Kolam- An Ephemeral Art

Women take bath early and do kolam, a street art very specific and unique tradition to Tamil culture. Kolam is drawnin the front ofthehousewith rice flour.This is an intrinsic activity that has enormous physiological, ecological and physiological significance. The bending makes a posture that helps women physiologically. This almost equals doing yogapostures.Thelifeofakolamisveryshortitgetstamperedwithduetothemovement of people. This makes kolam a substantial form of ephemeral art. People use Kolam to illustrate their intentions of special happenings in their homes. Stories, depictions, and sizes enumerate the happenings. The vehicular-free streets ensured a social space centralizing pedestrians to appreciate art and associate life with it. This makes art a part of everyday life unlike learning to draw by going to art classes.

It is self-esteem to draw kolam to all Tamil families. Every woman does it when the sun starts to rise and it becomes a communal activity. This phenomenon makes art an integral part of Tamil culture. Pulli kolams are widely practised where dots and lines are used to depict patterns and rhythms. These are very inherent subjects to mathematical understanding. There are various types of Pulli kolam, each of which has rules and formulae in modern understanding. But they were intrinsic without formal education. Precision and permutations were the basis of these calculations. When a dot is missed, an immediate alternative is made to correct it.

Ecological aspects of kolam are also significant in a dialogue. Kolam is laid using rice flour from which the ants and small inspect source food. This makes the culture ecologically rich by understanding the importance of co-living and the significance of the food chain. Although the tradition of kolam is practised today, due to the change in wake-up time and non-availability of time, people use stickers that are either permanent or laid for a longer period. This ends with the significance of kolam as a whole. The most distressing fact is the shift in the usage of granite powder and coloured chemical powder which makes the kolam everything otherwise that it is intended for. The abstraction and adaptation of kolam for modernity should consider the basics of the activity.