10 Unique Rangoli designs that will leave you mesmerized

Diwali is a celebration with unforgiving sweets, warm get-togethers and endless saaf-safai. While everyone at my home blends with the Diwali-eve preparations, I remain glued to my porch making Rangoli. My tryst with Rangoli dates back to my childhood. I have seen my father making impeccable designs that looked no less than a real carpet. Even though I could never match his perfectionism, but creating my own unique designs brought me immense joy.

For the last few years, I have set one-new-idea-every-Diwali trend. Every year, I use a unique medium in my artwork. So far, I have included broken rice, saw dust, pearls, mirrors, broken CD plates, terracotta lamps, sand, flowers, paper, fabric, bamboos and jute in my designs. Here is the collection of my Rangoli designs that I have arduously made over the last ten years.

2011: Rice Rangoli

This Rangoli is made out of broken and colored rice! The rice was first ground to the desired size, colored and then dried before using them.

2021: Saw-dust Rangoli

This Rangoli is made out of colored sawdust. The saw dust was first colored and dried under sun to get the vibrant colors. The center piece of the Rangoli id made out of mdf board; which was cut into desired patter, colored and embellished.

2013: Blaze Rangoli

This artwork involves terracotta lamps as a unique element for this Diwali's Rangoli. The hand-painted and embellished lamps added spark to the sand art, thereby marking the festival of lights!

2014: Mirror and Pearl Rangoli

Rangoli art made with mirrored leafy border, pearl-embellished Ganpati in the center and hues of yellow and orange sand dust background!

2015: Sand Rangoli

This Rangoli was made using the Rangoli colors available in the market. The mirror and pearl adorning the saree and dhoti added the sparkle to the art.

2016: Flower Rangoli

This Rangoli was made using marigold flowers! Upcycled my 2nd year's wooden Rangoli cut outs and embellished them with the marigold flowers to create this art!

2017: CD Plate Rangoli

This year's Rangoli used CD plates that were broken into desired shapes to go into the floral mosaic.

2018: Paper Rangoli

We literally took this Rangoli a level up. On walls this time! Peacock symbolizes beauty, love and passion - perfect making year's theme! The vibrant feathers of this peacock are made of colorful chart paper and folded in a way to create depths.

2019: Fabric Rangoli

I have been brainstorming ideas to incorporate fabric as a part of my Rangoli art! Used cotton dori - dyed them in different colors- quilled them into patterns to create this peacock.

2020: Bamboo Rangoli

This year's theme revolved round my newly discovered craze for bamboos! Used the raw bamboos- cut them in various sizes- drilled patterns in them- arranged them spirally and, voilà: the bamboo art piece that I couldn't stop admiring!

2021: Best out of Waste Rangoli

Made this best-out-of-waste Rangoli using recyclable materials like haystack, jute, cardboard boxes, crayon shavings, plastics, newspapers, fabrics and plastic bottles. The creation present here is the result of mother-daughter late-night crafting, ideas bombarding (and rejecting), persistence and dedication towards "our" one-new-idea-every-Diwali trend!