Dotted splendour

IF THERE is one art form that binds women, both urban and rural, together throughout the country, it is the kolam. This intricate floor art finds a place of pride in prayers, sacrificial rites, yagnas and in the puja room, in almost every house, particularly in the South.

According to legend, King Janak used to ask his daughter, Sita, to draw rangolis in front of the palace door and decorate them with precious stones.

Savitha Sunder, who learnt the intricacies of the art from her mother, now conducts kolam classes. She specialises in making colourful kolams on water.

The teachers of the A.M.M. School recently conducted a workshop on kolam to create an awareness in young girls about the traditional art. The organisers were in for a pleasant surprise when boys too evinced interest in the workshop.

A kolam is not just about designs, patterns and colours. It embodies spirituality and traditional kolams are based on mathematics. At the workshop, Saraswathi demonstrated the importance of symmetry, strokes and the use of principles of geometry in kolams. For a novice a grid of dots serves as a guide while veterans can draw exquisite kolams with coarse rice flour with deft and artistic strokes. There are some special designs for auspicious days to be drawn only in the pooja area. A kolam is not merely an artistic impression but conveys a certain way of life. A harmonious relationship between man and nature is evident in this art as only natural colours were used earlier - rice flour, dried and powdered leaves for that touch of green and brick powder for a rich red. Today, chalk powder, other colourful powders and sometimes even paint are used. In the puja room, however, rice flour kolams continue. In Maharashtra, elaborate rangolis are drawn during festivals, in Andhra, it is known as mugulu while in Kerala its beauty is enhanced by using colourful flowers.

It is not an art form that finds a place in the galleries nor is it preserved on canvas for all to admire. It is a silent expression of the faith and perseverance of the women who labour over these designs.

But as suggested by Savitha Sundar, like in other art forms, experimentation should be encouraged, or else this art will die a natural death.

SHUBA SUBRAMANIAM

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