As expected, my plans to take off early on Wednesday evening to head to Hillcroft, Houston’s Little India backfire with work being assigned at the last minute. And it was a frantic race to the stores before the traffic hit the streets. I have already mentioned why I hate shopping at Hillcroft and the reasons just don’t change. Just more added every time I shop. After shopping at the Targets and Krogers, Hillcroft stores offer a chance for me to play hide n seek. You’ll usually find things hidden behind cardboard cartons stacked or totally irrelevant items stacked next to each other. It sure is fun if I had the time. But being pressed for time, I was literally running from aisle to aisle and mentally ticking off my mental list. Almost done, I head towards the check out counter and I spot two cardboard boxes kind of blocking the pathway and the curious treasure-hunter and seasoned Hillcroft shopper in me made me take a peek inside the box.

The boxes held packs of pink, blue and purple powders. I held my breath, just the sight transporting me to another world. I still was not sure if I need to buy the kolam color podis after all I was pressed for time and I was sure I will not have time to decorate the small 2×2 concrete doorstep with a kolam. I almost walked away but I gave in and picked up the bags wondering how much they cost. As always you rarely find prices in the bags in Hillcroft and I stood in the que mentally drawing kolams and coloring them with my 3 colors. I was in a totally different world that I even don’t feel like complaining about the happenings in the checkout lane.

After what seemed like eternity, my items were being scanned and bagged and as I waited, the guy checking out told me the price of each bag of the kolam podis and asked me if I really wanted it. By then I had no doubt, I wanted it no matter what. My grandmother who is the family’s official color kolam podi purchaser would have a shock if I told her how much I spent for those three bags. But I wanted it.

And after frantic cooking on Friday morning, around 12.30pm I was done and decided it was time to indulge in and decorate my door step with my kolam. Yes at 12.30pm, the time when no self-respecting tamil ponnu is found drawing a kolam. After cleaning the area, I took the white rice powder and started tracing the lines. The feel of the coarse powder in the hands just felt right and I wondered why on earth was I not doing it regularly.

Mixing the colors I started coloring the design and soon it was a trip into memory land. The first mosquito started buzzing around (yeah Houston has mosquitoes and they are Texas sized!), I could literally smell the tortoise coils we used to light up in Trichy as we sat late at nights finishing off pretty kolams. I remember the designs to well, the girl with a head full of big flowers for my cousins birthday, the peacock one for a deepavali and so many more. It was one of those activities I loved so much when growing up. A part of my childhood, safely locked up in the back of my memory till I now.