Art Featured: Kolam
Art Form In General :
Kolam, literally means beauty. It is synonymous with rangolis. Kolam is a pictorial representation made using flour and with white being a predominant color. It is created during ceremonial activities or festivals to enhance the vibrancy of the festivities.
The Spirit Of Keeping The Kolam Alive:
Hema believes that kolam is a dying art form and which needs to be revived soon because it is composed of our culture and tradition. She is coming up with interesting ways to spread awareness about it. She states that due to metropolitan lives and enclosed spaces, people had forgotten about our tradition and were not practicing it. She names kolam as sacred geometry that adorns the threshold of our homes. She wants to expose today’s generation to the art of making kolam and make them learn about its intricacies. Her foremost source of inspiration was her mother who religiously drew kolam on the threshold every time. Seeing her mother’s enthusiasm and zeal for the art made Hema adopt the same interest in it. She finds it very refreshing and meditative to practice kolam. It is a form of expression for her; she conveyed stories through those geometrical patterns.
Hours Of Spending Time On The Threshold :
Hema’s kolams are very elaborate and thematic and it takes a considerable time frame to complete it. She never plans a kolam beforehand, she flows with the thought process of that particular day and starts creating. She never draws it on paper. She directly takes charge of the floor and draws the patterns. The theme of the particular kolam depends on her mood. It is impermanent and stays in the memory. She learned to let go through her art itself as it needs to be erased and in place of that a new pattern has to bloom.
Hema’s Topical Story:
Hema Kannan is a 52-year-old kolam artist and a homemaker. She is also contributing with her husband in the pharma logistics sector. She shares that kolams are an expression of herself and her emotions. It has become her life purpose to practice kolam and to also pass on the legacy to the younger generations.
A Message:
A piece of advice for the upcoming artists is to never give up and keep going no matter what. She further adds that nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it. Just stay focused and get it done.
A quote to wrap this section we have a quote coming from Hema, “ everyone is an artist in this world, just pull the right string.”
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