Tattoo you

Goa, India

I AM ADMIRING a henna tattoo I have gotten in Goa, a vibrant, colorful seaside town on the west coast of India. I love my tattoo. It is temporary, inked on my skin with brownish red henna, a semi-permanent vegetable dye. It will last 2 weeks if I take care of it. Don’t get it wet, don’t rub it, treat it gently and enjoy it for a fortnight.

My tattoo is beautiful. I chose the sacred symbol Om, representative of India and the Hindu religion, and it is now inscribed directly above my right ankle. At that time, Delta did not allow visible tattoos on frontline workers, those of us working directly with Delta customers.

I plan how I can work around this regulation if I get a permanent Om tattooed on my leg. I could wear uniform slacks, or dark stockings if I wear my uniform skirt. No one at work would ever see my beautiful Om tattoo, a reminder of a wonderful vacation in India, one of my favorite places in the whole wide world.

A few days later, while shopping in the bazaar, a Goan shopkeeper comments on my henna tattoo. “That is not a good place for a tattoo like that,” he says reproachfully. “Why not?” I ask, curious as to the reason he’s telling me this. “That is our sacred symbol. It should never be placed on the lower body!”

I am horrified. I never would have asked for an Om tattoo on my ankle had I known. The henna artist said nothing to me, and was more than happy to take my money! I did not mean to offend. I would never disrespect the Hindu faith. I go back to the hotel and immediately scrub the henna Om symbol off my leg, feeling just awful.

I realize the Om tattoo on my lower body is as offensive to Hindus as tattooing a cross on my butt would be to Christians.