When common man just like you and me, to be more clear, aam aadmi have their moods the artists have their temperaments. When you want to touch your bosom friend for say a hundred bucks or so it is always better to see his mood. If he happens to be an artist then it is always better to see his temperament. An Australian youngster learned this lesson at much cost.
I read this news item in Times of India few weeks back. They put interesting news like this under 'Heads and Tales ' which comes on the page where Ninan's cartoons appear.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/mad-mad-world/Man-charged-with-tattooing-genitals-on-friends-back/articleshow/6928539.cms
An Australian youngster wanted to have a 'Ying and Yang' to be tattoed on his back. Don't ask me what is a Ying and Yang. I will advise everyone not to venture to ask the youngster the same question. He will not be in a mood to explain it to you. What he has got on his back is not the Ying and Yang he had expected it to be but what his artist friend thought to be a Ying and Yang . They were poles apart.
The younster who wanted this artistic panorama on his back approached a tattoe artist who happened to be his friend. He explained his desire. It could be that the artist did not know what is a Ying or for that matter a Yang. Or it could be that his temper was not so congenial to tattoe the Ying and Yang on anyone's back even if he was his best friend. The reason also could have been this one. When anyone wants to talk about some thing about his private parts he don't tell it explicitly. He always do it by refereing to it as 'that thing' and like that. Sometimes they use some funny words and little facial expressions. So it could have been that the artist must have taken this Ying and Yang to be that anotomical part which every male or female tries to hide from the public view.
Whatever it is the artist gave this friend of his a spot of whisky, told him to strip to his waist and lye face down on the couch. He rolled up his sleeves and started to tattoe in right earnest. The poor guy dozed dreaming of the Ying and Yang being sculptured on his back. Little did he imagine what havoc has been made due to this bit of misunderstanding between the two friends.
In Kathakali also the make up of the actor is done more or less the same way. The actor take a peg or two of the best country brew and lie down on his back and entrust his face entirely to the deft hands of the make up artist. The make up artist do his job diligently. He never have a peg for himself and end by finishing a 'pachcha' on the face of a body meant for 'chukannadi' or any such odd combintions.
The artist friend after finishing his work and wiping his hands on his apron, patted his work-piece to get up. He took him to the bathroom and stood him in front of the mirror. He got a hand mirror and held it at his friend's back and asked his friend whether it is alright or not. The same way the barbers of our old days used to do after finishing one head.
What happened when his friend saw the Ying and Yang, I cannot tell. Even in the middle of nights I get up and starts laughing.
