She explained kolam as a ritual done in south India (where she is from) by the women of the household. Each morning, before dawn, women will rise and use this time as time for themselves--for meditation and reflection. A woman will go to the threshold of her home and, using ground rice powder, will paint these intricate geometric patterns--using one continuous line--on her doorstep. The design will stay there all day and when people walk on it and bring the rice powder in the house it is considered a blessing. Doing kolam also considered an act of charity since the birds will eat the ground rice powder.
I thought it was a great metaphor for women's work since it is created before the start of the day with a form of household sustenance, involves a lot of work, care and creativity and is then stepped upon until it disappears, only to have a woman recreate it again the next day. How often have the beautiful products of women's daily labor been walked over until it fades? How many generations of women have recreated their craft on a daily basis?
Unfortunately this ritualistic art form is dying out. Here are some examples:
4 comments:
What beautiful works of art, it makes me realise just how little I actually know about the world and cultures around me!
We should all be creating such pretty yet temporary things.
Those are beautiful. I'm amazed that creating that sort of beauty can be an every day, ordinary thing.
A neat analogy! Ever come across the poem 'THe divine office of the kitchen'? A bit dated - my Grandma had it up in her kitchen, calligraphied by my Aunt. The lines "remind me of the things I need/not just to save the atairs/but so that I may perfectly/lay tables into prayers" came into my mind immediately when reading your post and the earlier comments.
This is a fascinating post. And what great examples of beautiful art in everyday life. I wish I could learn how to do it. Thanks for sharing this topic!!
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