18-year-old Hiya Agarwal races towards completing 100 tattoos by September while preparing for national tournaments.
Balancing the creativity of tattooing, and the athleticism of playing frisbee is not something we hear of everyday. Meet Hiya Agarwal. She’s an 18 year old tattoo artist, and ultimate frisbee player from the heart of Pune. She’s been tattooing for 2 years, and her goal is to finish 100 tattoos by this September.
Tattooing
Unschooling emphasises learner-chosen activities as a primary means for learning. It rejects traditional schooling methods, instead allowing children to follow their own interests and curiosities. The idea is to let children learn best when they are motivated by their own passions, rather than being directed by a set curriculum or teacher.
Hiya has been unschooling since the 5th grade. She explained that most of her day was free with the lack of school, but she didn’t have enough money to spend on her hobbies. “My dad used to give me pocket money, but it was like, 10 bucks a month,” she said, jokingly.
Her friend’s father was a tattoo artist, and she was fascinated by it. More so, because she was already into art. She wanted to give it a try, but her mother was against the idea. It took Hiya two years of insisting for her mother to let her do a 6 month course.
Hiya’s first tattoo was on her dad. She doesn’t consider it her first, saying it was too small. Her second one happens to be her most memorable one. It was an owl tattoo that she did on the client’s forearm. “I was nervous, because it was my first real tattoo, but it turned out well.”
A lot of people choose to ask their tattoo artist about where they think the design would look best, along with the size. The process of getting a tattoo depends on the person getting it, but Hiya mentioned she prefers original designs. It’s easier to have a conversation about the specifics while adding the final details.
Hiya turned her bedroom into a home studio when she started getting more clients. “Right now, it’s a mess,” she laughed. It’s decorated in grey and black to match the aesthetic of tattooing.
Ultimate Frisbee
When Hiya used to go to school, she used to play plenty of sports, even holding a black belt in karate. The pandemic took away her opportunities to continue any of them. Someone in the unschooling community introduced her to playing frisbee as a sport, and that’s where the journey started. Playing frisbee and being a tattoo artist fit well together for her. “People in sports love getting tattoos.”
Hiya is currently studying for her 12th grade exams, and learning to drive. With the national ultimate frisbee tournaments right around the corner, she described her schedule as chaos. Despite her packed schedule, Hiya remains optimistic about the future. “Five years from now, I’ll be a year out of college and maybe out of India for my master's degree. Hopefully, I’ll have played in some international tournaments and represented India. Tattooing would probably be more of a side hustle.” Hiya's passion for sports continues to drive her as she aims to pursue a bachelor's degree in sports science.
With her unique blend of creativity and athleticism, Hiya Agarwal is set to make her mark both on and off the field.
Written by Zainab Wani
Zainab wrote this article as a participant of the Media-Makers Fellowship's July'24 cohort.
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