Competitions: From Village to City

This chapter describes three very different kōlam competitions in Tamil Nadu. The first is an unofficial, informal, and playful village contest. The second is part of a festival celebrating Āṇṭāḷ, the female saint. The third is a large, official competition in the city of Madurai, cosponsored by a museum, a newspaper, and the multinational corporation Colgate. These larger competitions have thrust the kōlam into the public sphere, revealing the continual reinvention of the kōlam. The author meditates on the difference between the public and private sphere throughout the chapter, how the kōlam ritual oscillates between the two, and how this influences women’s larger role in society.