Kolam—Ethnomathematical Activity

Kolam skills are considered as mark of grace, dexterity, discipline and concentration. Creating Kolam pattern is expected to be useful for activating or training human brain. It is a wonder that a women with no math knowledge (except counting) is able to draw any type of complex pattern without much effort. They show their perfection in geometrical presentation, symmetry, straight lines, curves etc., Girls capture, encode, and decode the image in their memory with much clarity before reproducing it on the ground. Thus, kolam can be called as an “ethnomathematical” activity.

Ethnomathematics is a field that examines the mathematical accomplishments of different cultural groups, that are imbedded in their cultural practices. In this context kolam, lends itself to many mathematical explorations. 

The mathematical aspects of kolam have prompted mathematicians and computer scientists to explore its properties. Mathmaticians have studied the relationships between kolam and higher level mathematical concepts like fractals and knot theory. Kolam always includes symmetrical patterns. Kolam designs have been studied by computer scientists because of the intricate patterns of vertices that can appear in the final product. The kolam are made by first creating a dot, or a matrix. The array can be rectangular, triangular or square or many variations of them, thus exhibiting numerous geometrical patterns.

In the art of padi kolam, the center is mostly a square or a circle and and the kolam is expanded according to the skill of the one who draws the kolam, in a symmetrical way. Symmetry and perfect square or circle is more important in padi kolam. in pulli kolam dots are arranged in rhombic, square, triangular or any free shapes, and a single curvilinear line called kambi interwines the dots. Here also symmetry plays a major role. Girls somehow understand these implicit regulations and operate within the parameters. Learning to make kolams begins in childhood and girls are taught the designs and techniques by their mothers and it forms an important part of girl’s training.

Kolam as a socio cultural activity, also creates great opportunities to learn mathematical skill and concepts- visual, spatial and algebraic concepts that are nested within it. Kolam provides deep mathematical learning about pattern recognition, algebraic reasoning, spatial sense, and geometrical understanding. The authors of “Kolam- A Mathematical treasure of south india” claim that the kolam activity can be used to meet standards in algebraic reasoning. Kolam lesson cam help every child, regardless of cultural background, engage with an artistic, socially culturally meaningful activity, that is also steeped in mathematics.

Kolam is an activity associated with women, where mathematical thinking is involved and also has been considered as an important activity. It is in contrast to the western society where women are excluded from mathematics. There is no doubt that the women who create kolam designs have an understanding of nontrivial mathematics concepts involved in the art process, even if they would not express in textbook mathematics terms.

Preservation of the traditional art “Kolam” by transforming it to digital information and being recognized as a part of the world heritage is much needed for the recognition of this ethnomathematical activity. Digitization of the information archived about Kolam is an important step in efforts for dissemination. This would provide a worldwide access to this information. Hence scholars and interested individuals would easily be able to access and practice the tradition.

The mathematical and scientific explanations would not only attract the young generation to practice the art, but would also generate curiosity amongst scholars to preserve the tradition.

Do the women, who are involved in this mathematically rich culturally-embedded practice squarely outside of an academic setting, think about what they do (as opposed to what they make) in a mathematical sense? Knowing about their thought process will certainly be a boon to maths educators to help with teaching maths to non mathematical people.

Kolams occupy a rich space between the purely functional and the purely intellectual and involve many features of mathematical thought. For many women there is a cultural imperative to put a kolam outside her home every day, but it is definitely a personal choice and a significant commitment to learn a large number of complex kolams.

Padi Kolam—Patterns and Symbols

The padi kolam is drawn using parallel lines which cross over at right angle or diagonal shape. They may start from a dot or a square and form basic structures such a square, a circle, a cross with diagonals, a swastika or two superimposed triangles. To enlarge a padi kolam, we add a series of parallels lines from which new lines join the preceding ones. The design of lotuses, conches or other ornamental motives are added in order to give a finishing touch to the kolam. 

The patterns of the padi kolam are mostly abstract in nature. The outlines organized around the centre draw the eyes towards the heart of the drawing. Like a yantra or a mandala, negative powers are prevented from entering by the very presence of four stylized gated facing the cardinal directions. The centre of a padi kolam is never left blank and we can find one or several dots, diagonal lines, the sun and the moon, a pentagon or a star hexagon. These abstract designs have religious and philosophical connotations. For instance, Circle has been used to represent the universe while the Square represents the culture. In the star hexagon, the upward pointing triangle, like a mountain, represents stability and the eternal male element (purusha) in the cosmos and also within us. The downward pointing triangle, like a waterfall, represents the unstable physical elements which are transient, the dynamic eternal female element (prakriti) in the cosmos and also within us. 

The padi kolam is all about symmetry, precision and complexity. Due to their complexity it is a challenge for the viewers to decipher the designs and to enjoy them. 

If we trace the artistic forms of things made by man, to their origin, we can find a direct imitation of the nature. This explains the common processes used for the creation of any art form especially in the artistic nature of the padi kolam. We can see an aesthetic appeal in the geometrical patterns of the padi kolam. The same geometrical patterns that we can see in progression in the nature, cosmos, human body and also human mind. 

The kolams especially the padi kolams are a beautiful combination of the religious faith, geometrical progressions, aesthetics, knowledge of cosmology and its philosophy and most definitely, symbolism. In the upcoming articles these nuances of the padi kolam are explored to some extent and explained in accordance to the knowledge gained.

Kolam- Psychological outlet

Abhinaya Darpanam of Nandikeshwara says:

Yatho Hasta thatho Drishti, 

Yatho Drishti thatho Manah 

Yatho Manah thatho Bhaava, 

Yatho Bhaava thatho Rasa.”

Where the hands(hasta) are, go the eyes (drishti);

where the eyes are, goes the mind (manah);

where the mind goes, there is an expression of inner feeling (bhaava)

and where there are emotions, mood or sentiment (rasa) is evoked. 

This is not only true to the practice of dance but also true to the practice of drawing kolams. Each kolam drawn has its own sentimental value. In days where the women’s emotions are suppressed and are not so easily let down, the habit of drawing kolam each morning helps her to find a let out process. It has been used as a psychological defence mechanism for women through many decades. The full power of what to draw, how to draw and how to decorate what she has drawn is with her and she exhibits this power very happily. Even when she is not in the mood to draw and begins to put the kolam reluctantly as a duty, the art grabs her gradually and she forgets herself and she somehow gets clear emotionally and gets ready for the day. 

Women express their needs, intentions and aspirations through the presence of Kolam. Its presence in the household surpasses the Indian social norm of understanding women as silent and compromising to all situations in the house and the public. 

Drawing kolam is like cooking food. It takes a long time to make the kolam from the point of mindful planning to the visual expression. There are special ways and means in the preparation of Kolam just as the preparation of food. At the final stage of the preparation, a kolam is “Consumed” by the family members, neighbours, people passing by and the minor creatures who eat the rice powder. So it also functions as a “food” for others in a different sense. Sometimes it is just a habit of eating and sometimes you enjoy and relish what you eat. The same can be said for the consumption of kolam. Whatever it may be, the food is always prepared and also the kolam is always done irrespective of the consumers state of mind.

Artistic White lines with Red borders—a symbol of fertility

Kolams are the symbols of auspiciousness. They are drawn daily in the southern part of India, in the thresholds of the houses, near the puja area and around the tulsi plants. Rice flour or paste made from rice is commonly used throughout India for drawing the floor paintings. Rice is the symbol of prosperity according to pan Indian culture. This is the main reason why it is used to draw kolam, as kolam is the symbol of prosperity too.

The commonly used colours in padi kolam are white and red. Rice powder for white and kaavi or red sand powder for red are used in Tamilnadu. 

These colours are symbolic in nature. According to tantric tradition, the dead are reborn when the white seed of man successfully merges with the red seed of woman. Split semen holds the possibility of new life. Menstruation on the other hand was seen as being of same nature as birth. Seed, white or red is thus the most potent substance in nature. White represents the Purusha, the male form and the red represents, the Prakriti, the female form of creation. White and red are thus the source of creation of new life in the world. White and red also represents the sattvic and the rajasic guna. No wonder that these have been the most predominant colours used in the floor paintings all over India.

The red border is not only a sign of cheer and prosperity, it is also believed that the red bordered kolam keeps the evil forces away. Mostly, kaavi is used only on special occasions like festivals or marriages, or on days like Tuesdays and Fridays. 

Turmeric which was traditionally used as an antiseptic and a recommended cosmetic is said to have properties that enhance fertility. The colour yellow which has its association with turmeric also finds elaborate usage in floor paintings especially in Telengana Andhra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Turmeric mixed with rice powder is also used for drawing kolams. 

Whatever may be the symbolic meaning or the significance of these colours, the dynamic sensation of the visual appeal created by these colours is astounding. It is really a visual treat to see a floor painting in white and red, with its symbolic or non symbolic geometric patterns and ideas.

Kolam-- A Creative Process

In the wee hours of the morning when the whole household is asleep, the lady of the house wakes up washes her face and comes to the threshold of her house. She sprinkles the water in the floor and cleans it thoroughly. If the floor is made of mud sometimes cow dung is mixed with the water and the ground is cleansed. In the modern apartments the floor is cleansed through wet wiping. When we go through the villages it is a great sight to see the women sprinkle the ground and clean it.

When the ground is still wet, she takes the rice powder in her hand in between her thumb and the index finger, bends forward in an angle and starts to draw the kolam. It is sometimes abstract with straight lines connected artistically. Or the rice powder, with the skill of the lady, turns into flowers or peacocks or some intricate concrete designs. There is a strong cultural practice of drawing a kolam, before anyone leaves the home for the day’s work.

If there is a puja in the house or marriages the floor paintings become very intricate and elaborate and red sand paste known as kavi is also used in it. Rice is also soaked and ground into paste and the paste is used for adorning the floor with kolams for long term effects during such occasions. 

Whether done with the rice powder or the rice paste, it is considered inauspicious for a home to be without the kolam, and mostly the lady of the house takes the responsibility of doing it. 

Whatever may be the purpose, once done, the kolam does not belong to her. Sometimes during the passage of the day nobody really looks into it. It seldom gets appreciated. It is often trampled again and again with the foot or totally destroyed by the little pranksters. Or suddenly the rain comes and rubs off all the kolam. This is what life teaches us too. Whatever may happen to the kolam, she is again up in the next dawn, even before the whole house wakes up, with the water and the powder in the hand to draw again and adorn the floor going by her emotions to draw various things and taking pride in it. She is the sole creator and sometimes the sole appreciator of her artistic work. Maybe the concentration that she puts in it, makes her ready for the whole day of happenings inside and outside the household. 

If we can notice it is the only time she is with herself beyond the boundaries of time and space, it is just her and her fingers creating a treat, and when she finishes she just leaves it and comes to the real world and moves on with her duties. She is least bothered about what may happen to the kolam after that. Maybe she learns her life skills from an early age from this process adorning the floor with the paintings.

The Ritual of Floor Paintings

The ritual of drawing in the floor in the mornings or during festivals and marriages is a pan Indian culture. These floor paintings are known by different names across India,  alpona in Bengal and Assam, aripana in Bihar, pakhamba in Manipur, jinnuti in Orissa, mandana in Rajasthan, rangoli in Maharashtra, sathia in Gujarat, chowkpurana or sona rakhna in Uttar Pradesh, likhnu in Himachal Pradesh, apna in Almora and Nainital region, kolam in Tamil Nadu, and muggulu in Andhra Pradesh. Each region has its own uniqueness and pattern in the floor paintings.
My interest as such is in the pattern of padi kolam or kanya kolam, which I have been familiar with from my childhood days and have grown seeing the women of the family adoring the floor with their creativity in the early morning hours, even before they had something to drink or eat.
Kolam in tamizh has many meanings. It means beauty, gracefulness, a form or shape, adornment or decoration. Kolam are the ornamental figures drawn on floor, wall or sacrificial pots with rice flour, white stone powder etc. Padi kolam is a variety of kolam, which is in practice mostly by the Tamilnadu brahmin community. It is an artistic tradition of the brahmins. It is also known as kanya kolam and is elaborately done during festivals and marriage functions. On occasional days rice flour paste is used with kavi, red sand paste to do the kolam.
As a child one of my fondest memories of this tradition is where the ladies of the whole street draw grand kolams in the street when the god comes in procession, for welcoming the lord. And also, during the season of margazhi, where there will be a unsaid competition between the kolams of each and every house. I speak of a season where there were minimal apartments and more of individual types of house which have a good open patio. Even today place like west mambalam and mylapore in Chennai carry on this tradition to some extent and you can see the women of the houses drawing kolam in the early morning hours.
What are these floor paintings? Are these mere decorations and beautification? Do they have underlying meanings which have been forgotten with time? Are they welcoming signs; expressions of gratitude or description of desires? These question makes me ponder on the inner meaning of a very ancient artistic tradition.
All the padi kolams that are presented here are drawn by me for various occasions. I wish to continue giving both visual and literary treat. I wish everyone who are interested to come forth with valuable points for discussion.