Highlights
- This Diwali has been quieter but the spirit remained undampened.
- Traditional food, clothes, lighting lamps and making Rangoli designs were the highlights.
- Ms Manju Singh created an ode to her mother in the form of Rangoli.
This Diwali has come and slowly slipped by, on a quieter note.
Given the current restrictions, most people spent Diwali with their near and dear ones at home.
While food and clothes form the highlights of these festive days, the lamps brought back memories.
Memories of those who are far away and remain separated due to border restrictions, or the keen memory of those who will never return.
Moved by the memories of her late mother, Sydney-based Manju Singh, who works as a Marketing Manager paid a soulful tribute to her mother in the form of an ode in Rangoli.
Most Rangoli designs in Sydney were truly beautiful, vibrant in colours, surrounded by diyas (clay lamps) and followed the traditional geometrical designs, flowers, and peacocks.
Manju Singh’s Rangoli of a lady in a sari with a gajra (flower garland) wound around her hair bun stood out and has been admired by thousands.
“This year was marked extra special as it was 20 years since my mother passed away - she passed away two days before Diwali in 2000. I wanted to make it a special remembrance Diwali,” Ms Singh says.
Manju’s mother was 44 when she passed away and Manju herself is 44 this year, which made her stop and ponder over life.
“I thought of making a rangoli with my mum's favourite colours and style- alpana that you make with rice flour mixed with water.
"The second option was to make a rangoli symbolising her favourite saree in pink.
"I was just browsing through YouTube for some pink rangolis when I saw a design with a woman overlooking a rangoli and that was it. I had my mum's visual right in front of me. That visual was always there but it was surreal to see something similar in a rangoli,” she says.
Manju began work on the design on Friday on Chotee Diwali.
Rangoli in the making by Sydney-based Manju Singh Source: Supplied by Manju Singh
“I got straight into it with whatever I had at home, mixing few colours here and there and in almost 2 hrs and 50 minutes I had actually finished making my rangoli... believe me it turned out even better than what I had visualised.
“My biggest fear was - what if I'm not able to pull it through - the way it’s in my head but I don't know what force brought it all together,” she says.
“Only when I stood back and saw the final piece, that I was overcome with millions of emotions and the feeling of losing someone special as your mother became very raw,” she says overcome by emotions.
Manju concludes by saying, “it would have never been possible without the support of my husband who gave me 200% support.”
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