Visual artist Santanu Hazarika designs his first ever mehendi art design for sitarist Rishabh Rikhiram Sharma

Santanu Hazarika, the multidisciplinary visual artist known for his striking artworks, immersive murals, and collaborations across fashion and music, has continually pushed creative boundaries with his distinctive visual language. From large-scale installations to experimental digital art, Santanu has built a reputation for blending contemporary aesthetics with cultural narratives. In a first, he has now stepped beyond his usual mediums to create a mehendi design marking an unusual and innovative extension of his practice.

He recently created a mehendi design for the renowned musical icon, celebrated sitarist Rishab Rikhiram Sharma, as part of his ongoing Sitar for Mental Health India Tour. The design features symbolic elements such as the trishul, serpent, third eye, and crescent moon, reinterpreted through Santanu’s distinctive visual style. Marking his first exploration into mehendi as a medium, the piece translates his contemporary aesthetic into a traditional format.

Executed by mehendi artist Sonam Istry, the design was unveiled during Rishab’s Mumbai performance. The collaboration also extends to an original artwork by Santanu, reimagining the musician through a mythological and modern lens.

This was shared by both Santanu and Rishab across social media platforms. Rishab said, “Stop playing with us, we on another level fam.” Santanu described the work as “Tripurantaka. Made a little mehendi design (a first for me) inspired from Mahadev’s iconography and elements.”

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