Rangolies are a tradition in most Indian households (mine for sure as we were growing up). Made from rice flour, vermilion, turmeric, and flower petals traditionally, these works of art are made from colored sand. Meticulously curated, these offer a window to the current socio-political ideologies that are gripping India and specifically Mumbai. Hosted during the 26th of November, it paid special homage to the 26/11 attacks that paralyzed the city in 2008.

This phenomenon was a Diwali tradition for us growing up, which abruptly stopped a few years ago. We still wonder with amazement that these are created with sand on uneven floors and not a painting on a canvas. Getting the skin tones and textures right is such a wondrous task, Just notice the mask. That is made from sand too! They had to instruct volunteers to tell visitors not to pick up and trash it. Talk about realism! The pictures don’t do justice to what you do on your screen!