Ash good as it gets

With clients like Julia Roberts, henna artist Ash Kumar is having a dream run 

The name Ash Kumar may not ring a bell for many. But those who know him know that this 27-year-old henna (mehendi) artist,  is  a record holder for the being fastest one around. And his profile is just getting more impressive -  a mural with his mehendi work on it is currently on display at the British Museum.

So how come he chose to take up this hitherto women-dominated field? “Initially I only worked for family and friends. But I did realise that I was good and quite fast with it as well, so I decided to look for a berth in the Guinness Book of World Records.” Needless to say, he made it – not once, but twice. “I first made it in 2001 when I finished doing 96 hands in one hour and I beat my own record in 2003, when I finished 167 hands in the same time at the Millennium Dome,” he explains.

Not surprising then, he has worked with the likes of Julia Roberts, Demi Moore and Madonna. “I guess the word just got around” Which is how he even landed a plum assignment – working with the leading ladies of ‘Charlie’s Angels’. Then there’s the Calvin Klein show in 2001 – the only one to have mehendi work in it. “Working with these stalwarts was great ,” he notes.

On the Indian front, his clientele boasts of the Mittals, the Hindujas and such elite. “I’m  glad with the way my career has shaped up. And to think, I was actually a student of forensics!” he signs off with a smile. 

p_vidya@dnaindia.net