Exhibition of portrait rangolis at Thane ends today

his is an annual feature wherein artists from across Maharashtra participate

Portrait rangolis of 24 well-known personalities from various disciplines including sports, politics and freedom fighters have been displayed at Kopri’s Vidyasagar Vidyalaya. These are made by experts who took three to four days to make them using rangoli powder. They are put up for public display till Sunday.

An artist gives finishing touches to PM Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah’s portraits at the exhibition. (Praful Gangurde/HT photo)

This is an annual feature wherein artists from across Maharashtra participate. However, this year it has been restricted to local artists only. Moreover, those visiting have to maintain social-distancing and wear masks to watch the wide display of portrait rangolis.

Vikas Gharkar, who made a portrait of legendary cricketer Kapil Dev, said, “This was the first time I attempted Kapil Dev’s portrait. It took me almost four days to focus on the minute nuances. I have been participating in this annual event for the last six to seven years and try to come up with a new portrait every time.”

Similarly, Yogesh Bhagane made a portrait of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah with the Rafale planes in the backdrop. “This has been in the news for quite some time now. To get Modi’s and Shah’s facial expressions right was quite a task,” added Bhagane.

Art lovers were in awe of these portraits. “To prepare one such portrait is a task and some artists have managed to make two portraits in a single image. That takes a lot of patience. I am in awe of their skill, creativity and talent,” said Anirudha Joshi, 45, a visitor from Kopri.