Siblings take up the art of making kolams to break gender stereotypes
Ravishankar and his brother Surya VM learned the art of drawing kolam at the age of 10. But the duo took a break in between to concentrate on studies. During the 2020 lockdown, they started drawing kolams again. This time, the siblings are breaking gender stereotypes associated with certain cultural practices.
Ravishankar tells us that the duo restarted by drawing small kolams using rice flour. “Our grandmother and mother inspired us to draw kolams of various designs and patterns. We grew up watching them draw kolams every morning. When Surya and I started putting kolams during the lockdown, we wanted it to be unique. So, we only select unique designs and fashionably represent them. For eg, if we are taking a 100-year-old design, I first draw it and then incorporate some colours in it to make it more trendy, catchy and stylish. After we started posting kolam pictures on our social media page, Murai Vaasal, many started appreciating what we were doing. A few requested to start teaching how to draw kolams, so we are now sharing tutorials on how to make small kolams,” says Ravishankar.
In most households, this age-old ritualistic practice is carried about by women. We are trying to break that notion and encourage men to take up the art form, he points out. “Nobody introduced the rule that only women should draw kolams. But somehow that’s what we have been following. After seeing our posts, many men messaged saying that they are happy with what we are doing. Even women living outside the country started making colourful kolams.”
Ravishankar feels that it is important to innovate with designs.
“We make elaborate designs with modern concepts. For Pride Month, we drew a kolam with a rainbow and the picture received a lot of praise,” he smiles.