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It is a family ritual to draw Rangoli in the patio or in the entrance of the house. My grandmother used to draw an intricate Rangoli design, filled with vibrant colors. I have seen her rangolis and helped her in it. As she was turning old day by day, her hands became shaky and it was getting difficult for her to put Rangoli. My mother took over my grandmother’s ritual. She used to draw Rangoli every morning in the patio. But it was not as beautiful as my grandma’s. On festivals, I used to force my grandma to draw Rangoli and I used to offer a helping hand. She used to take a lot of time, I used to just fill in colors that too suggested by her.
My mother’s two best friends were Tamilians. One of them used to draw majestic Kolams, once she started; she could keep drawing. They were so beautiful; I could keep watching her and her kolam full day. My grandmother also admired her art. My grandma said, “When Goddess Laxmi comes to our house, she should feel welcomed, when guests come to our house, they should feel happy. The Rangoli design in front of one’s house suggests the beautiful mind of the lady of that house.” In my mind, I used to think my grandma is crazy to think about all this.
I was bad at drawing, not only Rangoli but everything. I could not even hold a paintbrush; I am still the same. All I can draw is a flower, one circle in the center and five petals and I am done. That is my standard of drawing and all five petals are not even the same.
Ganeshotsav is a big festival for all Maharashtrians. We celebrate it for ten days. Ganpati’s idol is brought home and is worshipped, friends and families come over for prasad(food offering to the god). On the first day of Ganeshotsav, my mother-in-law asked me to wake up a bit early and put some Rangoli in front of the door. We stay in a flat in a building, there is not much space to draw Rangoli. She was not aware of the fact that I was terrible at Rangoli. I could not say no, I just told her that I don’t know how to draw. She said, “Take the white Rangoli to draw something and fill colors in it. It is ok even if you draw a flower.” I was relieved, that is easy, I thought to myself. I know how to draw a flower. I took a pinch of Rangoli powder in my hand, but it did not flow easily, my hand was trembling. I managed to draw a circle, five petals, and two leaves. I filled it with yellow, pink and green colors. I was happy with the outcome. I called my mother-in-law to have a look, she glanced it and smiled at me. I was content. My husband returned home from work in the evening and asked me if the neighbor kid who is in first grade drew Rangoli in our door today? “Hey, it took me a lot of effort to draw it, don’t say such mean things” I gushed on him. My mother-in-law handed him a glass of water and told him, “She will learn.” It meant a lot to me. I kept drawing rangolis on every occasion. I still can’t draw the traditional ones with dots or the intricate freehand designs. I found a route by using a sieve, beetle nut, pencils, pens, and earbuds. So, my rangolis now look like drawn by an adult, and my guests are happy to see my designs. I am not sure if Goddess Laxmi feels welcomed or not. But she comes home every first week of the month.
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The rangolis are beautiful
Thank you
This is wonderful writing and beautiful rangolis
Thanks a lot..