Carnegie library program features colorful art of India

Instead of the fourth Thursday in November, India’s equivalent of Thanksgiving takes place in mid-January.

But don’t expect turkey and stuffing for the festival of Sankranti. Those who celebrate traditionally take a different dietary approach.

“They harvest fresh rice from the fields, and using that rice, they make a dish called pongal,” South Fayette art teacher Selva Priya Sahadevan said. “Early in the morning, when the sun rises, that’s when they make the dish, in front of their houses using a mud pot. Everyone on the street would come out to do that as a community. Since it’s warmer in India, that helps.”

Rice also can be used in the creation of colorful works of art called rangoli, usually decorating floors or areas near the entrances of homes to help welcome guests.

As part of Andrew Carnegie Free Library’s programming focusing on multiculturalism, Priya provided an opportunity for community members to produce their own rangoli while learning about the art form’s significance, especially in conjunction with the winter harvest festival in Tamil Nadu, her native state in India.

The evening before the cooking of pongal, she explained, the celebration features the making of rangoli.

“People show off all their creativity. It doesn’t have to be a pattern. They draw animals, birds. Some rangoli even have messages in them,” she said. “There is even healthy competition: Which rangoli is better, in front of your house or in front of my house? Then everybody walks around the neighborhood to see each one’s creations, and they also share the dish that they made.”

Those who make rangoli with rice are serving a purpose beyond the decorative aspect, as birds and other small creatures can feed on the grains.

“It’s not just about creating art and then just forgetting about it,” Priya said.” It is about coming together and feeling that positivity.”