YIPEEE! Festive season is ahead. Hey friends! Diwali is approaching. I hope you all have started purchasing new clothes, decorative items and last but not the least that is gifts for your loved ones.

'ATITHI DEVA BHAVA' it means guest is equivalent to god. So how about making god happy this Diwali? This diwali welcome your guests and loved once so heartedly that they remember their welcome forever.
Come on friends lets make our loved ones happy this diwali time.
Create a Rangoli
Rangoli is a traditional art and it is made near the entrance to a house to welcome guests. Traditionally they are painted or created out of colored chalk powder, rice powder or sand.
A symmetrical design or picture of god, goddess, earthen lamps etc is drawn and colored sand or rice powder is layered on the top to form a picture.

What you will need to create a rangoli?
Chalk (to make outlines), turmeric, dal (orange and yellow colored pulses) and colored dyes.

How to create the rangoli?
Choose a design that you want to draw. You may find the design from books and magazines or you may try to make your own design. Generally, rangoli designs are symmetrical and geometrical in nature.
The best way to try your own design is to make a rough design of the rangoli on piece of paper and color it using sketch pens to get an idea how rangoli will look. Wipe the floor with the wet cloth and let the area to dry. Now, with the piece of chalk, first draw the outline of rangoli design.
Now it's time to fill in the outline with rangoli powder, the most challenging part of the whole exercise. Pick up some powder with your thumb and index finger and fill in the design by rubbing the two fingers together and sprinkling the powder on the floor. Take care to sprinkle the powder carefully; don't let powders of two different colors merge with each other.
You may create spaces within the rangoli design to place diyas.

You could also use flower petals of different colors (golden marigolds, bright red roses) to add that extra dimension to your design. With a little bit of imagination, a dash of aesthetic sense and dollops of patience, you can create a piece of art that will add lots of color to your diwali celebrations.
- Ankit Chawla