CHENNAI: A stream of rice flour falls on the ground from the pinch of forefinger and thumb, creating laced patterns and designs to mark a special occasion, ritual most of the times a reflection of one’s spirit. Often found outside the front door of a house, the kolam, known by different names in other parts of the country, has always been a part of our tradition. City Express chats with Shakuntala Ramani, chairperson, craft education and research center, Kalakshetra Foundation, about her recently-released book, Kolam and other ritual arts of India’.
Growing up in a conservative Hindu household that embraced every tradition and ritual, Shakuntala says that there was no specific point where she learnt the art of kolam. “It was a part of our daily routine and I didn’t have to learn it. It was something that was innate,” she recalls.
Of course, seeing the art disappear in urban settings and sticker kolams taking their place in high-rise apartments shook her up. “I used to live in North India and whenever we came down South, I used to stay at my grandfather’s house at Kumbakonam, where kolams and rituals were part of the lives of people here,” she narrates. “Each street had kolams, be it in front of a big bungalow or a small house.”
Shakuntala recalls how during one of her trips she found a big kolam in front of a hut owned by an underprivileged woman. “All she owned was a goat that was tied to the pillar of the hut. I felt that’s the spirit of this art form. Kolam gives some type of sustenance or courage and that for me was a ray of hope,” smiles the author who has also penned the book, Sari the Kalakshetra Tradition.
On a journey to revive the art, Shakuntala began researching the topic full time. The book not only focuses on Tamil Nadu, but also on an amalgamation of the different expressions of kolam in different parts of the country. From the yantras and mandals in domestic worship to the mandals in different rituals, she explains them all with illustrations and pictures that have been shared by kolam experts from various parts of the country including art centers like Santiniketan.
Kolam has embedded its essence in different states under diverse names such as Muggulu (Andhra Pradesh). Kalamezhuttu (Kerala), Alpona (Bengal), Mandana (Rajasthan) and Jhooti Chitra (Orissa), but the similarities of the designs are striking. “Every state has evolved the kolam according to their specialty and each design has a character of its own. But, some motifs like the lotus, sun and moon are universal,” she points out.
Drawing a connection between the mathematical Fibonacci series, she shares that Naranan, a mathematician stated how kolam has both science and maths involved in it. “Kolam has circles, triangles, squares and a series of dots in a systematic order. In mathematical terms, both geometry and Fibonacci series are part of kolam. It’s surprising how people back then without knowing the precise science or mathematics involved in the art have made such designs effortlessly. Putting dots on the ground with even spaces really impressed me!” she exclaims.
Does she believe that kolam belongs to a particular religion? “No, not at all! I know a Christian boy Thomas who draws extraordinary kolams. He does it for most of the functions at Kalakshetra,” she shares. Though kolam does not have relevance to specific rituals, it is a part of most festivals including Dusserah, Diwali and Pongal. Absorbing several influences which are cultural, religious and social, the complex art form has several layers.
“We used to place the banana plantains on a kolam before serving food. We’d clean the door front with water and decorate it with kolam and apply the ochre liquid called kaavi. This tradition has to be kept alive and one shouldn’t close the door on it and call it old fashioned,” she adds.