A Panaroma of Colors Captured In My Travel Lens

As a small kid, I remember playing a game in which the diner would ask, Colour Colour? To which we would customarily reply – Which colour? Then, the diner would go on to name a random colour and send us all running around to touch that colour in any thing around us that contained it. So like for example, a 'green' would see us running towards a tree or a 'yellow' call would see us sprinting towards a flower. The slowest one to do so would be eliminated.

This tag 'Capture The Colour' passed on to me by Magiceye of Mumbai Daily took me back to those childhood memories of mine and hence, for a change, I decided to take it up. The challenge was to touch 5 colors namely red, white, blue, green and yellow from your travel album and bring them out. So there I went, running around my image folders, looking for 5 photos that really did capture the colors. And here’s what I found –


Blue

How many shots that we capture force us to stop, ponder and contemplate on the various elements in its frames? This one did.


Varanasi - The city of Life and Death
Varanasi - The City of Life ... And Death

The sacredness of the waters of the River Ganga below and the oneness of the covering of the heavenly skies above – With the help of these two oars in blue, a boat full of people crosses the huge ocean of life in an attempt to make it to their final destination of salvation or Moksha.

That’s how I saw it in those moments with Her (read: Ganga River). I still wonder if it was meant to be seen that way. May be it simply was a case of my imagination taking its wings, or was it the magic of the city – the City of Life... and death, Varanasi - playing on me? I will never know.

Green

I had never planned to be here.

Green waters of the River Ganga in Harsil, Himalayas
The Magic of the River Ganga - Harsil

The attraction of the sacred and the clear waters of the River Ganga is what took me to a narrow dirt path in a small town by the name of Harsil during my chance halt en route to Badrinath. Not only did I come here but I also met a sweet village woman and returned back enriched, with lessons for life. For these reasons and some more, this nostalgic picture from my travel album will always remain a special memory for me.


Yellow

Think of Rani Sati Temple in Jhunjhunu, and red is the first colour that comes to mind, the colour of Rani Sati Dadi - a manifestation of Ma Shakti. The second colour that comes in mind is white, the colour of the marble the entire temple is built in. These thoughts, is what makes this pictureof  a burning diya (lamp) with the temple in the background, all the more special for me. After the prayers, the diya is brought out in the compound so that everyone can receive the blessings of the Goddess.

Arti in the Rani Sati Temple in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan
Rani Sati Temple in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan

Although its an everyday ritual, but the real beauty lies in those few moments of prayer - when you circulate your palms over the divine lights in a clockwise direction three times, close your eyes and warm your face with its heat - that is the moment when rest of the colours slowly fade away in the background and all that remains before you is Yellow - the divine light.

White

Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad was a place washed in white. Be it the loin dhoti in His various oil paintings and photographs, the humble setting in His personal room, the cotton yarn He spun on the charkha wheel, His three monkeys sitting in a significant posture or the canvas which carried the entire message of his life - Everywhere I saw, the colour white strikingly stood out so much so that even the history of the place was seeped in white!

A Statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the Sabarmati Ashram
Mahatma Gandhi at the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad

White, I realized was not a mere colour here but the very soul of a place resonating in righteousness, ahimsa and truth... the essence that painted the entire life and character of a man we fondly call Bapu - The Father of Our Nation – Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

Red

It's called the Pink City of India but the more I traveled to this beautiful part of India and observed its people and their culture, I realized that red is actually the dominating color here. Jaipur is home to numerous celebrations and festivals, ingrained in the very life of people and red being the color of auspiciousness forms an important part of it.

Colorful pots in the Pink City -Jaipur
Pots - A Symbol of Celebrations and Togetherness

These red coloured pots with religious inscriptions of faith are sold in many parts of the city and I learnt that they are used in colorful festivals like Teej and Gangaur when people come together to partake in various rites and rituals. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that these pots represent the very spirit of the city – that of joy, celebration and togetherness.

According to the rules of the game, I am passing this forward to 5 of my fellow buddy bloggers -

1. Rupam Sarma @ http://www.rupamsarma.blogspot.com
2. Richa Kholkute @ http://richaroams.com
4.  @ http://thecinnamonjourney.blogspot.in

But the good part is that anyone can take this up even without the tag; the last date is 29th August and there are some cool prizes up for grabs! So, if you find this interesting, go ahead and take it up. Show me the colours from your travel lens. I am eagerly waiting to see them!

Post a Comment

80 Comments

  1. Very interesting. I guess we can focus our eyes on any color. I really love the "blue" photograph, blue makes all the other colors work in that shot.

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  2. Love your indian travel palette Arti! Also, the colors here represent the elements, very nice indeed. Have a happy weekend!

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  3. Real professional quality to the pictures.Real artist in you !

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  4. "The sacredness of the waters of the River Ganga below and the oneness of the covering of the heavenly skies above – With the help of these two oars in blue, a boat full of people crosses the huge ocean of life in an attempt to make it to their final destination of salvation or Moksha.
    " --- oh, I am in awe with not only your image but also of your description, Arti. I love your choices of images for the colors, and wow, thanks for the tag, or the challenge, I love this! I will definitely do this, but just not sure when I will finish since I still have to search in my computer for the images. :)

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  5. What a beautiful, colorful and fascinating post, Arti! I really do enjoy reading about your wonderful country and its history! Thanks for sharing! Enjoy a beautiful weekend!

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  6. Lovely colors! The red colored matka is very attractive!

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  7. Colours play an active role in our life.

    Cannot imagine if our life is running out of colours.

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  8. Fun to find a grown-up version of this childhood game and your pictures are lovely. (as always)

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  9. @Arti Truly Beautiful post. All the best for 'Capture the Colour' contest. Thanks for your tag.
    Have a nice weekend.

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  10. Thanks, Arti, for tagging me. I need time to think this over and find suitable photos! I love yours!

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  11. Beautiful selection. Wishing you all the best.

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  12. I love this post and most esp, I love color yellow and white. Inspiring. It just connects well to my reflections of many of my travels.

    Cheers :)

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  13. Thank you @Everyone. :-)

    @A Yes, Its actually my favorite too! It's so subtle than the rest of the colors in that image yet so beautifully blending with all of them and its also giving the entire perspective so much depth, isn't it?

    @dr antony The beauty is in the places and those moments, I have done nothing :)

    @betchai @rupam @gigihawaii You have a lot of time in your hands. The last date for it is 29th Aug. Do it soon as I cant wait to see your post on this. And do check that link, there are some cool prizes up for grabs too! :)

    @Wends of Journeys... Travels without reflections is really no travel at all. I am glad you could find some inspirations and connections in my captures as I did when I was actually there. :-)

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  14. a wonderful thought and then even wonderful color associations... and u did not tag me :((

    http://sushmita-smile.blogspot.in/

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  15. @shooting star Thank you, sushmita. Believe me, If I could I would have tagged all my friends here:( But hey, as I mentioned in the last few lines, its open to all. So how about taking this up and weaving a post around it! Would surely love to see your captures :)

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  16. Hi Arti

    Interesting post based on color...concept is wonderfull...a new dimension...for me the taj mahal was one of the most wonderfull associations I had with white and I am sure I would be to associate with every color : )

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  17. Your choice of images to each color is superb and your narratives to each image make it more attractive. All in all, the selected image to the five colors speak about what India is like. Excellent job, Arti!

    Yoko

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  18. Brilliant stuff! Both the photographs and the text. As an avid traveler and photographer myself, I could really relate to this one.

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  19. All the best. Loved Ganges flowing..

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  20. Love your panoroma of colors of India, a place I'm yet to visit. It's a fascinating place, isn't it?

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  21. Amazing ! Although I have seen most of the pictures there on your blog before but the Blue and Green one are absolutely spectacular :)

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  22. I loved the yellow one .. beautiful clicks :)

    and that water wowowo

    Bikram's

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  23. °Âº♡
    °.¸♡
    º° ♫♡彡° ·..

    As fotografias são muito bonitas.
    Bom fim de semana!
    Beijinhos.
    Brasil
    •.¸¸°♡彡°¸¸.•

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  24. Wahhh Arti, it's my name there..?

    Hmmmm colours, let me check all my travel picture, Thank you for the tag, It's very interesting :)

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  25. Such a vivid post both in photos and descriptions. I totally enjoyed your color search, Arti!

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  26. Nice colorful post Arti. You made me remember that childhood game! We used to come up with unusual colors and used to fight over it! :) Childhood days!

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  27. Beautiful shots Arti! I loved the description that accompanied the shot of "Gandhi." Not only does the picture represent White, his spirit does as well – a light in the world that still shines brightly today.

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  28. Absolutely stunning and fascinating pictures.

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  29. @Satya We can never leave Taj behind when speaking of white, can we? I was actually thinking of putting that up for white but then finally went in for Gandhiji.

    @Inside Journeys It's magical, Marcia! You must get here some day.

    @Mareta Yes, scan your files! I am sure you have some amazing colours stacked in there! :)

    @Caanan Thanks Caanan, and I couldn't agree more with what you said - His spirit and ideals are indeed eternal lights enlightening the entire world till date.

    Thanks @Everyone :)

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  30. Lovely clicks.. All the best.

    www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.com

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  31. Very interesting and it will be more interesting to see how other bloggers splash their colors. I loved the green photos. In fact I loved it in the original post as well.

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  32. Beautiful shots, love the diversity

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  33. Very nice juxtaposition of colors with the photographs!
    You rekindled memories of a forgotten game :)
    The only disconnect I had was with Green.. probably something else with more of foliage perhaps..?

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  34. Marvelous Arti! Trust you to manage to blend the divine seamlessly into this colorful contest.

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  35. @themoonstone Thanks Ash :) I can understand your disconnect with the green. Foliage for green is always a choice, but I was more keen on picking out something different, rather unusual. Also, the fact that I had a special connect with this picture and the place helped me finally settle for this picture only from the varied options.

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  36. Wow Arti. The colors are well captured. I love the yellow flame the best in the pictures. Good luck to you for this contest! Thanks so much for tagging me in this post. Really appreciate it. Will rummage through my photos soon for this contest!

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  37. Arti,

    Yes, your post reminds me of 'Tippy Tippy tap tap-what color do you want'!! Those were some blissful years...:)))
    Amazing how colors add a zing, and give life to the images.

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  38. Arti,
    All of your photos are splendid! Especially I love the blue one. How beautifully you depict Ganga River! I feel as if I were embraced with Mother Nature. Blue is the color of our planet.
    Your photos are poems.
    keiko

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  39. This is a lovely post - mainly because each colour brings back a lovely memory for you.

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  40. I have played that game as a kid :) ... Your entry for 'Green' was unique and different...Nice shots!

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  41. It's impossible to read Gandhi's expression.

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  42. It's impossible to read Gandhi's expression.

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  43. ...splendid! I loved blue and green!!

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  44. Hi Arti, Such lovely photographs and lovelier descriptions, how I wish I could travel like you... great job !!
    take care

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  45. Interesting take on colours.

    How will you classify Taj Mahal. Yellow or White?

    India is vibrant and colourful. One can find lot of colours in every walk of life.

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  46. The River Ganga looks so magical. I'm dreaming staring at it now. Wow!

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  47. Nice post, loved the blue one though!
    not able to relate the green and yellow with the photos - can u elaborate more... ? :)

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  48. lovely photographs ! sp. those red pots :)

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  49. Lovely photos Arti! I really liked the white and the green water shot. What water? :)

    All the best for contest.

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  50. Great theme, awesome pictures!

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  51. I remember playing that game too in my childhood. Very beautifully you have captured all the five colors, Arti. My favorite pic among them would be 'Yellow'. :)

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  52. Beautiful pictures, Arti. Cool post, too.

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  53. Thanks loads @everyone :-) And All the best to you too, Richa! Waiting for your post now!

    @Sabyasachi Taj Mahal is in a shade of white for me.

    @Santosh You know what.. the theme of the tag is that 'Your pictures should be such that they speak a thousand words to the reader'. Since you have asked for more elaborations, I need to ask you this - Arent my pictures speaking? :(

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  54. Why didn't I think of doing a Capture the Colour using just India shots - it would have been so easy! Love your photos and choices of destinations, and your blog!

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  55. Interesting!! The true colors of India!! Loved the words for each picture... especially the first one.

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  56. such a colourful post ,loved all your clicks ......awesome :D :)

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  57. Arti: I finally did a post on the Capture the Colors contest. Please click on the following link:

    http://gigihawaii.wordpress.com/2012/08/14/capture-the-colors/

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  58. Argh! I didn't mean that... what I'm trying to understand is how are you trying to relate the green and yellow with those specific pictures...?

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  59. Arti,
    I made a mistake. I used another ID, keiko(snowwhite), to post my comment. I was asked to post a news to NARAWALK sometimes. After writing trhere,I did not log out and visited your blog. I found this mistake in several blogs.
    Sorry, made you confused.

    keiko

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  60. @gigihawii Thanks for sharing the link! Will be right there!

    @Santosh I had clicked the picture of the Ganga waters during my trip to the Char Dhams. Though we generally associate water with the color blue but since this place was untouched by the touristy crowd, I found the waters here pristine aqua green, much to my delight and joy. Observe closely and I'm sure you will be able to make out the difference in color :)

    About the yellow, the flames of the prayer lamp in the compound of the temple is yellow in color. When the lamp is brought out in the premises, its amazing to see how the lamp becomes the focus of attraction, with all the people flocking towards it rather than the temple or even the deity inside.

    Hope that clarifies. :-)

    @snowwhite No Keiko. Not a problem at all :) I had recognized you when you had posted your comment. Narawalk is a magazine or newspaper? Congrats on getting published there!

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  61. Very interesting post, Arti. Love the RED!

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  62. This is already a popular blog. I am late but did not want to miss out on it. The details you give makes your post a pleasure to read :)

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  63. You have captured a rainbow of colors beautifully. The red colored pots are amazingly decorated.

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  64. I just participated in the contest, and you are the reason behind making it happen. So, a big Thanks to you! The post is here:

    http://anucreations.blogspot.in/2012/08/when-colours-talk.html

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  65. Thanks!!!!It was a pleasure meeting u too!!! BTW ur blog roxxx!

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  66. My favorite is the red pots. Awesome colours!

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  67. Wish I had time for fun stuff like this. You did an awesome job of picking photos. I love the meanings you found in the colors as well. I really loved seeing that photo again of the Ganga river with the sun flare in it. I have always loved that photo and place. Just makes me smile. Have fun with the game. Hugs Carrie

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  68. i never heard of such a game but it did sound very interesting !

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  69. I rather rarely browse information sites on web as the majority of them are time losing technique. However , I will state that this approach is completely other way round. Keep on the good work.
    International roaming service

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  70. Amazing photos guys! I can't pick the one day- I like them all ;)

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  71. Hello , thats really amazing . These are pictures .
    Mansarovar Yatra

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  72. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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