Tattooing as carrier can be fulfilling artistically and rewarding financially: Mo Naga

By B Rakesh Sharma

IMPHAL | Dec 15

Pursuing art of tattoo as a career can be fulfilling both as an artist and financially said Mo Naga who is a traditional tattoo researcher and founder of Headhunters’ Ink, Manipur and Godna Gram-The Tattoo Village, New Delhi.

Mo Naga was born at Khangshim Village, Tengnoupal district as the first sibling of Syelsaangthyel Khaling and A.S. Vayola Khaling in the year 1985 and has two younger brothers and one younger sister.

He stepped in to the world of tattoo while pursuing his studies at NIFT, Hyderabad in fashion designing and later started research on Naga traditional tattoo.

Speaking exclusively to IFP, Mo Naga elaborated on the risk of spreading disease while making a tattoo at home by unprofessional artist but assured that it is totally safe to make a tattoo in a studio from professional artists as they follow the norms and maintain quality and hygiene.

He said “there has been no history of transfer of HIV while making a tattoo at a studio” and a professional artist will never dare to make a tattoo on minor unless and until the minor got his or her parent’s permission.

Suggesting that it would be wrong to judge the character of an individual by the tattoo on his/her body, Mo Naga said such perception of the society can be changed if people stop street tattooing.

Street tattooing can be risky for it can spread contagious disease, he said.

Pointing out that Indian tattoo industry has seen a phenomenal growth in the last five to six years, Mo asked the artist to also collaborate with other artist from outside the state to able to compete with the professionals.

Mo Naga’s work has featured in the ‘World Atlas of Tattoo’ amongst the top 100 artists of the world and helped three more artists from the subcontinent to get featured in the book and has also featured in ‘Tattoo Masters Flash Collection’ and has become the only artist from the subcontinent to do so.

Moreover he has rated in the top five artists in Asia by ‘Asian Geographic Magazine’ and also becomes the first and only Indian to demonstrate his tattooing skill in National Museum of Kolkota.