You could hear the sounds of mridangam and nadeswaram playing in the background near the Kapaleeswarar Temple — evidence of the Mylapore festival, which has been going on since Thursday. The Kolam Contest, however, was the highlight of the festival.
What began as a simple competition with Pulli Kolam (2001) has now transformed into one of the most sought-after cultural fests of the city. With 79 registered participants, the contest began at North Mada Street with hands methodically moving to create a flow of patterns. In less than 45 minutes, the empty road looked like a grand carpet of embossed kolams.
“I was nervous initially, but, once I started designing, there was a flow,” said Guna Lakshmi, a winner. Iduku Pulli kolam, peackock kolam, and other disigns were created within the given time frame.
This year’s contestants were a tough bunch to judge. Gayathri Sankaranarayan, one of the judges said, “Kolam is a language by itself. The designs had to be made only with pulli kolam.” Jayanthi Murugesh, winner of this year’s contest, was ecstatic, about her win! “I checked Pinterest and found an interesting round Kolam. After practising for a week, I decided to make one and do something different from the traditional box-shaped ones,” she said.
Culture buffs, photographers, kolam enthusiasts and others were seen enjoying the event. A 90-year-old man, born and raised in the area recollected how maavu kolam was a part of daily life in the city. He said it gave him a sense of joy to see the current generation showing interest in the tradition.
‘Fly With Me’
One of the attractions was an art installation like a wooden Pegasus by Cholamandal artist Sailesh B O. Titled ‘fly with me’, it was a big draw with kids. Visitors could write their feedback and stick it on the Pegasus’ wings. One of the notes said, “Awesome! Best wishes for the fest to continue for a 100 years!”
“In the next edition, we will set a fixed number of dots for the contest to test participants’ skills,” said Gayathri.