60% less clients this year due to COVID, doesn’t feel like Teej: Mehendi artists

For mehendiwallahs in NCR, Teej is one of the busiest periods. But because of the coronavirus, mehendi artists say that most of their regular customers have been staying away. With business going down by almost 60%, artists say they have themselves lowered the charges. “ Jahan ek haath`150 ka lagate thay, ab woh hi `100 ka laga rahe hain,” say mehendiwallahs.
‘WE ONLY HAVE 10-15 BOOKINGS THIS TEEJ, THERE IS HARDLY ANY DEMAND’
Jay Prakash, a mehendi artist in old Gurgaon, shares, “Our business is down by 60% on Teej, a festival which is meant for making profit. We are taking all precautions – wearing masks,using sanitisers – yet we have not seen the same footfall as previous years.” Ravi Nayak, another mehendi artist from Khan Market, says that they only take bookings for services at home. “Festivals like Teej have always been hectic for us but this time only a few people have contacted us. We only have 10-15 bookings and this year, we are not charging as much as we would usually do during festivals. All my clients are getting mehendi applied at home. Earlier, I would not have enough staff for home service, but this time there’s hardly any demand. It doesn’t feel like a festival.”

‘WE HAVE LOWERED OUR CHARGES DESPITE IT BEING TEEJ’
Reminiscing about the good old days, when festivals like Teej meant doubling their charges,these mehendi artists share that most of them decided to lower it themselves this year. Suresh, a mehendi artist from Lajpat Nagar, says, “We are taking all precautionary measures – wearing masks, PPE kits if necessary,and using sanitisers. Teej pe toh log hamesha bargain karte thay charge kam karne ko, par iss baar log hi nahi hain toh humne khud hi charge kam rakhe hain.” Sunil, a mehendi artist from Gurgaon, shares, “There is no crowd, no long queues this year on a festival like this. So it made sense to lower our charges to attract customers.”