The pathway to stunning designs

One of the busiest shopping hot spots of the City, Commercial Street, transformed into a canvas as 100 women from across the State took part in thefinal round of Ranga Rang, organised as a part of the ‘50th Bengaluru Ganesha Utsava’ (BGU), by Shree Vidyaranya Yuvaka Sangha.

The women were celebrating the traditional art of rangoli. The top 100 finalists were shortlisted on the basis of the preliminary competition held at Malleswaram Grounds a fortnight ago.

Curious onlookers were keen to catch a glimpse of the rich, ethnic designs that adorned the street. Eminent personalities from the field of art and culture like artiste B K S
Verma, Kannada film director Suri, film and television actor Rajesh Nataranga of ‘Just Math Mathalli’ and playback singer M D Pallavi judged the top 100 designs.

In an endeavour to commemorate this ancient art form, Shree Vidyaranya Yuvaka Sangha, the organisers of BGU, have envisaged Ranga Rang — a unique platform that has celebrated the talent of women across the State over the years.

The winners of the contest will be announced on September 27 at the 50th Bengaluru Ganesh Utsava through a special presentation. The winner will receive 100 grams of pure gold from a well-known jewellery store in the City.

 The first and second runners-up will win 50 grams and 25 grams of pure gold respectively.Elaborating on this one-of-its-kind initiative, S M Nandish, managing trustee, Shree Vidyaranya Yuvaka Sangha said, “Ranga Rang has nurtured the artistic talent of the women of Karnataka and we are overwhelmed by their participation this year.

The quality of designs, use of colours and overall finesse have left the judges speechless.”Singer M D Pallavi said, “It was a sheer treat to see so many beautiful designs being showcased. Judging Ranga Rang has been both a pleasure and a challenge owing to the impressive designs that were displayed. It will be a tough decision to announce the top three designs.”

The rangolis on display were a true representation of Indian culture and tradition. The colours were bold and Indian motifs stood out beautifully in all the designs.

Heritage and history, Ganesha and diyas were the central theme in most of the rangolis.
Apart from that, there were geometric designs and Indian patterns, which were used creatively by the contestants. Once the finals were complete, Commercial Street was open to the public to view the designs.