Monday, December 1, 2008

Colours


(Picture by Anoop Negi)

What is a colour by itself?
Does it have a name or an address?
Will it by itself do anything or harm anyone?

And yet we give it different names and attributes
Attach it to violence and hatred one day
And peace and harmony the next

Huge is the weight we put on it’s head
Much more than it can carry on it’s own
Hanging in the burden of it all

When will we take our portions?
How will we weigh our actions?
Who will anchor the pain?

Colours will always be there
In shades of red and white and green
Taking on the responsibility which never was to be

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Colour is considered one of the most useful and powerful tools we have. We respond to different colours in different ways, and these responses take place on a subconscious, emotional level. For Christians black has been associated with death, while white is believed to signify life and purity. In Hinduism, however, white is the traditional colour of mourning. And Saffron is tied to its aroma and flavour and it’s the colour of Agni or fire, which symbolizes the Supreme Being. But today colour matters………… fundamentalism and fanaticism……….

vinny said...

thought-provoking post Fr.
we humans always categorise and differentiate every God-made thing, forgetting who we really are! Colors are the first thing a baby reacts to..but colors will always be just that..colors!!!

Fr. Jerry Kurian said...

Thanks Kunnampally. The initial idea for the blog post came with the attacks on Mumbai. All the blood and disturbing images got me thinking of all the colour that is attached to all of this, but which is not on it's own responsible for any of this. Red is life, sacrifice and violence but at times like these, we attach it to violence and death, all the while forgetting that we are conveniently diluting the issue.

Fr. Jerry Kurian said...

Thanks Vin. It's true that we react to colours in a certain way from a very young age. But we are also taught to react in a certain way. Imagine the children who watch T.V. and all the gory violence. They are taught and tutored on a specific way in which to see a colour. But we should also agree that a colour on (by) itself cannot and will not bring about violence and death.