By Roli S
They say memories are colourful! Since the season of spring is here and Holi, the festival of colour belonging to the month of ‘phalgun’, has once again arrived, I have decided to look for that colour in my memories that makes a colourful life. The very first thing thinking about the memories has made me realise that no matter how much dark and grey colours they bring into one’s life, one never wants to let go of those memories. Not because they are dark and grey but because behind them are hidden all the bright colours of life, the ones that were never noticed when they were part of one’s life. Even though memories are the invisible threads connecting our past, present, and future, the essence of our identity, they are the silent storytellers of our life experiences, painting vivid pictures of our journey through time in dull and bright colours simultaneously. Whether they bring a smile to our faces or a tear to our eyes, memories have an undeniable power to evoke deep emotions and shape our perspective of the world. They are not just recollections of the past, but profound lessons that guide us. Understanding the power of memories and learning to harness them in our present life can make further, more colourful memories, for sure. If you look closely, memories are life itself! Sometimes colourful, sometimes dull, sometimes bright with hopeful eyes, sometimes only black and white but always exquisite pieces of art and colour! We must not take for granted the colours that make our life and create memories. Here I remember very powerful words about life and colours! Life is like a box of crayons. Most people are the eight colour boxes, but what one is really looking for are the sixty-four colour boxes with the sharpeners on the back. Few people fancy themselves to be a sixty-four-colour box of crayons, few others have got a few colours missing from their boxes. It’s okay though, because they have got some more vibrant colours like the brightest yellow or deepest crimson at their disposal. Sometimes people meet those that have a bit of a problem because they can only have eight or less colour boxes, when there are so many different colours of life, of feeling, of articulation. So, when people meet someone who’s an eight or less-colour type, they must adjust, as they may have to settle for purple when they were looking for a magenta in the first place! That is why I have begun to realise that It’s all in the shades, tints, and combos and how we use our box of crayon while making memories and living life! It is rightly said that the soul becomes dyed with the colour of its thoughts. We must choose our thoughts wisely! The colour black is associated with dicey, precarious actions and thoughts, but without black, no colour has any depth. At the same time, if you mix black with everything, suddenly there’s shade – no, not just shade, but fullness. You’ve got to be willing to mix black into your palette if you want to create something that’s real and authentic! Don’t the darker days make the brighter one’s shine better? One should love to live life in colour. In fact, consider the idea that life is lived in the colours of the rainbow, because it takes both rain and sun for rainbow colours to appear, just as this life is also made of, both, the stains of brightness and greys. Continuing with the metaphor of crayons, life is all about using the whole box of crayons. One’s attitude is like a box of crayons that colours one’s world. So, if one is constantly colouring the picture gray, then the picture will always be bleak. So, try adding some bright colours to the picture by including some humour, some style, and life’s picture will begin to lighten up. I remember a colourful quote here. “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” Simply said, try bringing colours to someone’s dull and colourless life.
The colours of life can also be interpreted with a child’s vision, give a child a box of crayons and watch her colour the world happy, with bright, gaudy, multicolored hues, but tell her where to fill which colour and watch her dislike everything that is colourful about life itself. Life promptly declares – do not commit colour sabotage with the little ones by asking them to use colours that attack and fight against their natural colouring! Don’t take colours for granted! Colours will always possess life, without pursuing colours. They will always do. Nature will always wear the colours of the spirit. The orange and red will always fill the morning and evening skies. Yellow and pink will always fill the streets and gardens during spring season, murky and ashy will always fill a rainy day. At the same time life presents this world as a canvas for every human being to create their own reality and if everyone looked for that uniqueness then we would indeed have a very colourful masterpiece of a world! I suggest that whoever is reading here must seek to be a unique presence in the world, just as a purple thread is in a long white gown! After all, this world is like a rainbow or flower garden. Each nation denotes different colours in the form of tribe, religion, race, language, traditions and different cultures, etc. What would happen if the earth only contained black or white, one tribe, one race, one religion? What if the rainbow was made with one colour? Flower gardens with one colour of flower? No, we must not take colours for granted! So, if you choose to paint your life today… What will it be? Remember, you’re the artist, not the canvas. You are the one who is making memories! Your life will be colourful if you just add colours to your life! No, you cannot take colours for granted. Choose your colours wisely. Happy Holi.
(Roli S is an Educator and Author based in Thane)
