Participants draw beautiful motifs on Mahatma Gandhi Road in Bhubaneswar during a rangoli competition. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, May 11: Though they once adorned houses or the tulasi choura (holy basil plant) on a daily basis, jhoti and chita, also known as alpana or rangoli, are today seen only during festive occasions. However, the traditional motifs adorned the Mahatma Gandhi Road on Tuesday, giving passers-by a pleasant and colourful surprise. It was not a religious festival. Cultural outfit Sanskar Bharati had organised a national-level rangoli making event.

The rangoli exhibition, which included participants from all over the country, saw men chipping in, even though traditionally women draw the patterns.

Along with older women, a number of young girls also showed their deftness in this traditional art form. The ethnic patterns were drawn on one side of the road, on the entire stretch from the PMG Square to the Master Canteen Square.

“We used traditional elements like rice powder for the initial white lay out. We were given the freedom to create the patterns using multiple colours,” said Susmita, a young participant.

The artists created traditional patterns, but also used modern techniques and attractive contemporary motifs with a rainbow of colours including pink, green, yellow, red and blue.

Some groups were seen creating huge peacocks, swastiks and other figures while others were busy drawing floral designs. Some also constructed the wet chitas (made with rice paste on a brown backdrop of clay).

“Though colours are not used always while drawing these patterns in Orissa, we added some to give the art form a new look,” said Prasant, a rangoli artist.

“We first prepared layers of different colours and then drew the patterns instead of creating the lay out first and filling it with colours,” he said.

Participants drew around 50 different patterns on the Mahatma Gandhi road early in the morning. The rangoli exhibition attracted commuters on the road.

“The art gave a decorative appearance to the otherwise drab road that is the main centre for protests and campaigns. Such a long stretch of creative art gives onlookers positive energy,” said artist Baladev Maharatha, who was present during the event.

The organisers said that the contest aimed to create interest towards the traditional art among different generations. “We wished to let participants enjoy creating the rangolis so that they cherish the art form. The participation was encouraging with about 100 contestants from different states such as Chhatisgarh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and so on,” said a member of Sanskar Bharati.