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Holi Cow Tales: Express yourself

Discover what shade are you.

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There’s no better way of expressing yourself than through colours. As Indians, colour is an integral part of our culture and lives. That’s probably why we choose to celebrate the festival of colours, Holi, with so much fervor.

Take for instance the colour blue, which has become synonymous with the Indian cricket team. Even the IPL teams are known by the colour of their jerseys. So, while it is blue for Mumbai Indians, yellow is the colour of Chennai Super Kings. Even among brides, while the red-coloured sari and sindoor of the Hindu bride stands out, a Christian bride is always dressed in white, the colour of purity. From the rustic chandan to ash tilaks, brightly colored turbans to the gorgeous embroidered phulkari, kutchi work, Rajasthani glass work and gota work, we are often reminded of the importance of colour in Indian culture. Colour occupies prominence even among the gods with Lord Shiv and Krishna always shown in blue.

The rangoli during Diwali also draws inspiration from the various colours of the rainbow. It does not end there. Use of colour in Indian art is a different world altogether. Expressionism as a culture took root and grew in the Indian art world because we Indians by instinct are emotional and expressive people. Artists like Sudhir Patwardhan and the likes of him continue to paint the Indian art scenario with all shades of expressions.

We have always found ways to incorporate colour in almost all aspects of their cultural life. India boasts of a cultural heritage and traditions that have an intense association with colours.

Indian culture is an explosion of colours; a cacophony of shades. Chaotic, vibrant and pulsating much like Holi itself. Every next gully in India too has a story to tell when it concerns colour. Holi therefore as a festival is a metaphor for India. The many shades of India that we just mentioned are an attempt to relate Holi to the various shades and hues of India and Indians.

The Holi cow speaks
As an Indian bovine sorts, I have witnessed the many shades of Indian culture. I have also been a part of many Holi celebrations. I must say that we Indians are quite an emotional bunch. This Holi, I bring to you colours to identify with:

RED denotes that you are driven by activity, a deep sense for physical fulfillment and passion
ORANGE stimulates enthusiasm and creativity. You need to be around people and are a social butterfly.
YELLOW denotes you have a deep need for logical order in your everyday life.
GREEN symbolises a deep need to belong and be loved. You need acceptance and acknowledgment for the everyday things you do for others.
BLUE symbolises the need for inner peace and truth. Blue is the color of deliberation and introspection, conservatism and duty.

My Holi, My Way

No fun when Holi turns messy
“The religious part of Holi doesn't interest me as much as the celebrations. I love to playing with colours. However, I'm not a huge fan of the permanent colours that refuse to get out of your hair and skin. I hate it when people throw eggs! Holi is celebrated internationally too. During my first year at University, all my Canadian friends were super enthusiastic to celebrate Holi. They just wouldn't stop clicking pictures and asking questions about the festival.”
- Aneesha Aujla, make-up artist

Holi has no religion

“It doesn't matter which religion you belong to or which part of India you come from. I've friends from every community who enjoy celebrating Holi. Not to mention the scrumptious lunch and the bhang that add to the experience of celebrating Holi. As we are all turning into young environmental activists, it makes sense to opt for organic colours. Now I also realise the implications of using colours filled with chemicals.”
- Sarthak Bal, student

Organic colour works for me
“I still have strong memories from my school days. I remember throwing water balloons and going out to buy a brand new pichkari the weekend prior to celebrating the festival. Since I'm an artist, I focus on making natural colours to celebrate Holi, right from boiling marigold and tesu flowers in order to create the colour yellow to slicing beetroots for a deep pink. There's a lot one can do to propagate a more eco-friendly Holi.”
- Manmayee Desai, artist

I’ll choose a quiet Holi

“ I grew up playing Holi, but now the level of energy and festive madness associated with the celebrations has died down for me. Since I'm relatively conscious about water conservation issues, I prefer playing dry Holi and having a family lunch instead. I do however strongly condemn the use of chemical colours, some of them are so harmful that their effect may even be carcinogenic and can go so far as to causing temporary blindness.”
-Rahul Shankar, engineer
 

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