BATTERY-POWERED TATTOO ARTIST

A battery-powered tattoo machine at work in India.

He says his name is "Raj," and that he's the king of all tattoo artists. In his heavily-accented English, Raj tells us this matter-of-fact-ly, without animation, which is probably best, since he's at the same time using a battery-powered tattoo gun to pump ink into a paying client's arm.

We've seen some strange things in India. Raj's mobile tattoo parlor, spread out atop newspapers on the dirt, run completely on the power of two 9-volt batteries, and all carried out with little thought for modern hygiene, is right up there with the most shocking of them. 

Brave (or perhaps, unwitting) customers bring their own designs or choose between a selection carved from wood blocks laid out in rows. With a quick negotiation on price, which hovers between $2-$5, the customer sits down atop two stacked bricks, Raj presses the pre-inked wooden artwork against his/her skin and then sets off to work. 

No pretense, no fancy lights or reclining chair. There's also no antiseptic wipes, electricity, sanitized needles or pesky fears of the spread of hep B/C, tetanus, or even AIDS. 

Just a man and his work, as he's been doing it for the past 15 years.

Raj the king of tattoo artists sits in his studio. In front of him are rows of designs carved into wooden blocks.

The artist's tools--ink, designs, tattoo guns and extra 9-volt batteries in case others go dead.

A patron squats patiently as Raj does his work.