The United States of America is gearing up to welcome its new leaders. The country is looking forward to the inauguration day of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris, which is scheduled to take place on January 20, 2021. The ceremony will take place a couple of weeks after the Capitol Hill siege. Between the still-raging pandemic and the sudden threat of violence, America is hopeful for better days. Indian-Americans have created thousands of kolam tiles at the US Capitol in a bid to heal the divide. Beautiful pictures emerged on social media showcasing the kolam tiles for the inauguration day. But what is kolam? In this article, we bring you everything to know about India’s traditional designs and patterns that are considered auspicious.

What is Kolam?

In India, nearly all the festivals are marked with creating beautiful rangolis—an art form, in which patterns are created on the floor or the ground using materials such as coloured rice, coloured sand, quartz powder, flower petals and coloured rocks. The designs are passed from one generation to the next, keeping both the art form and the tradition alive. These traditional patterns and designs are known by different names across regions in the country—muggu in Andhra Pradesh and Telangala, rangoli or rangole in Karnataka, kolam in Tamil Nadu, mandanalmandas in Rajasthan, alpona in West Bengal, chowk poorana in Punja, pookalam in Kerala and so on.

Kolam is a ritualistic art form in Tamil Nadu. On important days, or even each day before the dawn, women around the town, villages and the cities of Tami Nadu draw kolam on the thresholds and floors of houses, temples and business. It is made with rice flour and finely ground rice powder/ paste called kola-podi in Tamil. The designs can be simple geometric shapes, deity impressions or flowers and petal shapes, and at times, very elaborate designs crafted by numerous people. The purpose is to feel strength, generosity, and it is thought to bring good luck.

The US President Election was considered extremely significant with Kamala Harris being the first female, black and Asian-American Vice-President-elect. She has Tamil roots which could be the main reason behind Indian Americans going with kolam designs to mark the Inauguration Day. The dots on a kolam depict hardships in life, and the lines drawn around the dots represent the way we navigate around struggles and turn our lives into a beautiful mosaic work of art. With everything, the country recently witnessed, there could not be a better way to honour the virtual swearing-in ceremony of the 46th US President.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 17, 2021 01:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).