Art of Rangoli

Sand art I

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How to mix colours with sand?

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How to draw rangoli on water? (video in tamil)

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Rangoli on World Health Day 2010

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At Geetanjali Medical College,Udaipur,Rajasthan.

My Rangoli Art

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For making a Rangoli colours are sprinkled on hard boards( or clean smooth surface) with fingers and tea-sieve.While working on a rangoli picture, many of the rangoli colours are blended to get required shades.It is better to make some shades at the start of making any Rangoli because there may be difficulty in making the same shade again.Place should have good daylight if possible, otherwise good artificial light is necessary. Place should be free from insects and heavy wind because these may destroy rangoli.Glass of appropriate size to put over the frame is essential to prevent damage as well as it will increase the glaze of the rangoli.I made rangolis which vary in size from 5 cm x 7.5 cm to 36 cm x 300 cm.First of all a sketch is drawn with the help of glass marking pencil on a board or a smooth floor from a reference picture/poster (one can have his own imigination also).After that the rangoli powder is applied free hand in the way that it runs from the gap formed by pinching the thumb and the indexfinger.To cover the large area in one colour or in shades but without much details, colours can be passed through some mashed filter or sieve (used for tea or flour in homes).One can create the figures of celebrities, landscapes, still-life etc.To create the magic of rangoli artist needs 1-7 days depending upon the size and the details of a rangoli. We can not carry the rangoli so it should be made at the venue itself. Ideally a Rangoli painting should not be moved from one place to another while working on it and even after its completion, to avoid the distortion of Rangoli. Once the exhibition is over, all the rangoli powder comes down on the floor. I am making Rangoli since 1996. I made rangoli paintings of Mahatma Gandhi , Sachin Tendulkar , APJ Abdul Kalam , Monalisa, Madhubala , Aishwarya Roy, Shahrukh Khan, Manisha Koirala etc.I want to promote the rangoli art by exhibiting my work as well as by helping others who are interested in this form of art. Those who are interested in the rangoli art,they can contact me at my email: drraj49@gmail.com

Swastik Rangoli Kalakar Group

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Some of the finest rangoli artists made a group in Vadodara.Visit their site www.swastikrangoli.com for the most beautiful work.

How to draw rangoli on water?

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http://www.talkgirly.com/2007/09/22/water-rangoli/

My rangoli paintings 1

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Untitled (10 cm x 15 cm)

Untitled (45 cm x 90 cm)

Shahrukh Khan (40 cm x 60 cm)

Monalisa (40 cm x 60 cm)

Mahatma Gandhi (5 cm x 8 cm)

Madhubala (45 cm x 90 cm)

Aishwarya Rai (45 cm x 90 cm)

My rangoli paintings 2

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Rangoli in MGM Medical College,Indore,Madhyapradesh

My Rangoli paintings 3

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Some tips for rangoli making

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1.Before making rangoli clean the area of all the dirt.

2.Many shops that sell firecrackers during the festival of Diwali also carry stencils, moulds to make Rangoli. You can use these items.

3.You can use a design from a book of rangoli designs, available at book shops and stationary shops normally.

4. Rice flour, wheat flour, kumkum and haldi are used at the place of worship.Decorate the entrance of your house and place of worship.

5.Colouring the flour: You can colour the rice/wheat flour at home using food colours. Wet the food colour powder with a few drops of water and rub the flour in it till it is uniformly coloured but remember to wear gloves to protect your hands from getting coloured. Dry the coloured flour on paper, in shade before use.

Frequently asked questions related to Rangoli

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1.Do you fix glue before sprinkling the rangoli powder?

Ans.: No,it is not effective to preserve the rangoli.It shouldn't be done.

2.Can it be hanged on the wall as a painting?

Ans.: No,it can be kept horizontal only and without a movement .Trials are going on to fix the rangoli.

3.How long a rangoli can be kept safely?

Ans.: As long as it is not moved or invaded by insects or disturbed by air.

About Rangoli Art

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What is Rangoli?

Rangoli is a hindi word. The term is derived from words: rang (colour) and aavalli (row ) so rangoli is row of colours.It is one of the most popular and traditional art forms in India. It is not much known to the other countries . Traditionally, Rangoli is drawn usually in front of the house - doorway and around a holy plant tulsi (basil) on holy occasions and festivals (specially Deepawali). It is daily practice to draw some rangoli in front of the doors in south India.It uses different natural and synthetic mediums and colours(marble,sand,grains,sawdust,flowers etc.)

History of Rangoli

The origin of rangoli painting is traced to a legend recorded in the Chitralakshana, the earliest Indian treatise on painting. When the son of a King's high priest died, Brahma(Lord of the universe) asked the king to paint the likeness of the boy so that Brahma could breathe life into him again.It is believed that the first painting was made in this way.

The Chola rulers made extensive use of floor paintings. These floor paintings are known by different names in different parts of the country;Aalpana in Bengal, Madana in Rajasthan, Rangoli in Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra, Chowkpurana in Uttar Pradesh, Muggu in Aandhrapradesh and kolam in Kerala,Tamilnadu and Pondicherry . In Buddhist Mandalas, the reason for using powder or sand as a medium for creating rangoli is sometimes thought to be a metaphor for the impermanence of life and maya.

Rangoli patterns

The designs of rangoli generally includes geometrical patterns, with lines, dots, squares, circles, triangles; the swastika, lotus,fish, footprints (supposed to be of goddess Lakshmi), leaves, trees, flowers and animals.The colours used are derived from natural dyes (from leaves, indigo etc.) as well as synthetic dyes.The materials used for rangoli take on either a flat appearance, when a uniform monolayer of powders are sprinkled or three dimensional effect when different sized grains like cereals, pulses etc are used. For detailed work, generally the material is a coarse grained powder base into which colors are mixed.Coarse powder is used so that it can be gripped well and sprinkled with good control. The base can be sandstone powder, marble dust, saw dust or other materials. The colors generally are very fine pigment podwers like gulal/aabir available for Holi festival or colors specially sold for rangoli. Various day to day colored powders like indigo used for cloth staining, spices like turmeric,chilli, rice flour, flour of wheat etc. can be used. Powder colors can be simply mixed into the base or sometimes water is used to mix the colours & sandstone powder and then dried.Some fine filter mash (those used for flour or tea )is used to extarct the fine rangoli powder .Some artists can make the Rangoli which looks like a painting/ poster.(see the rangoli paintings in another post).Sprinkling powder by hand is a very laborious and difficult process but it gives immense pleasure to the artist after the completion of rangoli painting.

Rangoli competition at AV Medical College,Pondicherry

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Rangoli(by three students)-II Prize

Rangoli (by three students)-I Prize

Rangoli competition was organized on 4th Sept 07 at AV Medical College,Pondicherry during College Annual Function "Reflex's 2007".15 teams participated in the competition.