"See this tattoo? In olden times this was our culture. When I got married someone came from the village to draw on my legs."
"They used soot from the fire mixed with oil and they drew out the design on my body. They would use a 5 needle and thread and with the top of the needle dipped into the oil and soot mixture they would stab my skin with the top of the needle."
"It would take a long time - nearly 2 days to finish the job. When they finished I used cow dung to kill the pain and clean off the blood."
"I then used water and oil to soothe the tender skin."
"For 5 days I had to hobble around. Using a stick to get to the fields. The pain was almost too much."

Fagni Tharu, Bardia