The festival of lights is here, and as important as the diyas that adorn homes, are the various beautiful rangoli designs that will soon be visible all over Ahmedabad.
The festival of lights is here, and as important as the diyas that adorn homes, are the various beautiful rangoli designs that will soon be visible all over the city. DNA tries to find out more about this art that has traditionally been passed down from one generation to another, and that interests the youth even today, just as it did several years ago.
The word rangoli is derived from the word 'rang' that means colour, and 'aavali' which means rows of creepers. In essence then, rangoli stands for colourful rows of creepers.
A city-based artist named Bindu Shah has been making rangolis every Diwali, since the last 16 years. She has participated in and won several rangoli competitions in the state, and nationally as well. "What's more, my son has inherited my love and flair of the art," she says.
Shah elaborates on the history and significance of rangoli. She says that according to a popular legend recorded in Chitralakshana, the earliest Indian treatise on painting, a king was severely distressed when the son of his high priest died. Since the king was a good and virtuous man, Brahma, the Lord of the Universe, asked the king to paint a replica of the boy so that Brahma could breathe life into him. Thus was born the first Rangoli ever.
Indian gods are often portrayed as colourful characters with a great appetite for life and all its joys, explains Shah. "Legend has it that one fine day, God happened to be in one of his extremely creative moods.
He chanced upon a mango tree and extracted the juice out of the fruit. Using that juice as paint, he designed a picture of a woman so beautiful that it put all the maidens in heaven to shame," she explains.
Shah reminds that while the rangoli has become an annual affair for most of us, in several Indian homes, especially those in villages, it is prepared all through the year. "However, it is a tradition to paint a rangoli at the entrance of one's home during Diwali, with unique designs and patterns. This is because it is believed that Goddess Lakshmi visits well-lit and well-decorated homes on Diwali, to bless the members," explains Shah, adding that this is why people make colourful rangolis. "The idea is to welcome the goddess and to usher in the new year with joy and warmth."
While traditional rangolis used natural colours and a host of
edible ingredients like rice, chilli powder, turmeric, cereals and pulses, today's rangolis are usually prepared with synthetic colours. Rangoli has often been credited as one of the most beautiful art forms in the world. Women in India learn to make rangoli from an early age, and the art is almost like a family heirloom passed through the ages.
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