Down-to-earth art
A. SANGAMESWARAN
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Paruthikkatt Sreekumar's kalam depicting Devi and Daarika was spectacular.
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DEFICITING GODDESS: Paruthikkattu Sreekumar's kalam
Kerala's cultural arena has been enriched by its folk arts and rituals. Many of the contemporary art forms are either evolved from it or has adopted many techniques from that treasure trove. One such ritual connected with the art of drawing is `Kalamezhuthu.'
Come the season of Mandalakaalam, the Devi temples in Central Travancore are decorated daily with kalams (drawings on the floor) and on the 41st day a large kalam depicts a furious Goddess killing the demon Daarika. One such kalam was drawn at Kalkulathukavu Bhagavathy temple, Vazhappally, Changanassery.
Kalam falls under the category of Dhoolichithram (drawing with coloured powders). Traditional natural products like turmeric powder, rice powder, powdered leaves, burnt chaff of paddy, mixture of turmeric and calcium are used to make such colours as yellow, white, green, black and red.
"The outline is drawn first and then the rest of the kalam is filled with the appropriate colours. The face is drawn the last and it is the toughest part" says Paruthikkatt Sreekumar, a kalam artiste who drew a picture of a Devi with 16 hands.
The weapons in each hand and the jewellery are all meticulously drawn.
To help viewers attain the right perspective, the length of the torso is drawn a little bit longer.
The contrasting expressions of fury and fear in the faces of Devi and Daarika respectively are worth mentioning.
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