CHENNAI: Be it the vibrant rangoli or traditional kolam, both are an integral part of Indian culture, and Vijaya Mohan stands tall bringing global recognition to the art. A Guiness Record Holder for drawing the largest rangoli on her own, Vijaya, of Singapore, was in the city recently when CE caught up with her.
Vijaya was initiated into the tradition as a toddler, growing up in her native Srirangam.
“My greatest inspiration is my mother, who first taught me how to do rangoli. I was three,” she recalls. “Even today at the age of 92, she goes through the motions and draws a rangoli outside our house in Singapore, each time a new design and symmetry!”
Vijaya works as a professional art therapist in Singapore, having migrated there in 1993. Though she was passionate about it as an art form, the thought of attempting a Guiness World Record only came to her by a quirk of fate. “Sometime in 2003, someone attempted doing a large rangoli 30 feet wide. Coincidentally, the name was very similar to mine, and several people called me to congratulate me! That’s when I realised I could attempt drawing the largest rangoli!”
She did her research on the previous records and understood how to attempt it. She then approached the local community club in Singapore for assistance.
“The Singapore government is very supportive of art and culture, so they helped with all the logistic for attempting the record. In fact, the Minister for Culture was present the entire time that I was drawing it!” At a size of 2800 feet completed in nearly seven hours, Vijaya set the Guinness Record for both the largest rangoli individually drawn, and the fastest time to comple it.
“Drawing rangolis and kolams has a lot of physical, psychological and emotional values, which helped me accomplish this feat,” she adds. “For example, when you do it early in the morning, oxygen level in the air is high.
You also bend and do it which gives you physical exercise, and blood circulation the brain increases. Pressing the thumb and forefinger together stimulates the chin mudra that activates your nervous system. Usually you are so engrossed in creating your designs that you forget all your problems!” she smiles.
Vijaya’s imagination has taken her to use different materials according to the suitability of the area where she is drawing the rangoli. “From cotton buds, toothpicks, spoons, forks, sawdust — you name it, I’ve used it! Since racial harmony is a big issue in Singapore, I’ve incorporated symbols from other cultures, and have made rangolis around them.”
She has also uniquely created the first weather-proof rangoli in 2005 where she used a special glue to help the materials stay in place for nearly two months! Her most recent one used nearly 15,000 marbles in a rangoli design. It’s not a surprise then that she has over 16 records to her name in the Singapore Book of Records.
She has used this principle in her work as an art therapist where she deals with persons with special needs, from kindergarten to senior citizens. “I realised they can communicate better through art, and it helps them develop recreational skills.”
She also uses art therapy to teach corporates how to manage stress. Her community work and designs are archived on her website and she also has Facebook page called Singarangoli.