When Akash Naik, a resident of Kavlem-Ponda, takes the stage to create a rangoli, it is not a calm mind but a more controlled environment that is required for his agile fingers to create a masterpiece. From water dripping down the hair of a toddler while having bath or the striking shade of yellow while applying haldi for a bride, his rangoli designs in the forms of portraits and even 3D pictures, makes one take a second glance at the work to confirm if it is a photograph, painting or really a rangoli created using a wide range of colours. His most recent rangoli that took the internet by storm was his tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.
Rangoli is a traditional Indian art form of decoration drawn on the floor or the entrances of homes using coloured sand or powder. It is believed to bring good luck and prosperity to the house and in the family and is often seen during Hindu festivals. Naik is taking this simple medium to a whole new level with his artworks and he is doing it quite marvellously. As a Class 11 student of Saraswati Higher Secondary School, Ponda, Naik had participated in a classwise rangoli competition and won the first place. He was so motivated by this win, that he went on to pursue his education in art by completing his Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in Sculpture from Goa College of Arts, Panjim. “My elder brother, Umesh Naik, is also a fine art student and he works beautifully with rangoli. I used to accompany him when he used to create rangolis at different venues. Being elder than me by a few years, I was always fascinated with how he could work with such a difficult medium,” says Naik, who later went on to win over a 100 prizes for rangoli competitions across the state.
Three years ago, when he was participating in a competition in Maharashtra, he noticed how other participants had a wide colour spectrum compared to his basic oxide primary colours. He didn’t want to be held back because of the colours so he sourced the new shades across the country. “I was using the colours that are easily available in Goa. I had the skills but I lacked the required colours. These hyper-realistic portraits require many colours which are pigment and lake colours. I now source them from Chhattisgarh,” explains Naik. He created rangoli portraits which were displayed at the International Film Festival of India and also won many prizes at the national level Rangoli Competition held at Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Working with the right colours is just one aspect of his work. Before one can see the perfect portrait, there are hours of patience and practise that goes into getting each detail right. “I study a picture or a photograph for hours, focusing on every small details and then practise it again for hours at my studio in Ponda. The most challenging part of the portraits is the reflection in the eye and the fine stray hair or hairstyles but that what makes it beautiful. I am always on the lookout for a good subject. Recently, young boys visited our home for Ganesh aarti and I clicked their photograph. I later used it to create a 3D portrait,” says Naik.
An art teacher for class 1 to 10 at Gurukul Academy School, Ponda, Naik even takes art classes for nearly 75 students at his studio where he trains them in rangoli and different mediums. Besides painting in mediums like watercolours, oil and acrylic colours, he even does sculptures with clay and metal. He was also into bodybuilding and represented his college in the national level senior category but once art took over his life, he has not been into the gym.
In 2018, his paintings and sculptures were displayed at the State Art exhibition held at Kala Academy, Panjim. For two consecutive years, 2021 and 2022, he has been creating the largest rangoli in Goa 5X5 meters for the Vasco Saptah at 1930 Mall, Vasco. He set the record by creating the smallest floating rangoli portrait of Sai Baba on honey for Asia Book of Records in 2021. He recently experimented with 3D rangoli portraits, all created in his studio. “From this year onwards, I won’t be participating in state level competitions as I want other participants to get a chance to win. It doesn’t seem fair for upcoming artists in rangoli if I keep winning. I have advanced in my skills so I will now only participate in national and international competitions. Rangoli has its roots in India and we have to work on creating a space for it on the world stage as well,” says Naik with optimism.
His newest invention is the technique of creating permanent Rangoli portraits which he has done successfully. “Earlier, rangoli was not given much importance. It would look beautiful for a few hours and then the colours would get merged with the wind and in the end it would be wiped off with a cloth from the floor. I want to show that rangoli can also be preserved for a lifetime. It is a new invention and I already created a portrait of Goddess Sarawati and a portrait of Minister for Art and Culture, Govind Gaude. Rangoli has a great future and artists will be able to preserve the powder colours with a glass on top. I am planning to organise an exhibition of all my rangoli portraits in frames which can be sold,” says Naik, who is grateful to his friends who share his work on social media and which helps reach out to a wider audience.
