Archive · 7 Sep 2026
Indian Engineer Shares US Mehndi Side-Hustle Earnings Online
Priyancka Jaiin works as a software engineer in the United States.
She also earns money by making mehndi designs.
She said her mehndi work pays about $100 for each hour.
Customers sometimes give her tips of up to 20 percent.
A long wedding booking can earn her close to Rs 1 lakh in one day.
She said people in the US respect her work as an artist.
She also explained that living costs there are high.
Her video became very popular online, and people debated whether society respects creative jobs enough.
Priyancka Jaiin, a software engineer in the US, also works part-time as a professional mehndi artist.
She said she charges about $100 per hour, or roughly Rs 9,000 to Rs 10,000, for mehndi designs.
Clients may add tips of up to 20 per cent, while a 10-hour bridal booking can bring nearly Rs 1 lakh.
Jaiin said artists and creative professions are more respected in the US than mehndi artists are sometimes in India.
Her Hindi-language video received around 10 million views and prompted debate about how different professions are valued.
- Who
- Priyancka Jaiin, a full-time software engineer and part-time mehndi artist.
- What
- She shared her earnings and experiences from doing mehndi work alongside software engineering.
- When
- The timing of the post is not specified; the video later received around 10 million views.
- Where
- The work and experience described are based in the United States, with comparisons to India.
- Why
- Jaiin wanted to explain the income from her creative side business and how artists are treated in the United States.
Creative Work Is Valued
Traditional Career Expectations Persist
Respect for mehndi artistry
Creative Work Is Valued
Jaiin said she feels respected as an artist in the United States and does not feel that mehndi is lesser work.
Traditional Career Expectations Persist
Some social-media commenters said society often considers a government job the only truly respectable profession, even when it pays less.
Income potential
Creative Work Is Valued
Jaiin’s account showed that mehndi artistry can generate substantial earnings through hourly work, tips and bridal bookings.
Traditional Career Expectations Persist
Another commenter suggested that artists in India might have earned much more if their work had been valued similarly.
- Person
- Priyancka Jaiin
- Full-time job
- Software engineer
- Part-time work
- Professional mehndi artist
- Hourly rate
- About $100, or roughly Rs 9,000 to Rs 10,000
- Potential bridal booking
- Nearly Rs 1 lakh for a 10-hour wedding assignment
- Tips
- Clients may offer tips of up to 20 per cent
- Video reach
- Around 10 million views