Kolam Book Pdf Free Download
Cassi Sturgul
:कलम् , Malayalam: കല, Kannada: ಕಲ, romanized: Kōlaṁ), also known as Muggu (Telugu: మగ్గ), Tarai Alangaram (Tamil: தர அலங்கரம்) and Rangoli (Kannada: ರಗಲಿ) is a form of traditional decorative art that is drawn by using rice flour as per age-old conventions. It is also drawn using white stone powder, chalk or chalk powder, often along with natural or synthetic color powders. Its origin belongs to the ancient Tamil Nadu known as Tamilakam and has since spread to the other southern Indian states of Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala. It can be found in some parts of Goa and Maharashtra. Since the Tamil diaspora is worldwide, the practice of kolam is found around the world, including in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and a few other Asian countries. A kolam or muggu is a geometrical line drawing composed of straight lines, curves and loops, drawn around a grid pattern of dots. It is widely practised by female family members in front of their house entrance, although men and boys also practice this tradition.[1] The similar regional versions of kolam with their own distinctive forms are known by different names in India: raangolee in Maharashtra, aripan in Mithila, alpona in West Bengal and hase and rangoli in Kannada in Karnataka.[2] More complex kolams are drawn and colors are often added during festival days, holiday occasions and special events.
Kolams or muggulu are thought to bring prosperity to homes. In millions of households in Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, women draw kolams in front of their home entrance every day at the break of dawn. Traditionally kolams are drawn on the flat surface of the ground with white rice flour. The drawings get walked on throughout the day, washed out in the rain, or blown around in the wind; new ones are made the next day. Each morning before sunrise, the front entrance of the house, or wherever the kolam may be drawn, is swept clean, sprinkled with water, thereby making for a flat surface. The kolams are generally drawn while the surface is still damp so the design will hold better. Instead of rice flour (Tamil: கலமவ/Telugu: బియ్య పిడి), white stone powder is occasionally used for creating Kolam; cow dung is also used to wax the floors. In some cultures, cow dung is believed to have antiseptic properties and hence provides a literal threshold of protection for the home. It also provides contrast with the white powder.[3]
Decoration is not the main purpose of a kolam. In the olden days, kolams or muggulu were drawn in coarse rice flour so the ants would not have to walk too far or too long for a meal. The rice powder also invites birds and other small creatures to eat it, thus welcoming other beings into one's home and everyday life: a daily tribute to harmonious co-existence. It is a sign of invitation to welcome all into the home, not the least of whom is Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and wealth. The patterns range from geometric and mathematical line drawings around a matrix of dots to free-form artwork and closed shapes. Folklore has evolved to mandate that the lines must be completed to symbolically prevent evil spirits from entering the inside of the shapes. Thus, they are prevented from entering the inside of the home.
It used to be a matter of pride to be able to draw large complicated patterns without lifting the hand off the floor or standing up in between. The month of Mārgaḻi/Margasira was eagerly awaited by young women, who would then showcase their skills by covering the entire width of the road with one big kolam.[4]
In the kolam patterns, many designs are derived from magical motifs and abstract designs blended with philosophical and religious motifs which have been mingled together.[5] Motifs may include fish, birds, and other animal images to symbolise the unity of man and beast. The sun, moon and other zodiac symbols are also used.[6] A downward-pointing triangle represents woman; an upward-pointing triangle represents man. A circle represents nature while a square represents culture.[7] A lotus represents the womb. A pentagram represents Venus and the five elements.
The ritual kolam patterns created for special occasions such as weddings often stretch down the street. Many of these created patterns have been passed on from generation to generation, from mothers to daughters.
Text messages like the word welcome (Tamil: நல்வரவ/స్వాగత) or a seasonal phrase, happy new year, can also be used in kolam/muggu. Volunteering to draw the kolam at the temple is sometimes done when a devotee's wishes are fulfilled. The art of kolam designs has found its way into the future through social networking sites like Facebook. Many kolam/muggu artists have large fan followings online and are playing a role in making the kolam art form a key part of South India's contemporary art scene.[7]
For special occasions limestone and red brick powder for contrast are also used. Though kolams[8] are usually made with dry rice flour (kolapodi), for longevity, dilute rice paste or even paints are also used. Modern interpretations have accommodated chalk, and more recently vinyl stickers.
In early April, I set out to learn about the art of kolam and to find an artist or group who could show me what goes into creating these fabulous pieces. Kolam are designs made by dropping lines of colored rice flour on the ground at the thresholds of homes and temples throughout India. In the north, they are called rangoli and they have other names in other regions. They can be geometric and pattern-based or freehand, incorporating various types of iconography. The daily practice of creating kolam is a tradition that has reached across India for hundreds of years with mentions dating back to the Ramayana.
The interaction between mothers and daughters, and between all the women of the family, was something that all four women stressed as an extremely important part of creating kolam. I learned about this while watching Sridevi create a wildly colorful freehand design of peacocks and flowers that would not adorn a temple, but would be done in the streets.
Kolam vary widely and are often modified depending on the day, because they are a part of daily life and therefore designed to fit in with the other demands of the day. A busy day still requires a kolam, but it might be a small and simple design that takes a few minutes, whereas a holiday or other celebration would include more time set aside for a bigger and more complicated work.
The last design was splendid! Blending the aesthetic styles of several of the kolam, it was large in size, geometric and full of color. Sathya laid out a huge grid of dots to begin the design and then connected them into a pattern of flowers and butterflies.
Kolam is a dance drama of rural Sri Lanka. Just like several other names for theatre traditions of south Asia, kolam refers to disguise and mimicry. The actors wear masks and costumes and perform with mime, dance and some dialogue. The characters are divided into several types: humans (for example, princes, the drummer and his wife, the European), animals and demons, and the performances move from the depiction of village scenes to stories involving spirits and fabulous creatures from Hindu mythology. The Serpent Demon is a fierce character representing the evil power of snake poisons that can destroy human and animal life. The figure can be recognized partly by the presence of the cobras coiling to form a crown around its head and the snakes that emerge from its nostrils. There are several species of poisonous snakes in Sri Lanka; the cobra in particular is often depicted on demon masks that are used by dancers in rituals to expel evil from the body of a patient.
In India, kolam is the decorative practice of stenciling rice-flour patterns on the ground. In Newtown, Kolam is a restaurant, one that evokes that art form in a combination of geometric designs that color its dark velour wall coverings and valances.
Kolam, which opened in 2003 and is one of seven Indian restaurants operated by the Coromandel group, also makes an art of combining nuts, complex spices and yogurt- and ghee-based sauces, often with sumptuous results. Its menu provides an excellent introduction to the regional diversity of India's food, touching down in places that span the subcontinent from the Goa coast north to Kashmir, with plenty of Punjabi, Bengali, Keralan and Gujarati options in between.
At the moment of the moon landing, applause and shouts of joy followed one another in the control room. The next day, a similar frenzy gripped my kolam artist friends, who gave free rein to their imagination to capture the event.
For a few years, the kolam, which once exhorted the virtues of the Indian woman is changing. Kolam artists have added another dimension to their traditional themes, reinterpreting the chess tournament according to their culture and imagination.
Bow, arrows, and padukas as symbols of Rama in kolam. He is adorned with all virtues, exceptional strength, and incredible archery skills. Janaka, the king of Mithila had decided that the king who could lift the bow would marry his daughter Sita.
Processional chariots (ratha in Sanskrit, ter in Tamil) are an integral part of temples and public life in South-India. It is therefore normal to find in the kolam repertoire a rich collection of chariot designs dedicated to the gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon.
Finally, it is Pongal, and I can't wait to see the preparations in the house. The women unleash their creativity by adorning the earthen and bronze vessels. The kolam stands out once the rice paste has dried, and is ready to welcome the celebration with an auspicious Ganesha portrait.
Of the various kolam created on Gokulashtami, drawing the feet of baby Krishna is a custom in Tamil-Nadu and a sign of welcoming the Divine at home. I have always been moved by the women printing with their fists dipped in wet rice flour, tiny footprints from the threshold to the altar.
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