On the Way

Colors and concepts in India 

by Nancy Farese

Though they may take various roads, all are on the way   -Swami Vivekananda

Black eyes, green, amber, lined with kohl to protect  beautiful children from The Evil Eye; to protect boats from storms, trucks from accidents, homes from Evil Spirits. 

Red is the color of love; brides are dressed in red with hennaed hands and nervous eyes. A woman wearing a vermillion powder in her hair part indicates her marital status. Red is the color of celebration and tribute to the Gods.

Blue is the face of Vishnu, as infinite as the clear blue sky; immeasurable. A mother wears blue bracelets as she collects hair from a baby's first cut, done on an auspicious day and wrapped in a ball of dough to float on the Ganges for blessings of long life. A man seeks solace in Old Delhi; one of 1.2billion people.

And everywhere On The Way there is prayer, mantras, shared public bathings for blessings and quiet peace amidst the crowd.  A sigh isn't just a sigh. We inhale the world and breathe out meaning. While we can. While we can. – Salman Rushdie, The Moor’s Last Sigh. 

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We are on our way home today. We saw the Taj Mahal and the shopping mall, then boarded our long flight home. We have been impressed by amazing generosity and warmth, adding complexity to the stereotypes that we brought with us of corruption, income extremes, noise, dirt and religious confusion (the latter, I’ve realized, was mine alone, since the Indians seem to be quite clear on the integration of religion and daily life).  All those challenges are clearly here, but are often overshadowed by the openess and quick smiles of locals, our nascent appreciation for the historical richness in learning and the arts, and just the plain adventure of  having a window into a fascinating and vibrant culture. We are lucky indeed to have had this experience.

Stay tuned for postings from our NGO shoot with Magic Bus India –

Nancy and Julia