The Colour of Love

They say the colour of love is red, I don’t understand why. 

I have felt it in the white pallu of my grandmother which used to be my most loving and safest corner in the house. Whenever strangers scared me, I would run and hide there. In the seething heat of the summers in my village where electricity was a luxury until twenty years back, I would lie down on the open verandah on a straw mat with my head in her lap feeling the softness of her white cotton saree and listening to the story of the king with three sons while she kept waving the handmade bamboo fan until I fell asleep. She would always make a swing for me in the backyard using her spare white sarees the very day I arrived. With mangoes hanging from the overhead branches, the pond a few metres away and my grandmother in sight tending to the cows in the courtyard, what more could I possibly want! I would happily waste away hours at end swinging up and down under the clear blue sky.

She had no red on her ever since I can remember. No bangles, no sindoor, always dressed in plain white with a thin border of some other colour, anything except red. Yet love seemed to effortlessly flow from her for one and all; her children, her grandkids, the villagers or anyone who stepped into her doors. She was the reason for white becoming the favourite colour of a five year old. For me, she was love and so was white. Synonymous!

They say red roses are a symbol of love, I wonder what about the other beautiful flowers, some even surpassing a rose in intricacy and colour.

What about the bright yellow sunflowers – the crazy lovers that keep following the sun every single day of their entire lives without any break, without any exception? Their love is so contagious that one look at the dancing sunflowers is enough to elate your mood and fill you with an unknown joy. 

Have you ever witnessed the wildflowers in full bloom covering the mountains and the valleys in the prettiest of colours at the onset of spring? Pink, violet, red, yellow, white…an assortment of the most exquisite hues! Their fascinating beauty works like a charm on the hearts and has the power to captivate the mind for long when you forget all about yourself. If that’s not love, losing your mind and giving away your heart, what else is ?

Have you ever taken a moment to notice the green of the leaves, of the meadows, of the shrubby hills ? Aren’t they a delight in themselves like a gentle balm to the sore eyes, an effortless anchor for the restless mind, a stream of Nature’s love for the parched soul! Without them, we won’t be alive. In their unspoken love, we get the gift of life.

The tiny brown birds that hop on those trees, singing merrily while perched in peace or jumping in bliss. Their melody is the tune of love, longing, desperation, moaning in separation from a soulmate. In listening to them, you hear the voice of love most pristine, as music without words to dilute it’s essence or give it a meaning.

Look up at the sky, its vastness in blue. Oh my God, ain’t that amazing a hue! Nothing in itself, yet everything it contains. No boundaries, no limitations, as far as your eyes go, the blue expanse stretches. Just like love! Yet in the stillness of the water be it a puddle or a lake, it comes down and clearly shows itself. The endless sky residing in a tiny puddle, smiling and fully content. Only in love can this happen!

All these colours are vibrant, electric giving us a high just like love.

But what about black, you ask?

Have you seen my Master elegantly draped in His black robe? Dazzling like a thousand suns, absorbing all the darkness around, emanating the love of Divine Mother, so gentle and pure! 

His black eyes deep beyond description, hiding the secrets of a million years and reflecting unconditional love and compassion that completely melts and takes over. The magnetic pull of the black hauling us into His world of sweet bliss, leaving us intoxicated, lovestruck and then all else takes a backseat. He alone remains the only wish! 

Yes, Black is love too. Immensely powerful all-engulfing Love!

If you ask me what’s the colour of love, I would say it is colourful and colourless too!  Colourful like the painting by a kid where the trees can be blue, dogs pink and every other colour splashed somewhere to be of use. Colourless like water flowing forever, despite all hurdles, washing away everything that comes its way.

So, what do you think, what’s the colour of love for you? 😊