He said his love for the art started when he was growing up in an orphanage in Puchong.

“There was a teacher from India who taught all of us at the orphanage how to create a basic kolam,” he told FMT. “That was when I fell in love with it.”

He joined kolam competitions in school in his pursuit of the art.

When it was finally time for higher education, he chose Professional Design in Visual Communication at Limkokwing University under a full scholarship. His learning there took his skills to a new level, he said.

“I crafted kolam art pieces as a part-time pursuit while I was studying, as events companies started hiring me after seeing my work on Facebook. It was a great way to earn some pocket money,” he said.

After working in the advertising department at the university for three years, he decided to dedicate himself to his craft by setting up his own kolam company, called S4SKY Rangoli Kolam Malaysia. This was about 10 years ago, when he was 25.

His company usually makes kolam for weddings, corporate launches and other special occasions.

The company eventually went global, with requests coming in from Singapore, Australia and India.

All was good until his business took a nose dive due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“There were no events when the pandemic first hit the country. Everything was cancelled and I was just stuck at home. It was truly a very difficult time,” he said.

However, things have been looking quite optimistic for about a year now.

This year’s Deepavali celebration has brought a lot of last-minute requests from malls and government agencies.

“My business has increased by 60% compared with last year, especially during the last week before Deepavali,” he said. “It’s not the same earnings that I used to get before Covid-19, but I’m hoping things will pick up again next year.”

Ruben is also focusing on building up the next generation of kolam artists. Five young people from the orphanage he was raised in have come under his wings.

“This is my way of giving back to my orphanage and society. I’m hoping more youths will pick up the skills. I want to keep the tradition alive and at the same time show them that they can make a living through it.”

He said he was hopeful families will encourage their children to take up the craft.

His ultimate goal is to start a kolam school.

Ruben’s colourful kolam designs can be enjoyed at Mid Valley Megamall, The Gardens Mall and a few government offices.