In addition to owning a private studio in Versova, where he intricately works with traditional tattoo motifs, Shah is actively developing his own catalog of tattoo designs sourced from northwest, south India, and central India. Collaborating closely with artists like Mangla Bai, who hails from a lineage of Godna artists in Madhya Pradesh, Shah delves into ancient arts such as Godna practiced by the Gond tribes in Chhattisgarh, and Trajva, the Gujarati term for tattoos practiced by the Rabari and Maher tribes of Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Balancing Tradition with Modernity
While Shah practices hand poke tattoos, he opts for modern-day tattooing ink rather than traditional ink derived from burning specific seeds and oil. ‘I would like to do it that way, but it’s still in the works, because there aren’t many people like Mangla Bai who you can learn the art from,’ Shah explains. He emphasizes, ‘my setup is very modern and contemporary, but the tattooing designs are definitely traditional and an attempt to give the younger generations an opportunity to connect with their ancestors and heritage.”
