Quick-fix designs

'STICKER SPECIALIST... we specialise in all kinds of stickers' says the board above the shop. Such shops have cropped up all over Chennai. The sticker culture has fast spread its tentacles everywhere. From sticker bindis, stickers of gods and goddesses, film stars, politicians... there are stickers to suit every occasion. One kind of sticker, which is regarded as a boon by a section of women, is the sticker kolam.

`Vasal thelithu kolam podu' is a phrase rarely heard these days in the city. The kolam and mavellai thoranam (string of fresh mango leaves tied together) are a must in every Hindu home as they are auspicious symbols. In this age of rockets and computers, the traditional kolam is giving way to modern substitutes. Hard-pressed for time, housewives say `we have to adjust; we are not giving up our age old habits and tradition but only changing with the times.'

Sticker kolams have a vast fan following, particularly in urban areas. These are available in a multitude of shapes, sizes and hues to suit everyone's needs. One just needs to remove the paper at the back of the sticker and paste it on to any clean floor.

The array of designs is mind-boggling. They even compete with the real ones in terms of complexity of design. The modern housewife is relieved of the job of buying flour, sieving and storing it out of the reach of ants. Also, the added advantage is that it does not leave the place a mess if people walk over it and one hears less complaints that a beautiful kolam was spoilt by so and so.

With a majority of people living in small cramped apartments, many a housewife looks up thankfully to the genius who came out with this easy-to-use space saving idea.

Real kolams made with kolam flour have their own charm, no doubt. The ant population thrived on it.

A long line of ants working their way in and around the kolam was a common sight. It offered an opportunity for women and children to exhibit their drawing skills or `kaivannam.' With very little opportunity to exercise, the task of bending down and getting up provided the much-needed stimulus for lazy muscles. On festive occasions, red coloured sand mixed with water was used to draw outline and border to the kolam adding to its beauty. For the maidservant, it was a god-sent opportunity to earn accolades from her mistress. Young women and children vied with one another in trying out difficult pulli (dot) kolams and exchanging designs with friends and relatives. Often children could be seen crowding around grandmas to learn the intricacies of the kolam and quarrelling to decide who would get grandma's most prized possession - her kolam book. Frequently, the new daughter-in-law broke the ice with the mother-in-law with her beautiful kolams, an heirloom handed down by her mother.

Nowadays, attempts are on to revive this ancient tradition that is kolam. Kolam competitions and workshops are being organised in a bid to awaken interest. Often one sees grandmothers adding a small border with kolam flour to the sticker kolam to keep up the tradition.

One solace is that the Ezhai Kolam is still in vogue (kolam made using rice paste) particularly during festivals like Krishna Jayanthi. Another modern trend is kolams drawn with paint; usually enamel paint, which stays on for years together. These kinds of kolams can be seen in many bungalows, in temples and kalyana mantaps.

The deluge of sticker kolams, however, continues and is here to stay. There is a lucrative export market too in view of the large NRI population. But, my mind refuses to fall in line and accept these sticker kolams. They have deprived me of an enjoyable sight...the sight of a funny kind of lopsided design kolam. Could it be...hmm...a striped box with wings, a tilted star or a dot filled snake...? Dumbstruck? I am referring to the never-to-be forgotten sight of dad kneeling down and trying his hand at the `so easy' kolam in mother's absence.

VIDYA VASUDEVAN

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