Kolams / rangolis
are auspicious patterns created using rice flour or white sandstone powder.
Rangolis (rang - colour) are further decorated using colour powders, flowers
and materials. It is an art as well as a traditional symbol.
This is not an art of the experts or professionals. Most women in
India exhibit their talent in this field, when they apply a kolam at their
front entrance & pooja room.
Kolam designs
have been tradionally handed down to the younger generation by the elders.
Today, several organisations and magazines conduct kolam exhibitions &
contests to revive the interest in traditional habits & customs.
There are enthusiasts who create fresh new designs, but kolams are basically
redrawn by the public following the designs taught by elders or from the
patters published by the media.
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Festivals
India being a land of diverse cultures & religions, countless festivals
are celebrated throughout the year. People of the same religion follow
different customs, based on the region in which they live.
The celebrations include prayers to the Gods, rituals, meeting with friends, sharing of sweets & gifts.
It is a Hindu belief that vrtams followed with sincerity, as stipulated,
will condition and discipline the body as well as the mind. Another
aspect of the Hindu religious festivals are the utsavams, which involve a
gathering, pomp and joyous activities.
There are festivals to the various Hindu Gods, Lords of the seasons.
Most Indian festivals follow the lunar calendar and not the solar
calendar.
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Queries,
common doubts on Indian customs & their explanation
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Traditional beauty
treatments have been handed down by word of mouth and
practice down the generations in India. Quite a few of the methods and
prctices followed by our elders had a very scientific and rational base
with a major usage of items that we use everyday in the kitchen, (like
milk, turmeric, curd, gram flours, etc..), leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds
& the bark and roots from plants (like hibiscus leaves & flowers,
henna leaves, baadaam, etc.) All of these items were widely used to beautify
but also to maintain and condition the body. Each of the beauty aids has
the required moderating effect. Today, the use of natural items in food,
beauty treatment, medicine is gathering momentum with a lot of herbal products
in the market.
In this section,
we are also planning to provide info on the traditional practices used
by Indians to decorate their homes, most of which have become part of everyday
life.
Quite a few
of the traditional methods and practices handed down to us had a very scientific
and rational base
- with items
that are in everyday use
- easy home
preparations
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