Local convenience store owner continues Indian art traditions

BELLEVILLE, NJ — Roopa Raja, owner of Raja’s Deli on Washington Avenue in Belleville, practices rangoli, a traditional Indian art form in which the artist creates patterns on the floor or a tabletop using powders, which can be from rocks and sand, spices, flower petals, and more. 

“No glue, no stencils to make it — just excitement for the new year and love for those around me,” Raja said. “Rangoli is made around the Hindu New Year, specifically for Diwali, the festival of lights. This art connects and brings family, friends and God together during this special time. I used my hands and colored sand to make this beautiful piece.”

Raja’s rangoli features a young village girl selling handmade toys. 

“This is what she does for a living, bringing smiles and happiness to children around the village,” Raja said. “However, she remains expressionless. Such beauty spreading such happiness, yet she is emotionless. This is a call to how we as humans today are going through the motions, not taking a moment to stop and smell the roses.”

Raja has made a new rangoli at the convenience store every year for 29 years.

“I learned this art from my beloved mother, who learned it from her mother,” Raja said. “Thus, the tradition is passed from generation to generation, and I have begun teaching my two sons, Karan and Yuvraj, my daughter-in-law, Dipti, Karan’s wife, and my granddaughter, Nandini, this disappearing art.”

  Diwali