Rangoli and creativity in times of Covid 19 with sakhis of Yavatmal....
Rangoli is synonymous with beautifully decorated designs on the floor adorning our courtyards or homes. It is an inseparable part in many houses. Tamilians are extremely familiar with this art form which is known as Kolam in Tamil. My father was an engineer in the railways and we were fortunate to live at Bhusawal in typically large railway quarters with huge courtyards. My mother's day would begin with sprinkling the courtyard with water and making a beautiful Rangoli or Kolam every morning. She would then proceed to make intricate designs in our prayer room. My sister not only learnt the art but also mastered it. I am always awestruck at her ease and precision in making symmetrical and intricate designs on festive occasions and cute little designs at their prayer place everyday. In contrast I can barely draw two lines and a flower whenever the occasion demands and shy away from it. Of course the beauty of any Rangoli has always fascinated me.
Rangoli are traditional, geometrical, hexagonal or circular patterns created on the floor or ground, sometimes even on walls and doors..They can be wet or dry and colorful. My mother used to tell me that rice flour was used to make Rangoli so that insects and squirrels could feed on them. With modern times chalk powder or other material are used probably overlooking it's original purpose. Chemical colours are also common now. Kerala is famous for it's Pookalam or Rangoli made with flower petals. The ones made during Onam are of special significance.
Rangolis are usually made during Diwali and other festivals. They are also believed to bring good luck and ward of evil. Each geographic region in India has it's own unique pattern and is also known by various names like muggu in Andhra Pradesh /Telangana, mandanaa in Rajasthan, alpana in West Bengal, chowk poorana in Punjab.
However I have always been fascinated by the
'Sanskarbharti' rangolis in Maharashtra, Their range of colours and expanse is fascinating. No wonder they have been commercially developed and are an important part of any big celebration.
All said and done the charm of traditional Rangolis will always remain and when it becomes a part of awareness creation of the current Covid 19 crisis its value multiplies.
I was spellbound to see the efforts put in by SHG members of about 1200 villages in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra to effectively use Rangoli for spreading awareness about Covid 19. Their creativity is increasing by the day as they made beautiful designs and included catchy slogans and messages in Marathi to spread awareness against Covid 19. The messages include some like Stay home stay safe, My health is my responsibility, I am my protector, Don’t leave your house otherwise Corona will come to your house, Wash your hands clean. Stay Clean and stay healthy, Follow the rules and Avoid Corona, Clean your hands for 20 seconds, Lakshman Rekha.
MSRLM works for the empowerment of women through self help groups and community based organizations. It follows the ten cardinal principles of Dashasutri. The sixth sutra pertains to health, nutrition and sanitation and the tenth sutra relates to sustainable livelihoods.
Yavatmal has 24095 SHGs, 1216 Village Organizations and 54 cluster level federations.
The mission provides strength to the members of the self help groups by supporting them to set up various livelihoods. Till date more than 44800 livelihoods have been generated in Yavatmal. These include sustainable agriculture, goatery, poultry, fisheries, floriculture and vegetable cultivation. SHGs women have also been proactively making face masks. Till date 1422 SHGs have made more than five lakh masks. They have distributed more than 3 lakh masks to senior citizens. In these trying times when managing one's life itself is a challenge it is really heartening to know that despite facing all odds of a downswing in economy, despite being restrained in their day to day living SHG women have come forward with such a novel idea to inspire themselves and the residents of their villages.
May the colours of their creativity fill their life with beautiful hues of joy and happiness.
Rangoli is synonymous with beautifully decorated designs on the floor adorning our courtyards or homes. It is an inseparable part in many houses. Tamilians are extremely familiar with this art form which is known as Kolam in Tamil. My father was an engineer in the railways and we were fortunate to live at Bhusawal in typically large railway quarters with huge courtyards. My mother's day would begin with sprinkling the courtyard with water and making a beautiful Rangoli or Kolam every morning. She would then proceed to make intricate designs in our prayer room. My sister not only learnt the art but also mastered it. I am always awestruck at her ease and precision in making symmetrical and intricate designs on festive occasions and cute little designs at their prayer place everyday. In contrast I can barely draw two lines and a flower whenever the occasion demands and shy away from it. Of course the beauty of any Rangoli has always fascinated me.
Rangoli are traditional, geometrical, hexagonal or circular patterns created on the floor or ground, sometimes even on walls and doors..They can be wet or dry and colorful. My mother used to tell me that rice flour was used to make Rangoli so that insects and squirrels could feed on them. With modern times chalk powder or other material are used probably overlooking it's original purpose. Chemical colours are also common now. Kerala is famous for it's Pookalam or Rangoli made with flower petals. The ones made during Onam are of special significance.
Rangolis are usually made during Diwali and other festivals. They are also believed to bring good luck and ward of evil. Each geographic region in India has it's own unique pattern and is also known by various names like muggu in Andhra Pradesh /Telangana, mandanaa in Rajasthan, alpana in West Bengal, chowk poorana in Punjab.
However I have always been fascinated by the
'Sanskarbharti' rangolis in Maharashtra, Their range of colours and expanse is fascinating. No wonder they have been commercially developed and are an important part of any big celebration.
All said and done the charm of traditional Rangolis will always remain and when it becomes a part of awareness creation of the current Covid 19 crisis its value multiplies.
I was spellbound to see the efforts put in by SHG members of about 1200 villages in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra to effectively use Rangoli for spreading awareness about Covid 19. Their creativity is increasing by the day as they made beautiful designs and included catchy slogans and messages in Marathi to spread awareness against Covid 19. The messages include some like Stay home stay safe, My health is my responsibility, I am my protector, Don’t leave your house otherwise Corona will come to your house, Wash your hands clean. Stay Clean and stay healthy, Follow the rules and Avoid Corona, Clean your hands for 20 seconds, Lakshman Rekha.
MSRLM works for the empowerment of women through self help groups and community based organizations. It follows the ten cardinal principles of Dashasutri. The sixth sutra pertains to health, nutrition and sanitation and the tenth sutra relates to sustainable livelihoods.
Yavatmal has 24095 SHGs, 1216 Village Organizations and 54 cluster level federations.
The mission provides strength to the members of the self help groups by supporting them to set up various livelihoods. Till date more than 44800 livelihoods have been generated in Yavatmal. These include sustainable agriculture, goatery, poultry, fisheries, floriculture and vegetable cultivation. SHGs women have also been proactively making face masks. Till date 1422 SHGs have made more than five lakh masks. They have distributed more than 3 lakh masks to senior citizens. In these trying times when managing one's life itself is a challenge it is really heartening to know that despite facing all odds of a downswing in economy, despite being restrained in their day to day living SHG women have come forward with such a novel idea to inspire themselves and the residents of their villages.
May the colours of their creativity fill their life with beautiful hues of joy and happiness.
Well scripted the salient features of tradition with the current pandemic situation.
ReplyDeleteVery nice writeup Vimala. Hats off to Yavatmal SHGS initiative. Great job.
ReplyDelete