Colourful India

Hi guys! I think i may have put a jinx on my health with my last post. I woke up on Saturday feeling disgusting and have been out of it all weekend. It hurts so much to swallow anything and my head has been pounding - not to mention my body temperature constantly going from boiling hot to freezing...eeurrgh :/ Just got on the computer because, whilst i do love it, back-to-back Miss Marple repeats were starting to drive me crazy. I have managed to catch a repeat of 'The Spice Trail', however, on BBC 2. I missed it when it was on in February. It's a documentary presented by Kate Humble which explores the origins of and stories behind different spices that we used today in cooking. In this first episode, she took a look at the production, trading and history of pepper and cinnamon. 

(Picture courtesy of the BBC)

The search took her first to India, and then Sri Lanka - in both places we were shown some stunning natural landscapes and examples of the luscious greenery that can be found in such abundance in these parts of the world. I find India so beautiful - if ever there's a programme on it on tv and i know it's on, then i'll watch it. I think it's the afformentioned natural aspects to it, aswell as it's rich and colourful culture that attracts me so much. Colour seems to be a big thing in India. It was something that i noticed frequently on this programme aswell. It seems to be embedded into every aspect of life there. For instance: a practical, wooden pole meant to be of no decorative use at all has string of atleast 5 different, bright colours tied around it. It may seem stupid that i noticed this but for me, it is a great example of the important role that colour plays in the character of India. 

 I remember reading an interview with the designer Matther Williamson once, in which he claimed India to be one of his greatest influences. He said that when he had once visitited, he made a point of buying as many cheap saris with colourful patterns as possible at a market, and taking them back with him to use in his designs. Anyway, whilst pondering India and it's bright colours this afternoon, something sprung to mind that i had come across a while ago: The Festival of Colours. This is something celebrated by Sikhs and Hindus as part of the spring religious festival 'Holi'. I won't pretend i know anything about the religious (or otherwise) significance of the festival, i just know that it is in celebrates the arrival of Spring and involves people smearing coloured powder and throwing coloured and scented water on each other. The photographer Poras Chaudhary has taken many lovely photographs of the festival that are the main reason for this blog post. Here are some of them:

I now can't wait to explore the rest of his work. I just found this mini-biography thing:

Born in a small city of Northern India, Kurukshetra, Poras Chaudhary is a freelance photojournalist and a documentary photographer. Ever since he was a child, Poras has been intrigued by the visually striking moments, may they be special for their color, composition or just the moment’s rarity in time. His passion for photography began in 2005 when he started looking for a good camera and came across the work of Magnum photographers. Poras is a completely self-taught photographer. He is best known for his color work and unique compositions. 

(Taken from this webpage)

Oooh i just saw an advert on the tv that i've got on in the background for 'Caroline Quentin: A Passage through India' starting next week on ITV - wicked :D

Lots of love

Lucy

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