Kolam Competition

 
Kolam #79 on Beach Road in Pondicherry 13 January 2008 

13 January 2008

There was a kolam competition early this morning on Beach Road in Pondicherry.  Over 500 women (mother-daughter teams, friends, colleagues) participated in this annual event the day before the start of the 4-day Pongal festival.  By the time I got to Beach Road in the late afternoon, most of the kolams had been destroyed by passing traffic, so all the pictures shown here (with permission) were taken by Policarpio (Tony) Soberanis, who was also too late to capture more than 230 of the 500 entries.

       

Most of the kolams were fairly traditional, with flower and geometric themes.  Some competitors added a twist by using chopped flowers, fruits and vegetables, and grains in addition to or instead of the white and colored rice powder.

           

The second most popular theme was the peacock – the national bird of India.

   

These three also caught my eye.  Is that a menorah in the middle of kolam # 206?