Heritage Indian folk art- Rangoli/Kolam

Hello everyone,

In our next art adventure we will be traveling to India and exploring one of the traditional Indian folk art forms, known as Rangoli or Kolam, a form of sand art. In this, we make patterns and designs very similar to the Mandala art form. Rangoli designs are drawn on the floor in living rooms or entrance of Indian homes as a sign of welcome. These designs are considered as a symbol of luck, prosperity and happiness in families. The patterns are made using rice flour, white or colored chalk powder, colored sand or flower petals. Designs comprise of geometric patterns or motifs from nature. It often displays symmetry and repetition of patterns. The art form is an expression of warm hospitality. So it is used as a floor decoration during festivals like DIwali, Pongal, Onam and other Indian festivals.

Rangoli art form is identified with different names in different parts of India. In the southern state of Tamil Nadu it is referred to as Kolam. Anybody who grew up in Tamil Nadu would be familiar with Kolams drawn in front of homes with the white chalk powder or "Kola podi"as part of a daily ritual to adorn the entrances. Grandmoms or the lady of the house would do this as the first duty of the day as soon as they wake up. This used to be a good exercise as well as a good time to get some fresh air in the early morning just before sunrise. But with time we are losing this tradition and resorting to some modern ways of representing this art with stickers or permanent painted kolam in entrances. Particularly in Tamil Nadu, the form of Kolam with dotted patterns and curves joined around them known as "Sikku Kolam" used to be very popular. They are like tiny mazes but can be mind bending sometimes to figure out where it started and how to draw them if we try to replicate them. There is a specific way in which the Kolams were drawn and it was taught by grandmoms to the young girls in the family and passed on from generation to generation. And that's how I learnt it from my grand moms and developed a fascination for this form of art. And I really appreciate the women who still keep this tradition alive in their households.

It is referred to as Muggu in state of Andhra Pradesh, Pookalam (flower Rangoli) in the state of Kerala, Alpana in West Bengal, Mandana in Rajasthan and Rangoli in Karnataka, Maharashtra and other parts of northern India.

During Diwali, festival of lights, people decorate Rangoli with Diyas or lamps. In the state of Tamil Nadu during the festival of Pongal and in the Tamizh month of "Margazhi"(December mid to January mid ) , people decorate their Kolams with colored sands. Even Kolam festivals happen during this month in many parts of Tamil Nadu to keep this traditional art form alive. Kolams and Sikku kolams are used to decorate many temples in Tamil Nadu as well. In the state of Kerala, during the festival of Onam "Pookalam" or flower Rangolis are made to decorate the entrance of homes.

Rangoli for Diwali with Diyas!

Flower Rangoli-Pookalam(Still need to get better at this:))

In my childhood days, I always used to make color Kolams or Rangolis everyday in front our house during Margazhi month and for Pongal festival we always made a big one as a mark of the auspicious festival day. So this year we tried to keep up with tradition and made a few Kolams at our home here. And I was trying to teach my kids this traditional art form. I tried to simplify it a little bit for them by using stencils and started with easy patterns for little hands. My kindergartener really enjoyed doing this activity. My 10 year old has been doing this for a while and so was ready to move to the next levels of doing " Sikku Kolams"(dots and loops patterns ). It is much easier for them to do it on paper with pencil and markers. Drawing on floor with Kola podi or chalk powder can still be challenging since holding the kola podi with 2 fingers and getting to draw a line itself takes immense practice.:)

Here are some videos that show how to make them with stencils. (for beginners and little kids)

Learning to do Kolam and practicing this art form regularly has many benefits for the old and young. It can improve memory and cognitive skills. It is considered a good exercise for all since it is drawn on floor every morning. If we inculcate this habit in daily routine it can really help in lot of ways to improve our mental health and spark imagination since it is a very creative form of art!

Please teach them to your little kids and let me know how they liked this art form. Please share your work and creations with me @abckidsadveturesinfo@gmail.com. 😊

Here's a simple Rangoli coloring page that you can download and print.

You can either use it for coloring or simply cut the outlines and stick onto a cardboard or cardstock or even paper plates and use as a stencil to fill color sand.

This post is just an introduction to this art form and will be good for beginners and little kids to create an interest to learn and further explore this art form. I'll be creating more Kolam designs and will share how to draw them in future posts as well.

So keep creating memories and more ABC adventures until I meet you next time in the same space!:)