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Activities / Kolam & Rangoli / Rice-Flour Pulli Kolam

Rice-Flour Pulli Kolam

Rice-Flour Pulli Kolam: Draw a Dotted Floor Design

Level
Beginner
Duration
20 - 45 mins
Budget
Free – ₹155
Age
6+
State
Tamil Nadu

Materials

  • Plain rice flour
  • Small bowl
  • Broom or brush and a dry cloth
  • Small water spray bottle (optional, you can flick water from your fingers instead)

Steps

  1. Choose a dry, flat, quiet spot and sweep it clean
    Pick a patch of floor about 60 cm (2 ft) square near a door, on a courtyard or on a balcony tile, away from busy foot traffic. Sweep it well so no grit or leaves remain, because dust makes the flour line break. Common mistake: drawing on a wet floor. The flour turns to paste and the line smudges instead of staying powdery.
    Tip: A rough or matt surface holds flour better than shiny polished tile.
  2. Mist the patch lightly with water and let it sit for one minute
    Sprinkle water over the swept patch with a spray bottle, or flick it from your fingertips. The floor should look slightly damp, not wet, with no puddles. Wait about one minute, because a damp floor settles the dust and helps the flour cling in a thin white line. Common mistake: soaking the floor. Wipe any puddle with a cloth and wait until the patch is just damp.
  3. Fill a small bowl with about 1 cup of dry rice flour
    Pour 1 cup (about 120 g) of plain dry rice flour into a small bowl and keep it within easy reach on your drawing hand's side. Any plain rice flour from a grocery shop works, and coarser flour flows more easily than very fine flour. Keep your hands dry, because wet fingers clump the flour. Common mistake: using too much at once, when a cup is plenty for several designs.
  4. Learn the flour grip and draw one straight line on a scrap patch
    Pinch a little flour between your thumb and first two fingers, with your hand a few centimetres above the floor. Rub the fingertips gently against each other and move your hand steadily, so a thin line of flour falls like a thread. Draw a straight line about 20 cm long and a row of 5 dots, pressing the pinch down once for each dot. Practise until the line is even. Common mistake: moving too fast, which makes a patchy, thin line.
    Tip: Rest the heel of your hand lightly on the floor to keep your line steady.
  5. Place a 5 by 5 grid of dots, 5 cm apart, on the main patch
    Start at the top left of your swept patch and press 5 flour dots in a row, each about 5 cm (2 in) from the next, which is close to three finger widths. Make 5 rows, each 5 cm below the one above, to get 25 dots in a square about 20 cm wide. Take your time, because dots in straight rows and columns make the final design look neat. Common mistake: dots too close together, which leaves no room to loop the line around them.
    Tip: Use a ruler or a piece of string the first time to check your 5 cm gaps.
  6. Draw the first flowing outline around the middle dots
    Starting at the top middle dot, let flour flow in a smooth curve that goes around the outside of each dot along a diamond path: down the left to the middle-left dot, then the bottom middle dot, the middle-right dot and back to the top. The line bulges around each dot and never goes through it, and the end joins the start. The four corner dots stay outside. If a line goes wrong, brush it away with your finger and redraw.
    Tip: Move your whole forearm, not just your fingers, so curves look smooth.
  7. Draw a second outline about 1 cm outside the first
    Make a second flowing line around the first, keeping about 1 cm (half an inch) between them, so together they look like a ribbon. Follow the same bulging curves, going wider around each corner, and close it where it began. Keep the flow of flour steady and about the same thickness as the first line. Common mistake: letting the two lines touch. Brush away a touching section and redraw it.
  8. Add petals around the four corner dots and a border of dots
    Draw a small circle of flour around each of the four corner dots, about 2 cm across, then add two tiny curved petals on the side facing the diamond. Finish by pressing a border of single dots about 3 cm outside the whole design, spaced about 2 cm apart. The kolam should now look balanced, with the same shape on all four sides. Step back and check that the corners match.
  9. Leave it for the birds, or sweep up the leftover flour
    Kolam is meant to be temporary. Rice flour is food for ants and birds, so leave it in a dry place if you like. In rain or on a busy walkway, sweep it up the same day, because flour on wet tile is slippery. Pour leftover dry flour back into a jar and wash your hands. Wipe the bowl with a dry cloth first, then wash it.

Sustainability

High - rice flour is a food product that birds and ants eat, and it washes away; use only what you need

Safety

Rice flour on tiles is slippery when wet or dusty, so sweep it up after; keep it away from eyes; do not use it on busy walkways