How to draw Kolams by Kalai Selvi Arivalagan (uplifting novels txt) 📕

Homes at Tamil Nadu welcome every day with bright, white colored kolams.  It is a routine task at the door.  

But, the month of December is something special. It brings not only chillness but also colors to every home in South India.

This is what one would ideally see before a rural household especially in villages



The ideal time to draw kolams is the early dawn. Even now people who live in villages get up daily around 5 am in the morning to clean their front yard, sprinkle water and draw kolams.

Not a single day starts without a kolam. It is the first work of a woman in a household. The other beautiful thing about the kolam is that it reflects the personality of the woman who draws the kolam.

Different types of kolams drawn for special occasions speak volumes. Kolams helps the women here to express their creativity and helps them to get a release for their hidden artistic nature.

I remember how I learned to draw kolams when I was only eight years old. My daughter after watching me drawing kolams started to learn when she was only six years old.

After she took interest in kolams, she will sweep the front yard of our house, sprinkle water and draw kolams. I taught her some simple kolams that helped her to learn fast. But she loves to draw small Rangoli kolams using colored kolam powder.

There are three types of kolams. Kolam drawn by joining dots with straight lines, kolams drawn by joining dots with curved lines, and kolams drawn with a specific number of dots.

The dots are placed in different ways - definite number of dots with definite number of rows, a pattern of dots placed in a definite number of rows. It takes time to excel in the art of drawing kolams.

If every household at Tamil Nadu insist on sprinkling water at the door every morning and draw kolams, there must be definitely a strong reason for that.

Kolams have geometrical designs that can attract prosperity to the homes where they are drawn. 

Every morning before leaving home for work,  I never forget to sprinkle water at the door step and draw a kolam of my choice.

In Tamil Nadu,  during the month of Karthigai (October/November) every Tamil household who believe in tradition, make it as a custom to lit mud lamps at the door step every evening.  Before the lamps are lit, they adorn the place before the door step with beautiful kolams. This is believed to bring the blessings of Lord Muruga to the house.

After the month of Karthigai comes Margazhi.  Being in the middle of November, it will be very cold in the morning.  Despite this, women get up early in the morning to lit lamps at the door step. This is believed to bring the blessings of Lord Thirumal to the house.  It is an enchanting experience to get up early in the morning around 4 am to sprinkle ice cold water and draw kolams at the door step.  The fresh air and the perfume in the air will definitely bring blessings to those houses adorned with sparkling white kolams of intricate designs.

http://ushaatart.com/

 Starting from Sunday, every day has its own significant kolam that can bring prosperity and peace to our home.

These kolams can be drawn in our pooja room.

http://india-tradition.com/daily-kolam-thina-kolam/

Method:On Fridays / Tuesdays - clean a wooden plate and draw the kubera kolam with rice flour. Place the kolam in front of the Kuberar.

 Take 9 coins and put each coin on the no. with the coin value facing the no.

Put red colour flower on each coin and 2 flowers on Kuberar. Lit a small light and fragrant vathis and sambranis(Computer Sambrani can also be used). Chant the above mantras for 11 times.

Red colour is flower to be used for Kuberar.Try to the pooja on every friday / tuesdays.All the money related worries will be diminishing and there will be uniform flow of cash.

Now in Chennai we can't often see women getting up early and spend time in kolams.  But the tradition is still followed in town, villages and other rural areas.

It makes me feel happy to see the updated websites on kolams.  Though many don't spend time on kolams, still there are women who want to maintain and keep the traditions alive.

Links to check. Some of them may be old and not updated.

http://a1tamilnadu.com/9-1-dots-kolam-sikku-kolam-kambi-kolam-neli-kolam-with-dots/

http://webneel.com/kolam-designs

http://www.ikolam.com/

http://www.rangoli-sans-dots.com/2013/02/pulli-kolam-designs.html

http://kolangal.kamalascorner.com/

http://www.rangoliworld.org/

http://www.sysindia.com/kolam/

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/5180/kolam.html

http://www.blueavatar.com/Kolam/Techniques/Techniques.html 

http://www.saigan.com/heritage/alangaram/kolams/kolams.htm

http://www.ikolam.com/kolam

http://kolangal.kamalascorner.com/ 

http://yourkolam.blogspot.com/ 

http://www.freewebs.com/sita_mani/patternskolams.htm 

http://www.manadhi.com/Indian_Culture/Muggulu_Kolam_Designs.aspx

Text: Kalai Selvi Arivalagan
Publication Date: 04-06-2011

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
Kolams at Tamil Homes