In front of the house is one of the sacred and age old secret phenomena of Intention. In most parts of the south India, one would find the finest and an artistic drawing decorating every house at the front entrance. These drawings are not just merely a decoration, but it has a lot more significance to this practice. These designs, decorations and patters are called RANGOLI.
In the olden days, they used pure rice flour to draw such art. It was a kind of feeding the insects, specially the ants of all sorts that will get its days food from these drawings. Thus, they prevented these ants from entering their home. These sorts of drawings also proved the talent and creative imaginations of the house ladies. It is also a good exercise to women, not just to the body but to have an alert and active mind. It reflects a woman’s nature, her recording patience, creative values, and changing mood elevations!
In olden days, before drawing the rangoli, the place is cleansed with a mixture of Cow dung and water, and then put the rangoli. This is in a way acted as an anti-bacterial agent. Though this practice is not continued in big towns and cities, one can see it in the remote villages and interior places.
The importance of having a rangoli in front of every house explained a lot of things about that family’s traditions. These drawings would be absent only at the homes, where some one has passed away; they used to mourn for one full year for the departed soul, and the absence of a rangoli is an indication for visitors.
Coming back to Rangoli; it is nothing but spiritual distribution of colors. If you look back at the designs of the Rangoli then you can see most of them used to maintain Symmetry in their design. Which means left and right side of the Rangoli always look similar.
Symmetry of the Rangoli brings undivided attention. In other words the moment you pass thru Rangoli you are disconnected from the past and future. You are forced to remain in present. If you are entering a house then you feel good to enter a house and if you are leaving a house then come you out in a good mood. Rangoli is subtle art of influencing you to stillness. In marriages, Deity festivals, Religious celebrations, Rangoli plays very important role in India.
Having known so much about the concept of Rangoli, let’s learn how to draw some easy, simple and attractive rangoli patterns through the video clippings.
This pattern could be done easily with artistic and free moving hands.
Rangoli using dots: 7 to 1

This pattern depicts a good hand and eye co-ordination.

This pattern is a quick test to your concentration and learning.

This simple and attractive pattern could decorate your walls and give the much appreciated traditional / folk look.

This is a smaller version of a border pattern which could be extended as needed.

Here we are learning smaller patterns which are easy to draw.

Dotted Rangolis are not only attractive but they symbolize lot of things like this one which depicts a cluster of 4 garlic’s.