I grew up watching my grandmother ritualistically draw a different kolam every morning. My mother, after her, had notebooks filled with patterns and designs, collected and curated over the years. During festivals, women in my family would sit together and discuss which pattern should adorn the entryway; while I would sit beside them and try to recreate smaller versions of my own.
Once largely confined to the thresholds of homes the traditional floor art drawn using rice flour is now finding its way onto tote bags, jewellery, fashion, makeup, and several other contemporary spaces. While a floor-drawn kolam may fade in a day or two, contemporary adaptations are allowing the art form to exist in more lasting ways. This cordial kolam takeover seems to stem from memories similar to that of my own — of kolams and the conversations around it that has echoed for decades in South Indian homes.
For Yamini Sivakoti, a Pharm.D student and artist from Andhra Pradesh, the idea to let kolams live on on the floors, led her to create kolam-inspired mats and home décor. Her work features circular designs, lotus-inspired motifs, and geometric kolams adapted into décor, coasters, and Bapu-style paintings. “Kolam designs connect beautifully with Telugu sampradayam, so I love incorporating them into different forms of art,” she says, adding that many of her paintings include kolam motifs around the characters and backgrounds.
Visual artist Vinitha Lakshmanan too, confesses to first using kolam designs as background motifs and patterns in her paintings. Eventually, she admits to have taken on larger kolam-inspired artworks because of how they are symmetrically aligned and also resonated with her artistic style. “Many people have shared nostalgic memories after seeing my kolam work. It often reminds them of home, childhood, festivals, and family traditions,” she says. As these traditional designs increasingly move into modern spaces, she has also noticed a growing number of requests for kolam-inspired murals and wall art, particularly from younger audiences, drawn towards culturally rooted aesthetics and design.
Wall art and décor aside, kolams, specifically sikku kolams which appear as if looped around a set number of dots, are also being embroidered into sari blouses. The Hyderabad-based designer behind Fabric and Feelings says that she began her journey by experimenting with kolam-inspired blouses for herself, which later evolved into custom pieces after customers started requesting similar designs through her online page. While brides often prefer intricate traditional patterns, she notes that younger clients are usually drawn towards minimal and modern adaptations. “People want meaningful fashion — designs that connect them to culture while still looking contemporary,” she says. To complement these designs in clothing, jewellery too, is being adapted. Styling options include kolam studs, nosepins, jimmikis, and haslis, with some versatile enough to complement western wear too.
These adaptations, however, do not come without challenges, especially in the wearable fashion sector, where kolams are to adorn clothing, the task can be mounting. “Maintaining symmetry while ensuring the design flatters the wearer is one of the biggest challenges,” explains the owner of Fabric and Feelings.
Another interesting return of the traditional art form can now be seen in weddings, return gifts, and celebrations too. Nivedita Ganeshram, founder and creative director of Madras Finds, speaks about their pulli kolam playing cards and davara set, often purchased in bulk as return gifts. She defends her choice of going with the pulli kolam by saying, “Pulli kolam felt exciting because it’s something so many of us grew up around, but rarely pause to really look at them as a design system.”
A Chennai-based concept store called Kolams Creations also seamlessly blends the art with everyday products we use, ranging from clocks, keychains, and mirrors, to custom made wooden bangle boxes that store daily essentials. “Being in a culturally rich neighbourhood like Mylapore, it felt natural to draw inspiration from kolam art forms so deeply woven into the identity of the area and South Indian homes,” justifies Siddharth, the founder and creative director.
Kolam as an identity
Many youngsters today, as a part of self-expression, are choosing kolam-inspired tattoos carrying both personal and cultural meaning. For Yamini, a digital marketer from Neyveli, the decision was closely tied to memory and identity. She recalls that her grandmother had a kolam tattoo on her hand from the age of ten, and getting one herself felt like carrying that tradition forward. She chose a sikku kolam for its intricate looping patterns and placed it below her neck, viewing the body itself as a “temple”. She says she relates to the idea of breaking down complexity into simple patterns, seeing it as something that reflects her own personality.
Tattooing practices involving kolam motifs existed for generations among indigenous South Indian communities like the Kuravars, as well as the semi-nomadic Narikuravar community, notes Krishna, a professional tattoo artist from Valasaravakkam. Women from these communities traditionally created permanent tattoos using kolam and animal motifs, often believing the markings carried protective and medicinal value, she says, adding, “We can’t talk about kolam tattoos today without acknowledging the communities who carried these traditions long before they became contemporary body art.”
Today, kolams seem to be the most sought after tattoo idea with Krishna alone having inked over 30 such tattoos since the beginning of this year. “That’s how I was sure it made a comeback,” she says. She also notes how many clients visiting India from abroad specifically choose kolam tattoos as a way of carrying a piece of home and cultural memory back with them.
While many are finding their own ways to reinterpret and preserve the art form, Bengaluru-based fashion content creator Shivani Jai recently chose to weave kolam into one of her most familiar forms of expression — makeup. She created kolam designs on her face using graphic eyeliner. Paired with a Madras checks sari, temple jewellery, and mallipoo, she says, “I wanted the whole look to feel rooted in culture while still looking editorial and contemporary.” The trend, according to Shivani, reflects a larger shift in how younger South Indians view identity and beauty online. Through what she calls her “Tamil baddie” aesthetic, she hopes to celebrate Tamil beauty and regional identity unapologetically. “Kolam-inspired beauty and fashion lets people connect with their roots while still feeling modern, expressive, and confident,” she adds.
Kolam’s growing presence across products, fashion, and design has also raised a recurring question: does this visibility represent cultural preservation or commercialisation? Vinitha believes the issue arises mainly when cultural context is removed. “Commercialisation becomes a problem only when the cultural meaning is lost. When done respectfully, it can help preserve traditional art forms,” she says.
Nivedita adds that intention and context shape how traditions evolve. “Traditions survive because they continue to evolve and remain part of everyday life,” she concludes.