The grey rangoli

Children, the Annual Rangoli Contest is next week,” said Ms Subha to her students. “Put on your thinking caps and come up with creative ideas. The best rangoli wins a prize,” she added.

“The rules are simple. Make groups of four. No less, no more. You can use anything to make the rangoli. And the most important rule: your rangoli should convey a message,” she added.

“Oh, how I dread this contest. Hope no one asks me to join their group. How should I get out of this problem?” thought Ranga, a student in Ms Subha’s class.

Ranga’s school organised the rangoli contest every year. Every year, the theme of the contest was different. The school corridors would be abuzz with chirping students, hard at work to create the best rangoli design. And the floor of the school corridors would turn into a colourful carpet.

The children looked forward to this contest. They enjoyed admiring the beautiful designs created by fellow students. But Ranga did not enjoy the contest very much. It made him very anxious. He was a great sketch artist and loved black, white, and grey. But colours, not so much.

“Ranga, we are in high school now. You have avoided this contest for so long. You must participate this year. With you on our team, we are sure to win,” said Ranga’s classmate Hast.

“Exactly. We don’t understand why you refuse every year. Wonder what you fear?” asked Chitra and Kala, Ranga’s friends.

“Sketching is my thing and not rangoli. Please find someone else to join your team,” said Ranga. But Ranga’s pleas seemed to have no effect on his classmates.

And that was it. A permanent solution had to be found. Ranga decided to talk to Ms Subha. “Subha ma’am, I don’t want to participate in this contest. But everyone is forcing me. Please help,” said Ranga.

“Dear, why don’t you give it a shot? Add your spin to the contest. Use your creativity,” said Ms Subha.

“But then everyone will know. I do not want my secret to blow. They will know that my world is grey. All my friends think that I like sketching, but they don’t know why,” said Ranga, concerned.

“Ranga, do you know that rangoli is not just about colours? There are so many kinds of rangolis,” said Ms Subha.

“Yes ma’am. My Amma makes the rangoli with rice flour paste,” said Ranga.

Ranga had a rare condition called Achromatopsia (an inherited form of colour blindness). This made his world white, black, and grey. It made him sensitive to light. It affected his eyesight too. He had hidden it from his friends. Who would believe it if he shared that he could not see any colours?

“Your friends will be supportive. Why don’t you use your rangoli to spread awareness about colour blindness?” Ms Subha added. Ms Subha’s encouraging words motivated Ranga. He decided to participate in the rangoli contest.

“Friends, I am ready to participate. I have also thought about the design,” said Ranga.

“All of you, please bring different coloured powders. And try to arrange white, black, and grey powder too,” instructed Ranga.

“Black and grey? In rangoli? Is our rangoli about climate change and pollution? That is super cool. We are sure to win the contest,” said Chitra excitedly.

Ranga smiled. “You will know soon. Just wait until next week,” he added.

The day of the contest had arrived.

Everyone was happy to see Ranga participate finally.

“Students, your time starts now,” said Mr Jagan, the art teacher.

“Ranga, what are we making? Tell us now at least,” asked Ranga’s friends.

“We will make a rangoli which shows how one sees the world. It will be a simple garden scene divided into two halves. One half will be colourful, just like you all see the world. And the other half will have only white, black, and grey,” said Ranga.

“That is an interesting idea, Ranga. How did you think of it?” asked his teammates in unison.

“Friends, I see the world in white, black, and grey. I cannot see colours like you do. This is called colour blindness. There are many kinds of colour blindness,” explained Ranga.

“Oh, so that is why you are comfortable with sketching? Thank you for sharing,” said Hast.

“Yes. I feel comfortable with sketching. It does not use too many colours. I have requested our science teacher to explain more about colour blindness. But enough chit-chat. Let us get started with our rangoli. We will call our rangoli the Grey Rangoli,” said Ranga.

Ranga and his team’s rangoli stood out amongst other designs. And his grey rangoli was judged the best. Ranga was very happy. He had finally spread awareness about why his world was grey. He had also gotten over his fear of the rangoli contest.

“So Ranga, will you continue to participate in the rangoli contest?” asked Ms Subha.

“Yes ma’am. It is a fun way to come together and spread awareness. I think I will participate every year from now on. Thank you for the encouragement,” said Ranga contentedly.