Every Dot Matters: Understanding Inclusivity through Kolam (Rangoli) as an Indian Knowledge Systems Framework

Savitha G R

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i01.65618

Every Dot Matters: Understanding Inclusivity through Kolam (Rangoli) as an Indian Knowledge Systems Framework

Author(s)	Prof. Dr. Savitha G R
Country	India
Abstract	Abstract Inclusivity is often discussed in organizational and educational contexts through abstract constructs such as belonging, voice, psychological safety, and recognition of uniqueness. This paper proposes that Kolam (a South Indian threshold art drawn around a grid of dots) offers a culturally grounded, practice-based metaphor and analytical framework for understanding inclusivity: every dot has a place, the pattern emerges through relational lines, and the design remains open to iteration without erasing the original grid. This paper positions Kolam—daily threshold drawings constructed around a frame of dots—as an indigenous practice that can illuminate the micro-foundations of inclusion. Kolam’s language rules are simple: dots are placed first; lines then move around them, connecting and enclosing without violating the dot’s integrity. This makes Kolam an unusually powerful metaphor for inclusive systems: every dot matters, and the collective pattern depends on careful recognition of each unit. Through this research paper attempts to advance the Kolam Inclusivity Model (KIM) with five interlinked dimensions: (1) recognition (dots as persons), (2) relational connection (lines as interdependence), (3) bounded openness (rules that enable participation), (4) symmetry-with-variation (fairness while honoring uniqueness), and (5) renewal (daily re-making as restorative inclusion). Research questions addressed in this paper are: (RQ1) How can Kolam, as an Indian Knowledge Systems practice, be used to conceptualize and study inclusivity in organizations and management education? (RQ2) What dimensions of inclusion become visible when inclusion is viewed through dot-grids, lines, symmetry, and renewal? This conceptual paper is based on a qualitative, interpretive methodology combining semi-structured interviews with people who draw Kolam every day, visual elicitation using participants’ designs, and reflexive thematic analysis. The contribution is threefold: a culturally resonant framework to conceptualize inclusion, a methodological template for studying inclusion through everyday arts, and implications for inclusive leadership, DEI pedagogy, and Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) integration in management education aligned with NEP 2020.
Keywords	inclusivity; belonging; Indian Knowledge Systems; Kolam; Rangoli; arts-based research; visual ethnography; management education.
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 1, January-February 2026
Published On	2026-01-07
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i01.65618
Short DOI	https://doi.org/

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Every Dot Matters: Understanding Inclusivity through Kolam (Rangoli) as an Indian Knowledge Systems Framework

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