Sailesh Mehndi Artist Training Centre

You can find us at the Sailesh Mehndi Artist Training Centre right in Atta Sharma Market. The market is always buzzing with people, especially during the wedding season or festivals. Our space is usually filled with the distinct scent of fresh henna. We spend our days teaching students how to hold a mehndi cone and create those fine, intricate lines. It takes a lot of steady hands and a lot of patience. We start with basic patterns on paper before anyone even touches a hand. The market outside is loud, with vendors shouting and shoppers bargaining, but inside we try to keep things a bit more focused. It’s a very hands-on kind of place. There are boards with different designs pinned up on the walls for inspiration. Students sit together and practice for hours. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and it’s interesting to see how everyone develops their own style. Some people are natural at it, while others have to work really hard to get the symmetry right. We don't have fancy furniture, just what’s necessary for people to sit and work comfortably. It’s a small community of artists here in the middle of a busy commercial hub. We don't do any big advertising; people usually find us just by walking through the market or by word of mouth. It’s a simple business built on a very old tradition that people still love today.