00:00I feel it is a beautiful, wonderful art. Everybody must learn, must do, because a lot of underlying factors, physically, emotionally, spiritually, psychologically.
00:11Why we do Rangoli? To bring in health, wealth and prosperity to the house.
00:16And when you do at the doorstep, people enter your house with different kinds of emotion, different kinds of feeling, happy, sad, sick, so many things.
00:25When you see the designs immediately, the colour changes, the mood, the brain, everything, you're bringing in positive energy into the house.
00:33So the whole atmosphere will be positive. So when you live in a positive atmosphere, you'll be happy.
00:41And then the people around you will be very, very happy.
00:43In southern India, we have to sweep the doorstep early in the morning, around 6 a.m.
00:56And then we have to create the design using rice powder.
01:00So my mother used to draw the design.
01:03So I got very attracted.
01:05So I used to get up early with her around 5.30 and then sit with her and see how she's drawing the designs, everything.
01:12So I started asking her, give me also a powder, I want to try.
01:17Rangoli is a very beautiful art.
01:19It changes your emotion, gives you a lot of energy and also it helps you focusing, helps you problem solving and helps you in arranging your mind, body, physically, mentally, everything, it's helping you.
01:35And if you really cannot do it, they can print it, colour it, colour gives a lot of energy.
01:41Rangoli is normally circular because it also implies the live circle.
01:48And then we start from the centre and expand the design.
01:51When you start from the centre, it helps you like calculation, approximating, estimation, spacing, so many things you are learning.
01:59And we do a lot of repetitive patterns.
02:02When you do the repetitive pattern, you are doing a lot of repetitive things in your life.
02:07You are able to analyse, learning this, how I was yesterday, how I am today.
02:12I formed the company only in 2015.
02:17It's a traditional design and contemporary material.
02:21Because nobody in the world is doing like that, it is something new and different, so I want to make it as a Singapore version of Rangoli, Singa-Rangoli.
02:31That is why I gave the name.
02:35Being in a multiracial country, I wanted to expand and expose the art to everybody in Singapore and around the world.
02:42And I have been practising it for the past 10 years.
02:47So I came to Singapore in 1992 and then I started realising that art form can be taught to everybody and then because very few people were doing Rangoli at that time,
03:03So I started doing it in community centres and museums everywhere.
03:08I found that during Deepavoli always rain in Singapore.
03:12So when you create design in hotels and other places, they didn't want the floor to get spoiled.
03:20So I started using, pasting the Rangoli.
03:27My husband is a chemical technology specialist, so he came up with the all-weather glue.
03:32So I experimented for one or two months, creating the design, putting in the rain, putting in the sun for some time and then found it's working.
03:40Then I started using those.
03:43From then onwards, the idea of Singa Rangoli started.
03:49Whenever they see my materials, always people say, wow, we can use with this also.
04:02Rangoli is normally done with powder, but Singa Rangoli is you can do with any material available in your household.
04:10No need to look for any material, you just need your time.
04:15It's a beautiful art and anybody can create it because it is not very difficult.
04:23I'm making Singa Rangoli.
04:28I'm using variety of materials.
04:31Small mirror, pong pong, bangle, sago, recycled water bottle, cover, ice cream stick and then toothpick.
04:40I'm going to use fork, cotton bud.
04:46With the orange, it's glowing, it is opening.
04:51Pink, pink makes you feel good, happy.
04:56The toothpick and the heart, your life is going to be very bright with the opening sun and the heart inside.
05:06Rangoli is based on nature.
05:09All these designs are typical Rangoli traditional designs.
05:21If you ask me, I won't call it business.
05:24It's a heritage.
05:26Our ancestors created this with a very, very beautiful and specific reason.
05:31It has got a lot of underlying factors.
05:33It is our Indian tradition.
05:36For every prayer, for everything, Rangoli is the starting point.
05:41We have to clean the house, create the Rangoli and then only we have to do any kind of prayer or whatever we do in our life.
05:51So that is very, very prominent, very important aspect of life.
05:54So it is our culture and heritage to pass on to other generations, younger people.
06:00And everybody must learn, especially Indians.
06:03They must learn, they must do it, they must know the significance.
06:06That is the tradition we want to teach them.
06:09Don't forget our own culture and heritage.
06:12I had challenges because whenever it comes to like financial funding, all those things, I found very difficult.
06:22And I don't like bargaining.
06:24When they say, I said, okay, I will do it.
06:26Please, don't ask like that.
06:29I am respecting the art.
06:31Ten people, hundred people are going to see that.
06:34And they will learn about this art.
06:36If they don't know, they will ask, hey, what is this?
06:39Why you have done?
06:40So all those exposure will come.
06:42I got this Stewards of Intangible Culture Heritage Award, National Award in Singapore, which I felt very happy and honored.
06:53And also I felt my art is appreciated.
06:57My effort is appreciated.
06:59By seeing this, many people will come forward to take up this and then do it.
07:04And my another is after I finished my Guinness World Record, because I did for seven hours continuously, nonstop.
07:11So I felt out of the world like.
07:14In 2010, I created a hanging rangoli in Esplanade.
07:18I did totally with gemstones.
07:20I did the 3D rangoli.
07:22They are clading like.
07:23So the clading I converted into peacock.
07:26And then the face I did with the plastic sheet.
07:292013, I rangoli with 65,000 recycled CD.
07:34I did with 60 organization.
07:36Then after that, I did with spoon, fork,
07:40typewriter chips.
07:42And then sawdust, wood chip.
07:45I did rangoli with 50,000 bangles.
07:48Not coming out.
07:51Yes, got it.
07:55Favorite part is creating rangoli with seniors.
08:00Once, when I worked with stroke and dementia patients, I did like a puzzle.
08:05They can create rangoli at the same time.
08:07They can play using the puzzle like a game.
08:11In Singapore General Hospital, I did with all the patients, doctors, walking in patients,
08:17and all the nurses, everybody.
08:19I had a counter for two months.
08:21I created around 400 pieces.
08:24Do different kinds of rangoli on plate, rangoli on acrylic sheet with them.
08:28And then decorate the wall of the hospitals.
08:31A few years back, I did rangoli with blind people.
08:35I really enjoyed working with them.
08:38They could not see the colors, everything.
08:41But they could touch, feel, and the way they assembled all the material, whatever I gave.
08:48It was very amazing.
08:49Like, they took a long time.
08:51But they were very happily involved in doing it.
08:58All these projects, I do with the people of Singapore.
09:02So whenever I come up with an idea, what I am supposed to do, I will experiment it.
09:08Then I will try it out in a small way.
09:11Because if I am going to give it to seniors, how the seniors can handle it?
09:15So I make it very simpler.
09:17I will try it out and then go to them.
09:19So minimum 40 to 50 organizations in each project.
09:22So will take part.
09:24And then I do the exhibition in various places in Singapore.
09:28Whenever any project finishes, I will think what next?
09:32How am I going to reach to people?
09:34How am I going to bring in so many people around?
09:37And then create this artwork.
09:40I want to expose more to younger generation.
09:43But in a way that they are connected to that this is Rangoli.
09:47This is done by Indians.
09:48So all those things, information, they will know.
09:51Exposure to the art.
09:52And then those who are very interested in art, they will try.
09:56Definitely they will try to do it.
09:58Because of the colors, because of the design, and the way we are doing it.
10:02Yeah.
10:03.
10:04I'm not doing it yet.
10:05.
10:06.
10:07.
10:11.
10:12.
10:16.
10:17.
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