Artists add a dash of colour with 1,500sq ft chalk rangoli

Thane: A box full of chalk and a huge open plot is all that 40-year-old rangoli artist Umesh Sutar needs to bring his creative thoughts to life.
In just four hours, on Sunday, Sutar, along with 18 others between the age group of 18 to 58, drew one of the biggest rangoli’s in the city that covered an area of 1,500 sq ft at NNM society compound, in Kalwa. The design was a collage of issues relating to sexual harassment, child labour and Swachata Abhiyan.
Artists under the banner ‘Kalakar Rangoli Society’ came together to draw the rangoli. They are determined to revive the dying art and are working towards making the biggest chalk rangoli in the future.
‘‘Usually, one finds chalk rangolis of famous personalities. Many street artists make such rangolis. But not many people realize the effort that goes into it. Some stop by, take a look at the rangoli, appreciate it and then leave. No one offers any monetary help for the talent. This doesn’t benefit the artist. So, I am trying my best to revive the art and also seek contributions from organizations,’’ said Sutar.
Sutar has tried to do everything to change the attitude of people. Right from finding artists, convincing them, paying for the material, training them, everything is being done to gain public participation.
The group of artists, whose aim is to create a world record in the future, have turned to residents for monetary assistance after being let down by various officials. ‘‘We want our art form to be known by the world. The cost may run up to Rs 10 lakh, which includes the materials required, food and water for the artists. We earn a decent amount during Diwali and Gudi Padwa. However, on other days we incur huge losses.’’ Sutar said.