Agriculture plays an important role in the economic growth of a country. Farmers are the backbone of a society. Today is
” National Farmers’ Day” also called the
” Kisan Diwas”.
The farmer has a major role in the economic development of any country. I wanted to include something related to the farmer in my kolam today
Day 8: National Farmers’ Day/ Rashtriya Kisan Divas
For the economy of any country to boom agriculture plays a key role. A good harvest
Is like a garden
I try to reuse the colours if possible and as I was segregating all the colours yesterday to store them back in their respective boxes it made me wonder for a moment that If they ( the colours) too had feelings how they would have felt cooped up for all these months. For were they not meant to mingle with other colours to produce a beautiful effect .!! Wasn’ t this akin to the time of the lockdowns that peaked for a few months in 2020 when it was still new to us . Did we also not feel cooped up in a cage ( homes) with our families when suddenly we stopped going out. Maybe it was forced togetherness too for many people. Is it not something so similar to these colours which are returning to their respective boxes ? When colours that go hand in hand ( good combo colours) come together they fill life to form a beautiful pattern enhancing the beauty .Isn’t it is so similar with like minded people too!!!. As thoughts were forming in my mind during my time with these colours , I decided to click a pic just in case I decide to translate my thoughts into words Well, I never thought that this colour segregation activity will actually make me key in thoughts too today!
Today is Sankata Hara Chaturthi ( Sankashti) , an important day associated with Ganesha also called the ” Vignahartha” who is the demolisher of obstacles.
Today also happens to be ” Kuchela Avil Dinam” . I learnt this information today and then Google Maharaj gave me further information.
It is on this day that Kuchela (also known as Sudama) brought Avil (beaten rice/ poha) to offer to his childhood friend Krishna. Pleased with him , Lord Krishna blessed him with riches. I tried to show the ” Hand of God” who is ever ready to help his ardent devotees .
Day 7: Today is Sankata Hara Chaturthi & also Kuchela Avil Dinam. ( Sudama)
Vignahartha along with a Sikku kolam corner border at the top on Sankashti has been depicted
Drawing limbs to perfection is tough and I could not do justice to it. so I used the help of colour to show Shyam helping Kuchela by pulling him out of his difficulties when Kuchela offered him Avil ( poha).
I decided to go with a simpler Sikku kolam today depicting Andal a Tamil poet and Bhakti saint, like Meera of the north. I also came across an article that drew a parallel between Andal and Sita.
Sita was born from the womb of the Earth and was found as an infant by her father. Finally she asks Mother Earth to take her back and disappears into Bhumidevi. Andal too was found as an infant by her father and is said to have disappeared in the Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam. When she reached the doors of the sanctum sanctorum she merged into Lord Vishnu whom she loved as much as Meera loved Lord Krishna
During this Tamil month of Margazhyi the songs composed by Andal are sung .
Day 6: A Sikku kolam depicting hanging lamps , Andal adorned with a garland around her and a border at the bottom
Today is Thiruvadhirai or Arudhra Darshanam
In TamilNadu this day celebrates the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva, which is represented by the Nataraja form . People take the blessings of Lord Shiva as Arudhra is also the birth star of Lord Shiva .
Day 5: Thiruvadhirai Special for Lord Shiva
Shiva as “Natraja ” is the Lord of dance &
as “Adiyogi ” is the Lord of Yoga
Both the art forms of yoga & dance need good footwork and balance for graceful postures. The yoga pose by name “Natrajasan ” & an important ornament for any dancer the ” ghungroo” are part of my artwork today.
Sikku kolams are the interlaced curvy line like kolams
These wire like curves needed lots of concentration on my part today but I thoroughly enjoyed drawing it .
Slowly , as the powder flowed through my fingers to fall on the mat & as I was getting a hang of the pattern a beautiful rhythm seemed to have set between me, my mat & the powder.
To be honest , I did feel pleased as a punch with the final outcome too .
Day 4: Flowers and leaves are essential elements of religious ceremonies and worship rituals as they adorn the deity. I decided to adorn my Sikku kolam with flowers at the four corners .
Day 3: A simple round floral kolam
A Padi kolam is drawn on all special occasions & on days like a friday too. Padi is a “step” in Tamil, so roughly it means a “step kolam”.
Basic padi kolams are drawn using four parallel lines which cross over at right angles & can be extended in straight or curvy lines & one can keep building it up . The centre is not left blank so a dot , a cross etc could be made in the centre.
More on padi kolams later .
Day 2: “A Padi kolam ” for a friday .
The basic square is further extended to depict the peacocks to enhance the look of the art pattern
The Tamil month of Margazhyi commences today. The spirit of Margazhyi is incomplete without kolams and carnatic music in Tamil Nadu. The ritual of Kolam is an important feature of the culture of India, and especially so in Tamil Nadu during this month wherein many houses are decorated with elaborate kolams during the predawn hours. Kolam competitions are also held &
Margazhyi Kacheris(Classical Music Concerts) are also held in various cities.
I was drawn towards making kolam on a daily basis during the Margazhyi month of 2018. I sincerely followed it in 2019 too.
Last year my lower back did not cooperate to enable me to continue this . Also, the Covid -19 happenings around somehow did not make me feel to pick this activity last december.
Today I decided to take out my kolam mat after 2 long years. Hoping that my lower back cooperates this year & I am able to take up this kolam journey .
Day 1: Today being Pradosham, I have dedicated today’s kolam to Lord Shiva along with a lighted lamp to begin anything auspicious. Everything associated with Shiva like the crescent moon, third eye, bilva leaves, damru, Syllable Om, the vibuthi, shivalingam and temple bells are part of my depiction today. Serpent has not been drawn as I find reptiles very very scary .
This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.
It is almost 2 am at night. As I am going to bed ,I realize that it is the little things in life that make us happiest. A simple pleasure derived from simple appreciation has made me very happy tonight.
Today morning on my way to work I bumped into mausi (elderly lady in Marathi language) . She started talking to me in fluent marathi and I could make out that she was talking fondly about some plant and it made me wonder, what is the big deal about a plant!!
At around 10pm , I was in the midst of corrections when the doorbell rang.
It was mausi . She asked me to come down to see the “Brahma Kamal” & offer prayers to the flower. In my heart of hearts I thought-is she crazy?-prayers for flowers !!! that too at this time of the night!!! I told her politely that I would see the flower the next day morning. But she kept insisting that I should come since the flower would not be there in the morning, and I again thought to myself -“how could that be possible if no one plucks it ! Anyways, I finally had to say-ok
On reaching down there was excitement in the air. There were many ladies and gents downstairs and were talking v excitedly about a flower. I learnt that the flower starts blooming late in the evening & blooms fully by midnight and then starts closing down after midnight. Also that this flower bloomed only once in a year which makes it very auspicious. People had been invited to watch this flower bloom .
I must say the sight of the two white flowers which they called “Brahma Kamal” was breathtakingly beautiful. I was seeing them for the first time. They were actually growing from a leaf and not from a stem or a stalk.
The ladies performed aarti (songs sung in praise of a deity, when lamps are being offered- is a hindu religious ritual of worship) , offered prayers. Tt was celebration time.
I on my part was amazed by all that I was watching around the– devotion, the knowledge about nature which mausi had-(which in today’s world is limited to the so called educated ones including me ) the importance that humans in the early ages gave to nature & looked forward to with so much enthusiasm.
I must admit I did feel blessed to witness something like this and be a part of something which had so much importance attached to it. I was glad that I had come to see this “Event”I came back home and the flower made me google to know more about it. I came to know it is called by another name and not the “Brahma Kamal”, but it is something similar to “Brahma Kamal”- anyways that name was no more important to me. I was already impressed by the flower.
Pink Blossom 
