Diwali at Discovery, London, U.K.

A diverse experience.

Okay so I’ve decided to blog more often about the wonderful opportunities that Mehndi (Henna) Art brings my way. Like seriously, the people I meet via Mehndi by Tan, the places I visit excite me and also fill my ‘bowl’ or ‘cup’ (or substitute the word with whatever analogy you’d personally relate to). I want to share the experience with my followers so you’re able to gain an insight into the world of a Henna Artist… or my world as an artist at the very least!

So, a lovely lady contacted me from Discovery last year. (I’ll keep her anonymous for confidentiality reasons). Yes you read right, ‘THE’ Discovery. We’re talking about the internationally recognised, educational, world famous television programme channel. Discovery London, UK, were celebrating Diwali and wanted colleagues to experience the art of Mehndi as part of the celebrations.

Diwali (a very brief explanation) is The festival of light celebrated worldwide, there are many rituals involved with celebrating Diwali including lighting candles or ‘Diyas,’ dressing up in traditional
attire, eating Indian sweets and having henna applied.

The whole process was effortless with Discovery staff, the communication was great so of course I said yes! I was intrigued and excited all at the same time, intrigued to see how Discovery were celebrating Diwali and excited to use my creative henna art as part of their celebrations. I thrive on promoting Mehndi across communities, encouraging diversity and promoting social inclusion through my artwork and this was another perfect opportunity to do so.

Wow and what a fabulous experience it was.

On the day… So I arrived at the headquarters in London looking the part, bar my baby pink hand trolly storing the materials inside which looked every so slightly out of place! I had no idea what to expect.
It’s important here that I highlight over the past 13 or so years I’ve been very well rehearsed in managing and attending large bookings and decorating people, usually at weddings, mehndi or sangeet parties, where alcohol and food is free flowing, 99% of the time there’s a DJ and people are always dressed up in bling Indian attire, basically the full Shebang of a big fat Indian wedding setup. So entering a professional, corporate company in the middle of a working day where everyone dressed formally and were carrying on with their normal working day was certainly new. It took a momentarily mental adjustment to take in the surroundings.

First impressions:
I was thankful for a parking spot so I didn’t have to walk miles with my pink hand-trolley and second I thought “wow security is tight,” a professional bunch, this is a good start! Oh the industrial park where Discovery is situated was impressive too. We were greeted and set ourselves up in the ‘common room,’ hang out sort of space for staff taking time out, it was quirky, well lit and spacious. Oh and there was a pool table, small workplace perks that are common and often found in London.
*Sighs* The Midlands really have to play catch up, c’mon.

Discovery staff were warm, welcoming and a pleasure to be around. My colleague and I lost count of the number of people we decorated yet we spoke about how great the experience was on the drive home. I was thrilled to meet so many people from Europe and different ethnicities, I was overwhelmed by the diversity in one workplace. Understandably so with such a large company who require multi lingual staff. Working in such an environment was interesting and exciting. The Mehndi Art went down a treat and even a lot of the men got involved with ‘man henna tattoos,’ which didn’t consist of flowers and paisleys (!) more so tribal tattoos. This was probably the first event in my career as a professional henna artist with the highest number of men having henna tattoos applied, great stuff! The men certainly weren’t shy.

A lot of staff were intrigued about the Mehndi, where it derived from, its significance and colouring. Oh and of course the admiration for my artwork is always welcomed and fills me with warmth! The uptake on the Mehndi tattoos was so great that my colleague and I had to stay longer than anticipated, and we’d easily have remained there a couple of more hours if we hadn’t needed to avoid the M1 rush hour!
The word spread quite quickly in Discovery that henna artists were situated near the food and chai (tea) station, causally sat decorating people, and the interest flew in.

It’s fair to say I only gained a small insight into the organisation, and the staff were friendly and welcoming in general. From interns, to permanent staff, to some managers I met, they were a cool bunch to work for. It was an absolute pleasure and I’d certainly do it again. It was another satisfying booking where I left saying to myself, ‘Yeh I did a great job, my art made people happy.’

Thank you Discovery for inviting Mehndi by Tan, keep on celebrating different cultures, promoting social inclusion and educating the world. Hats off to you. I certainly wish more companies in and around England did the same, the world would be a better educated and more socially immersed place.

To book Mehndi by Tan for your corporate event contact me for a free consultation. We’ll certainly make it an experience to remember, and leave everyone talking about it for weeks after… after all the henna tattoo lasts just as long!

Peace out.

Tan
Mehndi by Tan
Manager & Senior Artist

m: +44 (0) 7845297363

Henry joined in and had a henna tattoo applied during his break.

This gentleman chose his own design, a warrior symbol.

Our work area, so quirky and airy with a relaxed ambiance.
Art work examples and inspiration.