Colours of Life

Colours gives our lives a new meaning and adds a different dimensions to things around us. Imagine a world which is colourless, where we have only different shades grey and white to choose from, where it is difficult to distinguish water from sky, dirt from design and a rainbow is but an arbitrary combination of grey and white. To think of the world as we see it today in contrast to the one I had asked you to imagine, one cannot help but count his blessings. Lately the world has been fascinated by a different kind of colour and it clearly seems that red is the flavor of the season. With each passing day the red grows graver in Wall Street and markets across the world. With the sudden reversal of trends the countries are on a nationalization drive and some are even wondering it’s the end of road for Capitalism and a reincarnation of Communism (Red is back). The recent bombings, acts of terrorism and violence, genocide practices, campus shootouts, religious wars and other human crime goes on to suggest that red rules the roost.

One cannot help but draw a parallel to our immediate neighbours...yes you guessed it right ...Pakistan who on the face of it has completely given up on green and adopted red. Strange are the ways of the world...just the other day it seemed that they are ready to do a jihad for green and today red is all they want. The long march in Pakistan by the opposing party and disgruntled lawyer is in contrast to the short march that the Taliban is planning from Peshawar to Islamabad. The country is in disarray thanks to the Frankenstein they created, a monster that has now turned wild and ready to consume its own creators.  Red (Blood) is what it needs and its appetite for this colour increase with each passing day. After having tried its hand on neighbors it has lost it way and is now hell bent in consuming its own masters.

Last week India was also fascinated with Colours albeit a different kind ...Colours in all its hues including different shades of red. We celebrated Holi the festival of Colours, the festival of vitality and triumph. This was the first major event after Mumbai attacks and a strong message to the world that in our diversity lies the dignity, in our complex system there is a common thread that binds us all. With Colours smeared on the face it is difficult to distinguish a King from a Pauper, a Technocrat from a Beggar, a Politician for an Ordinary Worker, a so called Slumdog from a successful Entrepreneur and this effect of equality among differing Colours really sums up the spirit of Holi.

Sac…