poTTaiyan :-)

Submitted by jkmrao on Sat, 06/18/2011 - 18:37
Many a time, latAji asks people to introduce new books. Today I am going to do just that and also quote a few passages from that book relevant to kOlam. The name of the book is "Green Well Years" written by Manohar Devadoss published in 1997 by the East-West Books, Madras and the ISBN no is 81-86852-01-8. A few words about the author. Mano is a scientist-artist-writer combined into one. The illustrations in the above book were all by him. He is so good in line drawing in spite of the fact that he has no vision in one eye and the condition of the other eye too is not great. His wife mahema, paralysed below the shoulders because of an accident, is also an artist and a writer. The "Green well years" is about his boyhood in Madurai of the forties. If you are a person from Madurai like me, all the more reason to read the book. The house immediately to the right of Sundar's was occupied by a family from Cholavandaan village. The woman of the house was adept at drawing kOlams and Sundar enjoyed watching her draw. At first, she marked out a large number of dots. When she began to draw the kolam, it seemed to Sundar that the meandering line wandered aimlessly without rhyme or reason, making sudden turns and loops. But as she went on, a pattern emerged, neatly filling the space between the dots and ending with a beautiful symphony of dots and lines. The otherwise simple village woman was pleased to know that she had an admirer......... "Take a pinch between your right thumb and index finger," she instructed. Sundar did so..... Sundar did what she told him to do, but no delicate lines appeared. Instead, disjointed lumps of powder lay defiantly here and there, mocking him..... On hearing Sundar's interest in kolams, his mother ferreted out an old book of kolams she bought at pudu manDapam..... Sundar copied some of the beautiful ones and tried variations of his own. Over a period of time, for a relatively small matrix of 85 dots, Sundar tried different kolam patterns in his rough notebook. After much erasures and many corrections, he drew nine different ones. On a Saturday morning, Sundar proudly showed the results of his efforts to his neighbour. "You created these?'" she asked Sundar. "Yes, of course." replied Sundar. "How very interesting. Would you mind lending me your notebook?" So the kolam expert was going to examine his 'creations'. The following Monday morning, she returned the notebook to Sundar and asked him to look inside. There were pages and pages of new kolams, 54 more of them, all neatly drawn for the same set of 85 dots.... "I saw him draw, like a woman, a kolam in front of his house," Sethu said. One was very proud of the kolam tradition, only as long as it remained in the woman's domain. For the male of the species, to indulge in this was taboo..... "I am sure he won't deny it. He draws them for practice all the time. His rough notebook is full of kolams." "Dai, Sundara, you are a poTTaiyan, a kolam-drawing poTtaiyan." 'poTTaiyan' is the Tamil equivalent for 'sissy'; only, in Tamil, it is far more scathing. "He's a poTTaiyan. He's a poTTaiyan." Poor Sundar! I can identify with his anguish. I am enclosing a scan of the nine kolams drawn by Sundar, all the 54 later in the cafe, when it is not very active. Regards! - mOhana
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smahalakshmi
Wow, wonderful 13 - 1 dots kolam collections JKM sir. Eagerly awaiting your next upload of 54 kolams. Mahalakshmi
Sat, 06/18/2011 - 21:41 Permalink
smahalakshmi
JKM sir, you have said in your last line "'poTTaiyan' is the Tamil equivalent for 'sissy'; only, in Tamil, it is far more scathing. "He's a poTTaiyan. He's a poTTaiyan." But Pottaiyan also means a Blind man or a person who has weak vision power. Mahalakshmi
Sun, 06/19/2011 - 00:44 Permalink
Lata
Great collections of chikku kolams. I enjoyed reading the write up, and also had the same thought cross my mind as well, as Mahalakshmi. Please post the rest when you find time either in cafe or right here in your blog. :)
Sun, 06/19/2011 - 02:28 Permalink
ammuchandhini
Awesome collection of sikku kolams jkm sir and nice interesting write-up too...can't wait for d rest of kolams to be uploaded by u....
Sun, 06/19/2011 - 04:02 Permalink
jayamohan
I've read and heard a lot about the great couple Manohar-Mahema!They compliment each other so well! Noce to read his boyhood episode!
Sun, 06/19/2011 - 06:46 Permalink
rajamma_2

Nice to learn about M-M jodi and his interest in kolams. eagerly waiting to see the 54 kolams. rajamma
Sun, 06/19/2011 - 19:54 Permalink
Suguna Murugesan
wow wonderful! thanks for sharing!-suguna murugesan
Sun, 06/19/2011 - 21:18 Permalink
vasanthi

very interesting write-up JKM sir. Wanted to get the book, checking with landmark and higgingbothams, chennai.
Sun, 06/19/2011 - 21:50 Permalink
Dr.Rekha Shetty
i have taken the design so that i can try at least one of them .Excellent information and designs sir .Thank you
Mon, 06/20/2011 - 04:12 Permalink
vijaysowmya
Very nice write up and very interesting too...wonderful kolams and looking forward to the remaining kolams as well...
Mon, 06/20/2011 - 07:25 Permalink
umaraja
nice write up with cute kolams, iam trying them but nt able to do with perfection
Tue, 06/21/2011 - 04:37 Permalink
vasanthi

JKM sir tried in leading book shops this book is not available.. East West Books (Madras) has been changed to West Land Publications...found that they had the new edition...thanks again for sharing this info sir.
Tue, 06/21/2011 - 05:06 Permalink
Nalini Venkatesh
jkm sir waiting for the 54 kolams.....
Tue, 09/13/2011 - 03:12 Permalink