The Statue of Liberty measuring 26,000 square metres to be recreated with rangoli to break the Guinness World Record
As Nilesh Naik steps onto the tract of barren land near the wholesale fish market in Margao, memories of the last 15-20 days flash across his mind. For in those days, he has borne the harsh sun, untimely showers and unpredictable winds, all in an attempt to prepare
himself to achieve a feat that is not by any means easy. After removing the weeds and pieces of broken glass, all by himself, from the humongous area that is going to act as his canvas, Nilesh has done everything in the book to get rid of elements of doubt that have tried their best to demotivate him. He has even shooed away his friends and people who have expressed the slightest bit of disbelief in him to keep any form of negativity from deterring him. Following bouts of sleepless nights and numerous instances of self-motivation, Nilesh has now begun his attempt at the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest rangoli
pattern by recreating the Statue of Liberty, measuring a colossal 26,000 square metres, contrary to reports that his attempt would be sized at 10,000 square metres.
Nilesh’s first brush with rangoli art happened 15 years ago when he tried to replicate his painting with white
rangoli. Oblivious to the concept of colour rangoli, Nilesh used to use charcoal powder and sindoor for black and red colours respectively until another rangoli artist
introduced him to rangoli colours.
Talking about the task at hand, Nilesh says, “I have given myself 8 days to complete this rangoli, but I will try to finish it earlier. It requires me to carry on with this artwork tirelessly round the clock, in order to cover this huge piece of land with rangoli. I hope the winds and the rains show some mercy and don’t play spoilsport. Even if they do, I am undeterred from my commitment and I will complete this herculean task, no matter what!”
Equipped with approximately 15,000 kg of sand colour (and 20,000 kg more to act as a buffer in case he runs out), Nilesh feels that the winds hold the key to the amount of rangoli that will be required to complete the artwork. He says, “For the last four days, I have been studying the direction of the wind flow, humidity and other climatic conditions by spending most of my time here. If it rains, it will require me to use more colour to touch-up the disturbed artwork. In order to be able to continue with the artwork tirelessly, I have been testing my physical and mental strength by toiling in the sun for the past few days.”
Talking about his selection of the Statue of Liberty as a muse, Nilesh says that the initial plan was to draw
Bharatmata (Mother India), but that would not have
allowed an international audience to relate to it.
Internationally renowned figures like Mahatma Gandhi carried with them the risk of ‘politics’ interfering with his art. Having consulted friends and family, Nilesh decided to go with a figure that is internationally known and the Statue of Liberty seemed to match the criteria perfectly.
It has been said that the application of one’s mind is all that is required for success. Nilesh clearly believes in the same. Armed with only a wry smile, he says, “The idea is not to ‘try to break the record’ but to ‘break the record’ come what may. I have taken it as a challenge and there’s nothing that a Goan cannot achieve in this world.”
A man of many arts
– An artist known for his almost-real looking paintings, Nilesh’s yearning to experiment made him foray into the world of rangoli art
– After getting hooked onto his new-found
interest in the art of rangoli, Nilesh
participated in competitions all across Goa and continues to do so till date
– With a knack of creating rangoli under water and even on the surface level of water, Nilesh also possesses the skills required to create
3D rangoli
Colourful history
– Nilesh Naik first held a Guinness World Record for the first time in May 2008 for the largest rangoli pattern. Designed to be a
portrait of Shivaji Maharaj, the artwork
measured 4,900 square metres at Murda Ground in Tiswadi
– In 2011, his record was broken by Prajapita Brahma Kumari’s Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya, Ahmedabad. More than 2,500 students and members of the Brahma Kumari youth wing created a pattern that spread across 9,028 square metres, using 19,000 kg of rangoli
– Nilesh initially planned on attempting
designing a rangoli pattern of 10,000 square metres last year, until 500 students at the NCL stadium, Jhingurdahin Singrauli made a
rangoli pattern measuring a mammoth 22,863 square metres, using approximately 50,000 kg of rangoli in a record time of 2 hours
– With grit and determination, Nilesh now plans on single-handedly attempting to break the existing record with a rangoli pattern that will measure over 26,000 square metres
– His attempt at this herculean task began
yesterday, May 12 and will continue for
approximately the next 8 days where Nilesh will tirelessly continue to complete the pattern of the Statue of Liberty around the clock, the only breaks lasting for about 10-15 minutes
