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Thursday 8 March 2012

Celebration of Colour

India is a country where there is no dearth of celebration. We celebrate festivals all round the year, sometimes the beginning of a calendar season, sometimes the end of it. Whether beginning or end, we find joy in all things alike and our festivities range from colours to lights.
Holi is one such festival celebrated during the harvesting season.
It is popularly called the Festival of Colours.

A few weeks ago, I felt a sudden attraction to a child-like pleasure: Colouring books. I just wanted one. I am terrible at drawing, and when I draw human feet my friends say they look like elephant's ears! I think that comparison just says it all. However, even as a child I loved colouring. The shades of leaves especially fascinated me and when I think back the words of my drawing teacher still echo in my ears as she would ask me to colour different shades but make sure one blends into the other and the transition is not obsolete.
All these memories made me want to buy a colouring book as soon as possible. I went looking for it, one book store to another, not sparing the road side stalls and vendors too!
I was disheartened to see the way the scene has changed. When I was little, I remember my mother used to buy me Jumbo Colouring Book, and that had now become expensive, the price going up two-fold. Looking for other options, I found a book with pictures of Doremon and Harry Potter and other children's favourites but unfortuantely there was a 20 year old who wanted a book with some sceneries- the typical picture of one house, one girl, one tree.

Finally, my friend who has a 6 year old cousin, tore pages from her book and bought me 60 of those! Thrilled as I was, I came back from college and brought out my box of Crayola and began right away! What bliss! Today, on the day of this colourful festival I sit and colour on my sheets and smile wide as I think of New Market from where my mother and I would buy these books and colours, of  weekly drawing classes , my Navneet drawing books and I smile the widest when I think of the shopkeeper who'd asked me ,"Madam, kitne saal ka bacha hai?" when I went to buy a colouring book for myself. Looking at my smile, he suggested, "6-7 saal?" and I smiled wider and just said, "Nahi thoda bada bacha hai!"

1 comment:

  1. Colours! They appeal to some, to some they don't! Like Crayons are your friends, Holi is mine! ;) I wish I could share a pic of my pink hands with you right now! ;)

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