Tradition - outsourced

Tradition - outsourced

The fast,mechanical and demanding lives that we lead leave few working women in Urban areas the luxury, time and the training to draw a Kolam/ Rangoli every morning.

For the benefit of Non-Indian readers : A Kolam is a design or a pattern drawn with finely powered rice flour adorning the entrance of every house. In a well meaning  way the rice flour was meant to feed  the ants, birds and other insects so that they do not invade the house in search of food.

In the modern days the ants and insects have been shooed away by powerful pesticides, the birds rarely enter the apartment compelxes.  Yet drawing the kolam / rangoli is a tradition that has not obscured away, atleast not yet. That is because tradition is not something the average south Indian indulges only on occassions. It is a way of life. And so what if it has now been outsourced.

 Thanks to people like Shanta, the domestic help who undertakes to do this extra value added service very little extra money at our neighbour's apartment.     

Shanta, our domestic help draws different types of Kolam for our neighbour's apartment entrance, early in the morning much  before we step out for the day.

Kolam / Rangoli in various designs , elaborate , simple, colourful , in plain white still dorn most houses in the south of India almost everyday. As you travel up north Rangoli gets more colourful and elaborate but is reserved for formal occassions or festivals.

 
This post is part of Write tribe - Pro blogger Week 3