The visitors' diary, kept in Kirti Mandir, the venue of the rangoli exhibition put up by the Swastik Rangoli Kalakar Group, is full of appreciation. And why not? The total 14 rangolis -- be that of Sachin Tendulkar drawn by Prakash Lokhande, a black and white portrait of an old person by Rajendra Dindorkar or Shakuntal by S K Fadnis -- speak for themselves.

The rangolis made on hardboard are a result of 40 to 50 hours work put in by each of the artists. While the traditional rangoli which is joined by dots is the centre of attraction in homes during festivals like Diwali, the ones on show at Kirti Mandir portray exceptional talent. The fortnight-long exhibition, beginning 5.30 pm onwards, ends on Friday.

The art comes by practice, says Dindorkar, secretary of the group, formed to keep alive the dying art of rangoli. Drawing the outline of the picture with the help of a pencil is not difficult, but the real job starts when powdered colours are used. ``Three-dimension effects comes with the study of light,'' Dindorkar says, explaining that rangoli is all about using different colours to give different shades.

The rangolis are flat and even at those places where you think there is a curve, it is just an additional layer of colour. Fadnis, an art teacher and Group president, who has been drawing rangoli for the last more than three decades, says their's is an attempt to present a realistic picture. And their attempts have bore fruit, for the exhibition attracts hundreds of visitors daily. Even on working days, one can see queues right up to the Kirti Mandir gardens.

Except for four to five people, a majority of the persons whose works have been displayed have had no formal training. Some are even students.

Abhay Gadkari, a government employee, points out that colours are changed very rarely for it spoils the effect.

While the rangoli portraying Shakuntal highlights the love between Dushyant and Shakuntala, the one of a happy child by Nalin Panchal tempts you to touch the child's smiling face. However, a rangoli of vernacular newspapers by Fadnis wins hands down.

Interestingly, when the rangolis are removed, one would be amazed to see that the powder used is hardly 50 grams for each of the works.