The Kolam Tradition
By Marcia Ascher
A tradition of figure-drawing in southern India expresses mathematical ideas and has attracted the attention of computer science
This Article From Issue
January-February 2002
Volume 90, Number 1
Page 56
DOI: 10.1511/2002.13.56
Traditionally, the women of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India, sweep their thresholds every morning, sprinkle them with a solution of cow dung and water and cover the area with elaborate, symmetrical figures using rice powder. They trickle the rice powder in a stream between their middle and index fingers, using their thumbs to guide the flow of the powder. According to tradition, the cow dung cleans and purifies the ground, and using the rice powder begins the day with an act of kindness by providing food for ants and other insects.
K. L. Kamat
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