About Richard

Richard At Work

Art By Richard

The late Johnny Two Thumb ( Richard's father);
Back in the forties when tattooing was at its infancy, Richard's father (the renowned late Johnny
Two-Thumb) made a gruelling journey from the steppes of Nepal through India and finally to Singapore. It
is through the journey where Mr Indra honed his skills and earned the reputation as one the proficient
tattooist of the region.
To his advantage, the 1950-60s saw numerous naval ships passing through the port of Singapore. This
saw Indra's art on the skin of sailors spreading across the globe.
Fondly called Johnny Two Thumb due to Indra "literally" having two thumbs, added a novelty to his trade.
Indra's skill had only one direction which was up.
The local press loved Indra or "Johnny" and heralded him as Singapore's local celebrities. Hereby Johnny
became an expect source on tattoos in the region.

Richard Tat (second son of the late Johnny Two Thumb);
The 1960-70s saw a sharp shift in what tattoos represented. Tattoos were associated with triads and
gangsters. This is where Johnny's protege came to being. Harka Bahadur (Richard) the second son of
Johnny was given the undesirable task of covering and removing these illegal tattoos from the limbs of
these triad members.
Day and night, Richard twiddled with his tattoo gun like a toy, capable of assembling and dismantling his
tools at such speed, Richard had the marks of a successful artist. Johnny saw the potential in Richard and
under his fond tutelage, Richard picked up the tips and tricks of his father.
The desire and yearning of Richard to learn more brought him to places such as Subic Bay in the
Philippines. Easily a proud artist of 1000's of tattoos on customers of different standings, these customers
have given Richard the trust in leaving his prestigious mark on their skin. They have in turn become close
friends of Richard.
Moving on his 40th year in tattooing, Richard is still constantly updating himself with new techniques and
skills. Featured many times in the press, documentaries and television programmes as well as a winner in
many competitions, Richard has definitely taken over the helm of his father.