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| Kolam preparation (photo credit: Auroville) |
Celebrating the third day of Pongal when family relatives visit each other, and beautiful Kolams invite the visitor into the home.
Kolam are intricate patterns on the floor with a few simple geometric dots to guide the artistic hand…
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| The patterns range between geometric and mathematical line drawings around a matrix of dots to free form art work and closed shapes. |
It used to be a matter of pride to be able to draw large complicated patterns without lifting the hand off the floor or standing up in between. The month of Margazhi was eagerly awaited by young women, who would then showcase their skills by covering the entire width of the road with one big kolam.
There are several Kolam competitions with strict rules, check out this video and the third contestant, the elderly lady with minimalist geometric and abstract pattern. This video was created by French researcher Chantal Jumel, and she has a wonderful blog with more information.