HAVE you ever seen a design made out of rice- brightly coloured rice- at entrances and wondered what it was? That unique artwork is known as a Rangoli.
Simple to intricate designs are made in open spaces, particularly at entrances to homes and yards, using materials such as rice, dry flour, sand and petals. To add another dimension to the decoration, some might even add diyas, lights and other trinkets.
“The Rangoli is essentially a decorative artwork and it is done on festive occasions,” President of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha (GHDS) Dr. Vindhya Persaud explained.
In Guyana, these designs are often seen during the Hindu festivals (and National Holidays) of Diwali- the festival of lights, and Phagwah- the festival of colours. Sometimes you might see them at Hindu weddings, adding that splash of colour and creativity or at other functions.
So popularised the artwork has become that it is even used outside of Hindu festivals and functions.
When creating the designs, the rice, flour and sand are dyed with the colours of choice days in advance. You ought to be careful, the stains tend to take a few days to come off.
The actual process of creating Rangoli, however, usually begins with the creation of the outline of the design- often done with chalk. Some might use templates instead. Once this is done, the design is filled in with the differing proportions of the materials to create the designs.
These designs may vary from simple geometric ones to those illustrating the Hindu deities of Mother Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha. Other designs include flowers or peacocks. Some might combine all.
During the Diwali festivities in Guyana, the motorcades and diyas are some of the highlights of the celebrations. Rangoli is slowly becoming another integral part of the festivities. And that’s perhaps attributed to the GHDS and its countrywide schools’ competitions.
According to Dr. Vindhya Persaud, the National Interschools’ competition started just about four years ago with five schools participating. This year, the main competition featured 12 schools that formed 22 teams in all. Other competitions were held at the Sabha’s various praants across the country.
“For the festival of Diwali, we have introduced this because we see it as a good way to foster team spirit, have children and young people learn about each other’s culture and to also foster unity,” she said.
School children come out in their numbers and show off their creativity in making these designs. But by no means is the artwork limited here. You can be sure to find these at several homes and mandirs.
If you’re looking to complement the diyas and ‘fairy lights’ decorating your homes this Diwali, a Rangoli design is to perfect way to exploit your creativity. Who knows, it might even bring you some extra good fortune!
