Durga Puja might have just passed but the festive season is still in full swing. It is that time of the year again when you sit with the brush and kharimati paste and think about designs to dress up your home and altar with alpona. While alpona is a must for many households in Bengal on auspicious days like Lakshmi Puja, this year we saw the some magnificent renditions of the traditional art on Kolkata streets as well — from Patuli to the Howrah bridge, alpona designs adorned the city during Durga Puja.
Originating in Bengal, alponas are motifs and patterns drawn on the floor or walls using rice-flour paste or kharimati (carbonate of lime). To inspire you with some new and some traditional alpona ideas for the festive season, here’s My Kolkata list of reels to watch for design inspiration.
Simple and traditional
If you are a beginner, not great with brushes, or don’t have much time on your hands then this design is perfect for you. going to give you a great start. Rupa (@ru.pa0000 on Instagram) has an easy design that can be made in a few minutes. A red flooring, like the ones we used to see in our old houses, will make for a perfect canvas for this traditional, easy yet beautiful alpona design. The ebay part is that it can translate to other things, so you can draw the pattern on a red chart paper and hang it as a backdrop to the asan or altar of the goddess.
Adorn your staircase
If you live in a space with multiple floors or have access to decorate the walk up to your flat, then adorning the staircase is often a great idea for the festive season. alpona on the staircase might seem a little complicated, but alpona and mehendi artist Suchanda Banerjee (@suchanda_banerjee on Instagram) has ideas for beautiful stairway artwork. Instead of just drawing Lokkhi paa, try this border design that will fit your stairs perfectly. If you are running short on time, you can even make it on every alternate stair. This will ensure a clean look without congesting the canvas.
Effortless and elegant
No time at all to spare to sit and draw an alpona? Or are you that person who is an admirer of art but can hardly draw a straight line? Well, this easy idea by Swayampurna (@lapetitchef on Instagram) can be your best inspiration. There is some drawing involved, but it is just as simple as drawing a few ‘S’ shapes for Lakshmi's feet. To make this effortless alpona look not-so-effortless, the author and food photographer has used festive accessories like flowers and diyas and the end result is a piece of art welcoming prosperity to your home!
Making it colourful
While white remains traditional, adding a touch of colour to your design is always an option. This make-up and chandan artist from Kolkata (@theartisticwoman_official on Instagram) added a subtle colourful touch to the massive alpona she made at her friend’s house. We love how the touch of yellow and green has made the traditional design even more vibrant, and if you want to have something a little different from the traditional, try this. The mandala-style design has all the traditional floral and kolka motifs, making it perfect to place at the centre of a room, in front of the altar or even outside your door.
The classic ‘laal-shaada’
Most of our modern homes have tile or marble flooring in white. The rice or kharimati used in alponas are from the time when homes had earthen or red oxide flooring, so why not switch things up while still keeping the Bengali feel. Instead of leaving behind the alpona and going for the more colourful rangoli, popular content creator Rohit Bose (@boseoninsta) opted for the traditional Bengali white-and-red combination with drawing a red alpona on white flooring by replacing the white kharimati paste with red poster colour. Poster colours are easily removable and manageable, and a great option for those who might have trouble handling the thicker paste with a brush. Add some candles or diyas, even some flowers and you have a beautiful artwork.
Spotlight on the owl
Some of us are obsessed with Lakshmi's vahan, the owl. Shifting the spotlight on the Lokkhi pynacha, artist Palash Adhikary (@paadhikary_07 on Instagram) has created a cute and aesthetic alpona featuring the goddess’s feathered stead. This alpona design is a perfect mix of traditional and modern, and might even help to get the kids interested in a traditional art form.This might need a deft hand with a brush, so take some time and make this a me-time activity along with dressing your home for Lakshmi Puja. You don't want to rush through this.
