Tara shah's rangoli is exquisite. Her work is so fine that she manages to give the jewel-like colours a life of their own. Her forte is free hand rangoli use dry powder colour as against the traditional dotstyle. Her style is immaginitive and is not limited by design.
     Say's Tara, "dotless rangoli is very popular in Maharashtra and Gujrat. Though there are around 20 strainght. colours available in the market, with practise you can blend hundreds of other shades too."
      The variety of rangoli she does is truly fascinating. They are mastrpieces. The intricate designs, the wide variety of themes, filigree work from the panels of forts, and palaces, shawl and saree borders, flora, fauna, gods, goddesses, legendary lovers, even persian carpct designs, come alive in her work.
       Since childhood, drawing rangoli was Tara's favourite hobby, especially during Dawali time. Over the year, she has become an expert and most of her works look like carpets.
      Here are a few tips from Tara on how to draw simlpe and exquisite rangoli for this Diwali.
* Sketch out the drawing with chalk.
* First fill the inside with colours, and then do the outline.
* You can use greeting cards for ideas. The pictures can be eniarged or traced directly on the     surface if desired.
*  Use index finger and thumb for colour filling. This is the traditional way, short-cuts will not give      you depth, blend and finish.
*  For large areas like the back-ground, colours can be filled in evenly, using a fine tea-strainer or     muslin cloth.
*  Use basic colours initially. Practise blending of colour as you gain expertise. Add white to     lighten a colour or a darker shade for a deeper colour tone, eg, white to red for pink and black     to blue for navy.
*  For childern experimenting with the dotstyle, dots can be made on a chart paper and holes     pierced through the dots. This paper can be placed on the rangoli area and coloured powder     poured over the pierced dots. when the paper is gently lifted, the dots design will be     transferred   to the floor.
*  Concentrate on simple designs and neatness. Regular practice will enable you to take on     more  complicated themes

For further guidance contact :
Tara shah, Santaru's Art Gallery,
1-2-385/3, Gagan Mahal Road, Domalguda,
Hyderabad. Ph.: 76 1351.

 Photographs of   Rangoli