“In the old days, when girls of my age were young, a man from India would come and do these tattoos in our bodies. When my friend was being pierced, I could see tears in her eyes because of the pain and I remember being afraid as I was next. That night I couldn’t sleep. The next day I asked my mother why I had to get the tattoo. She said, “Who will marry a girl without a tattoo? No one will take you unless you have them.” I never understood that. Later I also learnt that in our culture tattoos were also a worship to nature. We don’t take anything with us when we die, but I will take these tattoos. It is like a gift of this life and this nature for me to take to my afterlife.” (Thagani Mahato, Meghauli, Chitwan)