When you look at things a little
closely you tend to realize there is so much more to the small things we do
every day. Take art for instance. Isn't art everywhere? Well, of course like beauty, it lies in the eyes of the beholder but I am sure you can find art in
many things around you/ in those things you do.
The tradition of drawing
beautiful geometrical patterns using rice flour or chalk flour has been in
practice in South Indian homes since ancient times. This art is called ‘Kolam’
and women draw this patterned art on the wet ground or porch outside their
houses every morning and evening. It is more of a custom here down south. If
only Da Vinci and Picasso had known of such a thing, they could have got more
perception to their artwork.
Some of the patterns drawn are
unbelievably complicated and such pain is taken during special festivals and
occasions in India. ‘Pongal’, the harvest festival of Tamil Nadu sees Hindu
women drawing up several amazing designs of ‘Kolam’ around their houses.
Here are some Kolam patterns that
my sweet friend Shruthi sketched for me in like 10 minutes!!! I can’t help but
admire her creativity and patience.
Kolam - An art form less known outside India |
Neli Kolam / Kolam with curves |
Lamp Design |
This one may look simple but when I saw her connect the dots in style, it was totally jaw-dropping |
When I asked my grandma what the
significance of drawing a Kolam was, she told me it feeds thousands of ants
every day and it is a great exercise as one has to bend, twist and turn so as
to get a perfect Kolam. She told me it signifies a welcome sign as it is drawn in front of the house to welcome guests who come home. So we do it for our well being and the well being of
those little ants and insects that feed on the powder. That makes perfect
sense.
Have you ever tried drawing a
Kolam? Try out simple patterns and work your way up to the really cool ones. Google does help you with
that too! :)
Beautiful kolams.
ReplyDeleteThanks SG! :)
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