India is a land of color. Rich, saturated color. Everywhere you turn, more color, richer, more dazzling than before. For the Hindu, colors play a very important role in the religion and culture and have a very deep significance, much more than just decorative. In essence, color is a large part of the Indian consciousness.
A Sadhu dressed in saffron, the color of holy men and ascetics who have renounced the world. Wearing the color symbolizes the quest for light and truth.
Indians love color. The more intense, the more saturated, the more sodden the colors, the better.
There are some parts of the world that, once visited, get into your heart and won’t go. For me, India is such a place. When I first visited, I was stunned by the richness of the land, by its lush beauty and exotic architecture, by its ability to overload the senses with the pure, concentrated intensity of its colors, smells, tastes, and sounds. It was as if all my life I had been seeing the world in black and white and, when brought face-to-face with India, experienced everything re-rendered in brilliant technicolor.”
___Keith Bellows, National Geographic
But, when I think of India, I think of her women, from all walks of life, dressed in those beautiful, saris, bejeweled in their gold bracelets and necklaces. Stately, elegant, beautiful. That’s my image of India.