A black-and-white photo of a person mid-air in a Superman-style body suspension pose, supported by multiple hooks in their back and legs, smiling joyfully toward the camera. They are suspended horizontally in a large indoor space with high ceilings and visible rigging. A group of onlookers—some seated, some standing—watch with expressions of admiration, amusement, and support. The atmosphere is lively and communal, capturing a moment of shared experience and transformation.

India Ink

Tattooing in Sarneth, India..

“The tattoo artist was set up on the street market in front of a row of Buddhist temples, the recipient was getting a very simple black “Aum” tattoo on his arm. I saw many street tattoo artists during my time in India, as well as many tattooed hands, Aums, swastikas and Hindi symbols.”

– Staci Civins

Comments

75 responses to “India Ink”

  1. Nate Avatar

    The BMEzine watermark is trippy in this photo

  2. sublimerotica Avatar

    I love posts like these. 🙂

  3. sublimerotica Avatar

    I love posts like these. 🙂

  4. sublimerotica Avatar

    I love posts like these. 🙂

  5. Lillie Avatar
    Lillie

    The tattoo artist should have a notice board up
    ‘Free nasty disease with every tattoo’
    It would be kinda hard which one to choose tho, aids, hep B etc etc

  6. Lillie Avatar
    Lillie

    The tattoo artist should have a notice board up
    ‘Free nasty disease with every tattoo’
    It would be kinda hard which one to choose tho, aids, hep B etc etc

  7. Lillie Avatar
    Lillie

    The tattoo artist should have a notice board up
    ‘Free nasty disease with every tattoo’
    It would be kinda hard which one to choose tho, aids, hep B etc etc

  8. sparklinglime Avatar
    sparklinglime

    I live in Bolivia and people do tattoos and piercings in like random stalls at the market. I’d agree, its a cultural thing and it needs to be respected and I don’t think there have been many problems with HIV or anything! I’d say let the culture survive, if you don’t agree with it, don’t get a tattoo there.

  9. sparklinglime Avatar
    sparklinglime

    I live in Bolivia and people do tattoos and piercings in like random stalls at the market. I’d agree, its a cultural thing and it needs to be respected and I don’t think there have been many problems with HIV or anything! I’d say let the culture survive, if you don’t agree with it, don’t get a tattoo there.

  10. sparklinglime Avatar
    sparklinglime

    I live in Bolivia and people do tattoos and piercings in like random stalls at the market. I’d agree, its a cultural thing and it needs to be respected and I don’t think there have been many problems with HIV or anything! I’d say let the culture survive, if you don’t agree with it, don’t get a tattoo there.

  11. Lillie Avatar
    Lillie

    sparklinglime, how would you feel say if your girlfriend got a tattoo and passed HIV to you would you still be so supportive of the ‘random stalls’?
    In this day and age there are so many diseases out there and fair enough its up to the individual who takes a risk with their own lives, but what about the innocent who could die from your actions?
    You dont think there have been many problems with HIV do you know that for definate I would be very interested in the statistics?

  12. Lillie Avatar
    Lillie

    sparklinglime, how would you feel say if your girlfriend got a tattoo and passed HIV to you would you still be so supportive of the ‘random stalls’?
    In this day and age there are so many diseases out there and fair enough its up to the individual who takes a risk with their own lives, but what about the innocent who could die from your actions?
    You dont think there have been many problems with HIV do you know that for definate I would be very interested in the statistics?

  13. Lillie Avatar
    Lillie

    sparklinglime, how would you feel say if your girlfriend got a tattoo and passed HIV to you would you still be so supportive of the ‘random stalls’?
    In this day and age there are so many diseases out there and fair enough its up to the individual who takes a risk with their own lives, but what about the innocent who could die from your actions?
    You dont think there have been many problems with HIV do you know that for definate I would be very interested in the statistics?

  14. erika Avatar
    erika

    i think the ‘swastikas’ is a mistake, there’s actually a symbol like a mirror image swastika that’s hindu.

  15. erika Avatar
    erika

    i think the ‘swastikas’ is a mistake, there’s actually a symbol like a mirror image swastika that’s hindu.

  16. erika Avatar
    erika

    i think the ‘swastikas’ is a mistake, there’s actually a symbol like a mirror image swastika that’s hindu.

  17. hailstorm Avatar
    hailstorm

    When I visited The Philippines I saw a lot of the same thing, plus a lot of amazing artists. I would’ve LOVED to have some work done there to commemorate my trip but I was afraid of Hep C and HIV more.

  18. hailstorm Avatar
    hailstorm

    When I visited The Philippines I saw a lot of the same thing, plus a lot of amazing artists. I would’ve LOVED to have some work done there to commemorate my trip but I was afraid of Hep C and HIV more.

  19. hailstorm Avatar
    hailstorm

    When I visited The Philippines I saw a lot of the same thing, plus a lot of amazing artists. I would’ve LOVED to have some work done there to commemorate my trip but I was afraid of Hep C and HIV more.

  20. Idhren Avatar

    “These folks don’t get diseases because they believe in something.”

    Haha, you made my day. Seldom I have the opportunity to meet someone who is out of touch with reality in that extent 😀 Hey, if they don’t get sick, people here wouldn’t have to be worried about those unsterile needles 😀 So many problems with hygiene would be fixed if only people believed enough “in something” not to get sick!

  21. Idhren Avatar

    “These folks don’t get diseases because they believe in something.”

    Haha, you made my day. Seldom I have the opportunity to meet someone who is out of touch with reality in that extent 😀 Hey, if they don’t get sick, people here wouldn’t have to be worried about those unsterile needles 😀 So many problems with hygiene would be fixed if only people believed enough “in something” not to get sick!

  22. Idhren Avatar

    “These folks don’t get diseases because they believe in something.”

    Haha, you made my day. Seldom I have the opportunity to meet someone who is out of touch with reality in that extent 😀 Hey, if they don’t get sick, people here wouldn’t have to be worried about those unsterile needles 😀 So many problems with hygiene would be fixed if only people believed enough “in something” not to get sick!

  23. Staci Avatar
    Staci

    This shot was taken near the neighboring city of Varanasi, which is the most polluted city in the world with the Ganges river flowing through it, although it is the holiest for the Hindi people. About a month after I took this photo, I was attacked by a monkey and had to seek medical treatment the next few weeks afterwards as I traveled… I never once saw any gloves and only saw pots used to boil tools, no autoclaves… I wouldn’t expect anything more actually in any of the clinics and hospitals I went to.

    @22, I stayed at a hotel called “Hotel Swastika” in the desert region of Rajastan, just for the sheer irony of being Jewish. Its not the same as WWII dear.

  24. Staci Avatar
    Staci

    This shot was taken near the neighboring city of Varanasi, which is the most polluted city in the world with the Ganges river flowing through it, although it is the holiest for the Hindi people. About a month after I took this photo, I was attacked by a monkey and had to seek medical treatment the next few weeks afterwards as I traveled… I never once saw any gloves and only saw pots used to boil tools, no autoclaves… I wouldn’t expect anything more actually in any of the clinics and hospitals I went to.

    @22, I stayed at a hotel called “Hotel Swastika” in the desert region of Rajastan, just for the sheer irony of being Jewish. Its not the same as WWII dear.

  25. Staci Avatar
    Staci

    This shot was taken near the neighboring city of Varanasi, which is the most polluted city in the world with the Ganges river flowing through it, although it is the holiest for the Hindi people. About a month after I took this photo, I was attacked by a monkey and had to seek medical treatment the next few weeks afterwards as I traveled… I never once saw any gloves and only saw pots used to boil tools, no autoclaves… I wouldn’t expect anything more actually in any of the clinics and hospitals I went to.

    @22, I stayed at a hotel called “Hotel Swastika” in the desert region of Rajastan, just for the sheer irony of being Jewish. Its not the same as WWII dear.

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