Art is an icebreaker. It can help spark a conversation and introduce us to new ways of thinking. An Arlington woman is doing that with temporary art with her clients to share a cultural tradition they love.
Roshni Lakhiani's home studio is filled with drawings and henna supplies.
"It's a way to decorate yourself," Lakhiani said getting ready to give this reporter a henna tattoo. "I just always loved art."
Lakhiani and her cousin started a side business called Dallas Henna Chicks. She said she didn't always embrace the parts of her heritage that stood out growing up in Texas.
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"In my family, my mom wanted to keep that alive, our traditions alive, and it was a struggle with being an American and being Indian, especially since I wasn't born in India," Lakhiani said.
Now she celebrates those traditions.
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"I don't want it to die," Lakhiani said. "I think it would open our minds a little more to understand each other a little more."
Her henna art often sparks conversations about different cultures and religions.
"Different is not bad. Different is actually exciting and fun," Lakhiani said. "That's what I took a long time to realize. That my difference is not something that's, that's bad. It's something that's exciting to be proud of."
For Lakhiani, the art of henna tattooing is a labor of love.
"Now it feels like I'm free just to be who I am. Show my culture. Have my friends over for a Diwali celebration," Lakhiani said. "And they're excited!"
