On my first day to Puducherry, I passed
by the Beach Road and was surprised to see the whole road filled with Rangoli
designs. There were more than 200 rangoli designs on the road. I was informed
that the Rangoli competition was held during early hours of the morning whereby 200 people had participated in this event. I thought I would
walk, later during the day and look closely at each design but by evening they
had all disappeared. People had walked all over them.
Rangoli (also known as kolam) is the
folk art, normally the geometrical designs made on the floor with colored sand,
turmeric, sindoor (vermillion), rice powder and sometimes flowers too. It is normally done at the entrance of the house. It is
considered very auspicious and believed to bring good luck and repel the evil
from entering the house. It also has a soothing effect on the nerves and when
made at the entrance of the house, it creates positive vibrations.
Some of the designs that I was able to
capture from my moving car….
