<p>K Kusum was always fascinated by the world of ‘rangoli’ patterns, but it wasn’t until a year ago that she took baby steps into the mesmerising space of line drawings. <br /><br /></p>.<p>While it is common to find ‘rangoli’ designs in front of house entrances in South India, Kusum took the art a step further by designing them on other mediums like ceramic, canvas and more.<br /><br />Her introduction to the art began at home, where a ‘tulasi katte’, considered sacred, was honoured with ‘rangoli’ designs. <br /><br />“My mother, Devaki Murthy, would do ‘tulasi puja’ and draw ‘rangoli’ in front of the ‘tulasi brindavana’. I loved to observe women drawing these beautiful designs, but I didn’t draw a single line till a year back. As my mother now suffers from osteoporosis, she passed on the ritual and I was asked to continue the tradition.” Kusum cannot fathom what happened, but she felt a creative surge and drew a pattern immediately. <br /><br />“In the beginning, I would draw these designs and the next day, splash water on them, wipe them out and draw the next one. After a few days, my mother started observing my patterns and was surprised by the creativity. She advised me to copy them down onto a notebook to use as reference later.” <br /><br />Within some time, Kusum realised that she had collected around 400 designs. “I was thankful to my mother for encouraging me, but at the time I wasn’t yet sure what to do with them.”<br /><br />After a while, Kusum’s aunt Parimala suggested that these patterns shouldn’t be restricted to the floor and could be replicated on other surfaces. <br /><br />“She told me that these designs need not be restricted to ‘puja’ purposes and they had a wider scope. I slowly started using them in art and craft and it looked nice.” Kusum saw the possibility of these patterns being replicated on jewellery, saris, ‘mehendi’ decorations, <br /><br />‘kundan’ art, ‘lehengas’, ceramic, mirrors, M R P boards, invitation cards and other fancy items. <br /> <br />“My aunt advised that I should trace them neatly on drawing sheets with the help of geometrical instruments and keep them safely. I was thrilled.” <br /><br />“I did these designs on vases and canvas. On canvas, I did ‘kundan’ work which looked very colourful and attractive. They could be used as showpieces. It was a lot of fun to make these, as the colours made them more interesting. The vases were also a creative outburst,” she says. <br /><br />Compared to the floor, it is more difficult to work with ‘rangoli’ patterns on such mediums, Kusum points out. “I got my designs together and I asked a store to replicate them on ceramic tiles too. <br /><br />The possibilities were unlimited!”<br />Kusum collated her drawings and got ‘Lines Divine’ — a book under the banner of Prism Books Pvt Ltd — published. “My family supported and encouraged me. They highlighted that my patterns were very different from other ‘rangoli’ patterns.” About her patterns, she says that she doesn’t use the dot-to-dot methodology, which is commonly used in making ‘rangoli’ patterns. <br /><br />“‘Rangoli’ is made by drawing dots first and then connecting them, but all my patterns are free-flowing images, done freehand. I do not plan any of my images in advance and they aren’t copied from anywhere,” says Kusum proudly. <br /><br />She says that the feedback she has received for her ‘rangoli’-inspired craft works is priceless and she will continue to add to her collection.<br /><br />(K Kusum can be contacted on 22455811)</p>
<p>K Kusum was always fascinated by the world of ‘rangoli’ patterns, but it wasn’t until a year ago that she took baby steps into the mesmerising space of line drawings. <br /><br /></p>.<p>While it is common to find ‘rangoli’ designs in front of house entrances in South India, Kusum took the art a step further by designing them on other mediums like ceramic, canvas and more.<br /><br />Her introduction to the art began at home, where a ‘tulasi katte’, considered sacred, was honoured with ‘rangoli’ designs. <br /><br />“My mother, Devaki Murthy, would do ‘tulasi puja’ and draw ‘rangoli’ in front of the ‘tulasi brindavana’. I loved to observe women drawing these beautiful designs, but I didn’t draw a single line till a year back. As my mother now suffers from osteoporosis, she passed on the ritual and I was asked to continue the tradition.” Kusum cannot fathom what happened, but she felt a creative surge and drew a pattern immediately. <br /><br />“In the beginning, I would draw these designs and the next day, splash water on them, wipe them out and draw the next one. After a few days, my mother started observing my patterns and was surprised by the creativity. She advised me to copy them down onto a notebook to use as reference later.” <br /><br />Within some time, Kusum realised that she had collected around 400 designs. “I was thankful to my mother for encouraging me, but at the time I wasn’t yet sure what to do with them.”<br /><br />After a while, Kusum’s aunt Parimala suggested that these patterns shouldn’t be restricted to the floor and could be replicated on other surfaces. <br /><br />“She told me that these designs need not be restricted to ‘puja’ purposes and they had a wider scope. I slowly started using them in art and craft and it looked nice.” Kusum saw the possibility of these patterns being replicated on jewellery, saris, ‘mehendi’ decorations, <br /><br />‘kundan’ art, ‘lehengas’, ceramic, mirrors, M R P boards, invitation cards and other fancy items. <br /> <br />“My aunt advised that I should trace them neatly on drawing sheets with the help of geometrical instruments and keep them safely. I was thrilled.” <br /><br />“I did these designs on vases and canvas. On canvas, I did ‘kundan’ work which looked very colourful and attractive. They could be used as showpieces. It was a lot of fun to make these, as the colours made them more interesting. The vases were also a creative outburst,” she says. <br /><br />Compared to the floor, it is more difficult to work with ‘rangoli’ patterns on such mediums, Kusum points out. “I got my designs together and I asked a store to replicate them on ceramic tiles too. <br /><br />The possibilities were unlimited!”<br />Kusum collated her drawings and got ‘Lines Divine’ — a book under the banner of Prism Books Pvt Ltd — published. “My family supported and encouraged me. They highlighted that my patterns were very different from other ‘rangoli’ patterns.” About her patterns, she says that she doesn’t use the dot-to-dot methodology, which is commonly used in making ‘rangoli’ patterns. <br /><br />“‘Rangoli’ is made by drawing dots first and then connecting them, but all my patterns are free-flowing images, done freehand. I do not plan any of my images in advance and they aren’t copied from anywhere,” says Kusum proudly. <br /><br />She says that the feedback she has received for her ‘rangoli’-inspired craft works is priceless and she will continue to add to her collection.<br /><br />(K Kusum can be contacted on 22455811)</p>