Rangoli - Environmental Art Is Not New

My friend Nisha from southern India wanted to be a Rangoli artist, but her parents made her study economics and business. She could pursue her artistic career on the side but needed to make a priority for more "important" studies. I had never heard of Rangoli before.



In Indian cultures, a rangoli is an expression of hospitality especially associated with the Hindu Diwali festival where locals visit each other's homes to exchange greetings and sweets. They are fragile as they are composed of colored sand just laid in rhythms and motifs on floors and surrounded by candles. They are very impermanent but highly respected as an art form and as art objects. No one would dare set foot on a beautiful rangoli artwork.