We demolished and rebuilt our 150 year old mansion for safe living in our hometown. On the occasion of the opening ceremony, we decorated our house to receive our guests. Rangoli played an unavoidable role in the decoration.

This particular style of drawing Rangoli is called “Sanskar Bharati Rangoli”. Sanskar Bharati Rangoli is a new style of drawing Rangoli, which emerged in Maharashtra in recent times. In this form of Rangoli, colored powder is spread out like a mat as a base, on which the Rangoli is drawn, using all five fingers; or sometimes a fist full of Rangoli powder. Wide arrays of nets are also used to spread colors in this style of Rangoli. In traditional Rangoli drawing, Rangoli powder is held in a pinch and lines are drawn on the floor.

Rangoli is an up-and-coming art of Indian culture. It is a precious cultural heritage of India. It is an art to decorate courtyards and prayer rooms for religious festivals. Rangoli is a pattern, which is based on geometric shapes and designs. It is a form of sand painting decoration using colors and finely ground white powder. It is a way to express one’s art, and at the same time brightens the mood of festivals or functions. The term Rangoli or Rangavali is derived from the words rang (color) and aavali (row of colors)! Previously, drawing Rangoli was mainly limited to the women and girls of the household. Nowadays even men are very interested in drawing Rangoli and sometimes it is seen that they do it better than women 🙂

A local artist drew this Sanskar Bharati Rangoli. It only took him 25-30 minutes to draw this Rangoli. Rangoli must have survived through the ages due to its universal appeal, transcending social barriers, and also in art form it can be easily adjusted to changing times. It is this flexibility that makes it a fine blend of traditional and modern art.

These culture colors take different forms and names in different states of India. For example, in Tamilnadu, Kolam is a form of sand painting that is drawn with rice powder. In Kerala, Pookalam is an art of upholstering flowers on the ground.