin, which angle, which colour, how many square inches of skin would I give up to the needle and finally how much would it cost.

Once the exact angle and stencil was ready, a sweet gentle long haired guy led me to an antiseptic room with a quiet blue bed, very scary looking needles and a small TV. Believe me once you are lying down on that bed, and the stencil has been traced down on your skin, you are slowly reaching the point of no return. This is a deep commitment you are making. The tattoo artist asked me if I wanted to finally go ahead with it. Sometimes you develop a kinship with people, and this person had such a gentle look in his eyes, that I thought, “Ok, he is ok!”, and nodded my head.

So this is how it goes:

“May I please start?”, asks dreadlocks, and I look at my friend, who is looking at me nervously, not knowing what to say, and then slowly I nod my head.

The first touch of the needle is a gentle buzz, like a dipping laser light on my skin. And then the first flash of pain comes up. I gasp and then find, its not as bad as I thought it would be. So I nod at him and say, “Fine, I am fine, please go ahead.” And the etching starts. I refuse to look down at the needle piercing my skin. That’s because I am a visual person and when I look at things they start having more meaning for me. So I hold my friend’s hand tightly, and let him have a free hand on the canvas of my skin. The pain is intense at times, as exquisite tendrils of it vibrate through the ankle bone, and my nerve endings, sometimes it is a small nip and a buzz, sometimes it takes waves of it that shudder through me.

In the meantime my friend and I discuss shopping, clothes, men, a butterfly tattoo she would like to get done on her shoulder. Ironically the tattoo on the nakle bone is the most painful because the skin is the thinnest there. Like someone could have told me this earlier!

In the end, before I know it, the tattoo is over and there is a dolphin dancing on my ankle bone. And I do hope she will dance forever, at least till the ankle is there!
My husband, my son and mother are still recovering, a friend has threatened to go get a shark tattoo on an undisclosed location just to bug me, while some others are, “You know, we never thought of you as a tattoo person.” Well, like I read in some ancient temple tome, “You are endless galaxies and you have seen but one star!”

My Obituary

This is to announce the death of Ms. Sonali Sokhal, at age 45; in her stately mansion in Eros Garden, Charmwood Village, Faridabad. The cause of death, though still to be ascertained seems to be the result of ‘mindless consumerism’.

The founder of the Shopaholics Club Anonymous and lifetime shopping achievement award winner from both 1 MG and 2 MG road, Sonali Sokhal also held a job as a half-hearted PR consultant. The author of the ‘Ragpickers guide to a Galaxy of Shopping’, Sonali Sokhal, achieved instant stardom and fame with her one day makeover sessions and the Shopping Olympiad.

A true pioneer of the consumer spirit in India, Sonali Sokhal was one of those rare dazzling human beings who made a lifetime’s vocation out of a secret passion and hobby. Though this rare and exuberant side of the deceased did not manifest itself in the early years of her life, Sonali showed an inclination towards consumerism with her initial professional experience. A freelance journalist and columnist, Sonali was among the quirky young professionals, to throw aside the pen for the computer, a sari and diligent status reports, when she joined an upcoming lifestyle boutique PR agency. This could really be called the beginning of the journey for the pioneering spirit, where she received the right exposure to fame, glamour and money and how to run after them, even if none were really hers.

The pinnacle of her success came when a motley group of grateful friends encouraged her to author her first book, and the DT Mall in Gurgaon hired her services as a part time guide for hard-core shopping expeditions. This was the start of a stellar career. The first Shopping Olympiad held at the Regal Mall at Vasant Kunj, in 2007, was the hallmark of a brilliant start with close to 805 shoppers spending close to Rs.5 crore in a two day shopping extravaganza.

Known for her well co-ordinated look, and her favourite matching bags and shoes, Ms. Sokhal was truly an inspiration to the new generation of high spenders and consumers. Brand India was taken to leaps and bounds of spending power thanks to tireless efforts of Ms. Sokhal.

The last six months of her life were plagued by ill health, as Ms. Sokhal had started suffering from severe respiratory problems, due to an allergy to packaging paper. Her knees had also given way, thanks to the countless up and down walks in malls, and an incident of inadequate product variants at a duty free shop in Dubai, had been a personal setback for this giant shopper.

A small diminutive woman, the smart click of Ms. Sokhal’s latest pair of heels had been known to strike both terror and extreme joy in the hearts of store mangers. A regular lecturer at the Indian School of Retail, Ms. Sokhal was certainly looking to scale new heights in the Shopping industry. Her many wardrobes have been put on exhibition and will be thereafter placed on sale by well-meaning friends and relatives. Her shoes will be buried with her, as per the dying lady’s last request.

Ms. Sokhal was married and is survived by son, Aryaman Raj, who at the tender age of 18, is already a big name in the rock music scene of the country.

What I would like to see on the wall

A wall…..something called ‘throw it on the wall.’…almost like a challenge to say, I am blank…hit me……baby one more time……so that’s me…hitting on my own wall………………btw....throwitonthewall is also a new blogspot by the same name...check it out if you are reading this blog.......!!!!!!!!
Meanwhile.....my wall...........
A complete road map of where my life is going………..

A crystal ball which shows me what happened to school bully who used to beat me up…I hope some wicked witch got her, or maybe she became a wicked witch herself.

All the special moments in the life of all the people I love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The actual thoughts in the brain of my man.

Recipes, reminders, ‘to do’ lists, and all that I need at hand.

Dirt on some people so that I can blackmail them J

A glimpse into my son’s future.

All the rules that I can break without getting caught!!!!!!!!!

What is going on in the lives of all my favourite Hollywood stars, and how they lose weight.

A quiet green space.

A deep blue sea place where I can watch the fishes in technicolour dreams

A personal wardrobe and style planner.

Some evidence that fairy tales are real.

All the beautiful memories of my life.

A reminder that I should be grateful for everything I have, and stop bitching and moaning about life.