A lthough all the artistes are amazingly talented, 10-year-old Tanmesh Rajendra Parab's rangoli grabs attention. His thin frame and small height makes Tanmesh almost invisible as he avidly makes a rangoli of Abhishek Bachchan.

"He has been making rangolis for the last three years. His favourite actors are Hrithik Roshan and Shah Rukh Khan, but he couldn't get their pictures. That is why he is drawing Abhishek. This is the first time that he is drawing an actor," said his mother Milan Parab.

However, Rajendra Paradekar's unusual underwater rangoli of yesteryears' actor Pran is one of the main attractions at the venue.

"I've been making underwater rangolis ever since I was in school. The first time was in 1974. I also make floating rangolis," said 50-year-old Paradekar, an art teacher in a government school here, happy with the attention his creativity is receiving.

"It takes more than seven-eight hours to finish an underwater rangoli because I have to directly draw the pattern and I need to concentrate a lot for that and can't afford to go wrong. Others draw a sketch first with white chalk and then fill it with colours," he added.

IFFI has invited 28 artistes from all over the state to participate in the rangoli competition of drawing film stars.

Paradekar has used a huge copper tray to make his underwater rangoli. Explaining the method, he says the first step is to lay a thick base with white stone powder and draw the pattern or face on that with different colours. Once the drawing is done, Paradekar pours spoonfuls of special oil, a time consuming process, from the side of the tray. The oil gradually spreads out. Then he spoons in water in a similar fashion.

"Pouring oil and water is also an art. After that I have to take out the oil with the help of paper. I'm drawing Pran because I like his work. This is the second time I am using an actor's face as the theme. The first time I had drawn Vinod Khanna."

Paradekar said he has won several prizes. In 1982 he won the first prize of Rs.250 in a rangoli competition in Mumbai. "Well known Marathi film critic P.L. Deshpande appreciated my work and asked me to keep on experimenting. After that I have shown my art at many competitions."

He also makes oil paintings.

"The first time when IFFI came to Goa I sold one of my paintings to a British national. I also made a portrait of Lata Mangeshkar and presented it to her on her 61st birthday."