Colour Tandava

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2010

Colour Tandava- an exhibition on Colour Concepts in South India. We researched, conceptualised and created the exhibition which was on for a month from 23rd December, 2009 till 20th January, 2010. It was an absolute fun journey right through. We are proud to have Good Earth from Bangalore as our sponsors for the same.

Like words, colours create a different meaning individually and when placed one next to the other. Especially in India, some colour groups signify concepts inherent to the Indian psyche.

This exhibition presents some prominent clusters of colours and their symbolism. Meanings change depending on what colour/ colours accompany another colour. But what is consistent across these colour groups is the depth of meaning and a striving for ‘balance’.

‘Balance’ in our daily lives, in temples and rituals, in performing arts, in streetscapes and living spaces, and finally, in our contemporary lifestyle and media...Colours say it all...

A collage with the different cloths that are made from natural dyes, and a look at someof the sources of the natural dyes.

A look at some of the colour clusters...

9 colours making sense: The word graham (planet) means to grasp or take possession of. The planets are believed to temporarily seize the health, wealth and general well- being of people.

Know them all- the food for each graham, their colours, their gems and their kolam patterns.

8 colours making sense:

Ashtarasas: 
Dance Drama forms of South India present an extremely vibrant show of colours. The costume and make up in all these cases are not purely for visual appeal but also play an important role in determining the nature of the character.
Characters are generally classified according to their temperament which is dominated by one particular sentiment or Rasa. As per the Natya Sastra, there are 8 Rasas – each of which has been represented by a colour.

Ashtadikpalakas:
The Ashtadikpalakas are the guardians of the 8 directions.

The God guarding each direction is represented in the exhibit by a specific colour, according to the Vishnudharmottarapurana and the Agamas.

7 Colours making sense...

Saptaswaras:

In Indian classical music, each swara has a specific colour and when in combination with each other, various Ragas are created(Samaveda has mentioned the 7 swaras, their respective colours, related god, grahas(planets) etc.). The corresponding colors of these swaras are as follows, which are known from the planet ruling that swara or tone.

Saptasvavahana:

Surya or the Sun God is known as the Saptasvavahana/ Chitrabhanu as the seven horses that draw his chariot are Sveta(white), Rakta(red), Krisna(black), Pita(yellow), Harita(green), Kapisa(grey) and Nila(blue).

5 colours making sense...

Panchabhuta:

The Panchabhutas or the Five elements, along with the sun, moon and the self are supposed to form the body of Siva. There is a system of correspondence of five colours, five symbolic shapes, the five senses, five planets, five forms of Siva, and five South Indian temples (Panchabhuta temples).

3 Colours making sense...

The Trinity and the Trigunas:

Vishnu the preserver, Brahma the creator, and Rudra the destroyer- are represented by White, Red and Black respectively.
The Matrtanta explains that the three inner qualities or triguna- Sattva(Intelligence or Brilliance), Rajas (action), and Tamas( inertia or darkness) are also represented by the same three colours White, Red and Black.

2 Colours making sense:

Red & Yellow:

Yellow (as in Turmeric) signifies intellect/ knowledge/ wisdom and Red (as in Saffron) signifies love. Usually Turmeric is mixed with Saffron as Intellect is meaningless without Love.

Red & White:

Have you ever wondered why the walls of most South Indian temples are painted Red and White?
These two colours together represent Prakriti and Purusha, the two all important concepts in the Universe. Red and White in tandem with each other represent creation through the union of Purusha (white, the male principle) and Prakriti/ Shakti (red, the female principle).

These two colours represent the Theory of Dialectics, the same concept as is represented by the Yin and Yang, the Ardhanarishwar, and many other such examples that are present in different sciences from across desciplines.