The Red Velvet Discourse

Image Source: www.caffeina.blogspot.in

A few years back, you would find vanilla cakes, chocolate cakes and fruit cakes. That was about it. Then came the brownies or loafs. Last year I read somewhere that 'cupcakes are the new brownies'. And this year I see Red Velvets everywhere. Any dessert cafe that does not have a Red Velvet offering can just bury their heads in shame. Red Velvets have become the new Chocolates!

So what is it about Red Velvets?

The shade of red is extremely important. It is not bright or scary. It is a subtle red, more of a maroon.

It is topped with White frosting usually. The Red and White combination has something about it. The white just stands out on a red background, almost as regally as a diamond ring embedded in a red velvet jewel case.

Red is the colour of love, passion, dynamism and youthfulness. A colour that was not found in desserts, except in the form of cherries. And the taste that one associates with passion and youthfulness over the years, has undoubtedly become chocolate. So here's the brilliant combination of a dash of red in an otherwise normal chocolate cake. And we have the ultimate dessert. It is the latest craze amongst youngsters.

The term velvet only adds to the sensuality of this dessert. The smooth, melt-in-the-mouth texture, the perfect colour, the vanilla frosting and the layers or the cupcake avatar all make this a precious little something for special occasions or for special people. An absolute must-have in bakeries and dessert cafes today.

:) In short, red velvet is all about new age exuberant youthfulness and sheer romance. 

A surge of colours all around us...

From about 5 years back, it seems like there is a sudden increase in the number of colours you see as options for anything ranging from trousers, mobile phones, bags, sunglasses, laptops and more.

Look around and you would notice that most menswear brands seem to have dumped the neutrals and are shouting colour stories - coloured chinos, coloured shorts, coloured belts, coloured slipons and coloured anything you can think of. Women were generally allowed more colours since ages, even then, the bright colours people sport today wont go unnoticed. Even those items which might have been more neutral browns, greys, blacks or at the most blues, have now morphed into neons, pastels, mattes in all shades of oranges, pinks, yellows and greens!

There are almost 4 brands I can think of right away, where the campaign story is some version of 'Colours'.

Mobile phones, tabs and laptops have funky coloured covers. Cars seem to be loosening up and offering bright colours whether it is a bright blue or orange or lemon yellow!

Thanks to safe and edible food colouring there are rainbow cupcakes, multicoloured pies and all sorts of colourful ganache and frosting.

All in all, its the era of bright and unabashed use of colours to sport your own style, attitude and preference.

Buddhist Pancharang depictions

The Buddhist Pancharang Concept:
The Buddhist Pancharang concept consists of Blue/ Black, White, Red, Green and Yellow.

Meditating on these colours helps you tranform your feelings

Blue/Black: From anger to wisdom/ hate to compassion (depicts the element air)

White: From ignorance to knowledge (depicts water)

Red: Worldly attachment to discernment (depicts fire)

Green: From jealousy to peace

Yellow: From pride to humility (depicts earth)

The colours are also used to depict the various directions - east, west, north, south and central (white, red, green, yellow and blue/black respectively)

These colours are brought to life in the Buddhist Tangka paintings as well. 

Colours of Duality

There is an inherent duality in almost all cultures. Masculine traits usually make up one part of the duality discourse and the other is made up of feminine traits. 

The ultimate symbolism of these two parts of the duality coming together is a marriage. Interestingly we see that the colours most commonly seen in marriages in the West, are white and black (white for the bride, and black for the groom), while in India, we see red and white (red for the bride and white for the groom). 

In the white and black weddings, white for the bride symbolises purity/chastity and black for the groom symbolises power/wealth.

In the red and white weddings, red for the bride symbolises fertility(menstrual blood) and white for men symbolises virility(semen). 

The Colour Theory of Shigenobu Kobayashi

Interesting...

What is the festival of colours all about?

Yesterday, across India, the festival of Holi (the festival of colours) was celebrated.

So what is the significance of all the colour splashing and merrymaking? Where did it all begin, or rather, what is the reason behind this festival?

There seem to be different versions of how Holi originated, and why Holi is celebrated/ observed. Two out of the three popular versions are about stories around Vishnu avatars. And the other is a story about Shiva.

Vishnu appeared to save Prahlada (son of Hiranyakashipu). Hiranyakashipu (who was finally killed by Narasimha) did not approve of his son worshipping Vishnu. He was so miffed by this, that he asked Holika (Prahlada's sister, and in some cases mentioned as his aunt), to burn him to death in a fire. Holika had the boon which would save her from being burnt. But it so happened that Vishnu appeared and saved Prahalada. Holika burnt into ashes, and every year they agreed to remember her on one day, known as Holi. And for Holi, a fire is lit to symbolise the burning of Holika, and the victory of good over evil.

Krishna, apparently used to be upset that he was darker in complexion as compared to Radha. His mother advised him to smear some colour on Radha, in order to ensure that her complexion would also become darker. This is celebrated today as Holi, and the general mood and fun nature of the festival is also in sync with the nature of Krishna.

The third version, says that the Holi fire is in fact symbolising the fire that came out of Shiva's third eye, which burnt the god of desire, Kamadeva or Rati, when he tried to awaken Shiva from his deep meditation.

In general, Holi is meant to symbolise the beginning of spring and the end of winter, in other words, the beginning of some colourful moments after a bland and dreary winter.

Who is the authority on colours in India?

Pantone has established itself as the authority on colours. The Pantone Colour Forecast pretty much drives the colour trends in fashion, interiors, lifestyles and much more. The colour forecast for fall 2013 is as given below:



This is the international colour forecast. Now what about an Indian Colour Forecast? Surely, Colour in India, is very different from Colour in the west. Is there an authority on Indian Colours? The only one that I see, which is making Colour Themes Forecast is the Asian Paints Colour Next. The 2013 Colour Forecast is not yet out, or so I gather. But here they seem to specify that this is a colour forecast for Indian interiors, specifically designed from the perspective of Asian Paints.

Is there a need for an Indian authority on Colours? Colour Forecasts? Colour Symbolism derived from Ancient Indian Concepts?