The weather god kept the organisers on the tenterhooks as a rangoli contest got underway under an overcast sky at the Mangaldeep island in Action Area II on Diwali-eve. The installation called Mangaldeep, created by architect Prabir Mitra, formed the backdrop of the Mangaldeep Diya Utsav, organised by the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA), which was in its sixth edition.

“Please do not even mention the rain. We are all praying for the next three hours to remain dry,” Meghna Pal, the administrative officer of NKDA, pleaded on hearing that it had started drizzling near the New Town bus stop.

The contest was taking place, as usual, in open air inside the fenced-off island, where 4ft by 4ft squares had been created. Each team of three members would have to create their rangoli on the theme of festival inside the allotted square.

In one case, it was a lone figure who was toiling away on a rangoli. It was Shyamali Pal, who would be 70 this December. “I learnt of this contest in our block WhatsApp group. My neighbours helped me enroll online. I stay alone, so I thought this would be a cheerful way to spend the evening. The materials are being supplied free. The only experience I have is drawing alpona, which is a slightly different skill, nor can I bend properly to work on the middle of the square so I have no high hopes. The box of snacks they have promised to participants will be my prize,” said the silver-haired lady, who was full of admiration for the work of “children” in other teams.

There was one participant who indeed qualified for the term. It was eight-year-old Adrita Chakraborty. The BE Block girl had come with her mother and confidently explained to the judges that she had drawn a flower in her rangoli in (Dutch painter Vincent) Van Gogh’s style. The girl, her mother Asmita Gupta said, wanted to participate as she had memories of her parents taking part in the show in 2022 where she was even smaller. Such was her enthusiasm that she had come for the sit and draw contest happening simultaneously and on her way out, insisted on joining the rangoli contest, however late. The organisers allowed her to compete as the 16th team.

Dubai resident Rwituja Chowdhury was back home at Greenwood Sonata for Diwali and came to take part in the contest with mother Mita Chowdhury and neighbour Pinky Baral. “I am home during Kali puja after seven years,” she said. A lot of thought had clearly gone into their rangoli. “That’s Biswa Bangla Gate at the centre of the India map. Above it is the new Ram temple in Ayodhya where Diwali will be celebrated for the first time,” she explained.

Alaka Abasan had created an interesting representation of Kali as Krishnakali, in the flute-playing avatar of Krishna.

The mother-son duo of Moonbeam Housing Complex, Mousumi and Swarnabha Das, who used to be fine arts students, had created the face of Kali inside a hibiscus. They were helped by their neighbour Rusati Das. Their effort got them the third prize.

The runner-up was the team of A.K.M. Ainal, Bijay Majumdar and Mitali Sarkar Das from the New Town fringes while the winners were school teachers Sujata Majumdar of Akankha and Saheli Mitra of Highland Woods. Majumdar, who loves to draw, reached out to her colleague to form a team. “We had entered the contest quite casually. So when the third and second prizes were announced, our hopes ebbed. It was a great surprise to be named winners,” she said.

The sit and draw was insured against the weather, happening inside the underpass. There were three age-groups — upto seven years, from eight to 12 years and from 13 to 16 years. While the tots were free to draw anything, the older age groups were given themes of “your city” and “festival of Bengal”.

Ayog Palit, 12, had spilled green water colour over his sheet while drawing a cityscape. “I asked him to make it a green patch,” said his mother Mamata who was at hand. She had another charge, her niece Samriddhi Roy. The 13-year-old from DD Block used till the last moment to put finishing touches to her submission on women celebrating Diwali. Her sincerity paid off in the form of the first prize in her group.

Judge Ashoke Mullick, a resident of Utsa Luxury, was impressed with the standard of the entries in the youngest group, in which four-year-old Priyasha Dey topped. “I drew Kali thakur,” she said. Suprita Roy won in the second group.

Prizes for other contests were also given out on the occasion. One was the dhunuchi dance contest held at immersion time at Visarjan Ghat. The winners were from Action Area 1D, AE Block and Greenwood Sonata respectively. “We had won a prize for three years on the trot, in 2018, 2019 and 2020. It is good to be among the toppers again,” said Monideepa Bhuiya, the choreographer of AE Block’s seven-member team.

A few cultural programmes followed, featuring students and teachers of Charveda Institute and Art Atelier. Srija Kumar presented the song of the moment, Mere Dholna from Bhool Bhulaiya. The seven-year-old from Siddha Galaxy had learnt her steps from a YouTube video cover and was too small to hear of Vidya Balan, on whom the song was picturised in the film.

Abhijit Acharya and his troupe also presented folk songs.

“The motive behind this programme is to prolong the mood of festivity after Durga puja and foster community feeling among New Town residents,” said an NKDA official.