Breathtaking rock-powder-made colourful rangolis, showcasing various facets of Mahatma Gandhi’s life, capture your eyes as you step into the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) at Janpath.
The unique exhibition, titled ‘Bapu in a multitude of colours’, will be inaugurated on Tuesday by IGNCA member secretary Dr Sachchidanand Joshi on the eve of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary being celebrated across the country on October 2. The creation will be on display till October 8.
As many as eight young artists from Konkan region are creating the artwork under the guidance of their septuagenarian mentor SB Polaji (78) , a native of Sindhudurg (Maharashtra). Around 20 portraits in dazzling colours showcase young Bapu, his role in the salt movement, as a barrister and in his several somber moods.
“Usually Rangoli, a popular folk art, is made in homes during auspicious occasions across the country. But I thought of using it as a medium to portray figures. This is our way of paying tribute to the Father of the Nation. IGNCA has provided us the platform,” said Polaji, who has taken the art to various India cities besides New York and Ceylon.
His students like Makarand and Ravi Kiran pointed out that making rangolis was their passion. “For livelihood, we have taken up other jobs,” they added.