India is culturally very vibrant country. You can see from my presentation how colourful a country and its people are. My presentation shows hoe colour is used by Indians in different ways

1. Vibrant Colors of INDIA India is inherently is a colorful nation and black and white photographs can never do complete justice to India's vast diversity. How true! Presented by: Dr. Prashant Mehta Assistant Professor National Law University, Jodhpur Email: prashantmehta1@rediffmail.com

6. FANCY HEAD GEAR Fancy Head Gear, mostly worn by villagers to beat the summer heat

7. FANCY DRESS Fancy Dress Entertainer at a village festival, Karnataka

8. COLOR OF PERSONALITY Colorful Rumal, Colorful Personality Folk artist from Dharwad. Note the ash on his forehead and beads around the neck.

10. Rich or poor, the Hindu worshippers always offer flowers to their deity and the flowers are a popular item to sell on the streets. In the Hindu thought, the blooming of a flower is often described the Magic of the Master (God's Maya ) and glorified by ancient poets and artists. FOREVER MERRY

11. ENCOUNTERING SUN GOD Encountering Sun God The mask used in the worship of Sun God (Somana Kunita), Bangalore

12. COLORS OF RAJASTHAN A Couple riding camel on the sands of Thar desert. The hardships of the desert have inspired a colorful lifestyle in the state.

13. EXPENSIVE COLORS Expensive Colors Indian's passion for gold can be traced to very early times. Here, a piece of Mysore Maharaja's jewelry

14. DÉCOR OF FOLK ARTIST Decor of a Folk Artist Decor and expression of a Yakshagana Performer

18. SOBER BLUE As a calming color, it produces feelings of constancy and faith and can reflect images of sensitivity, truth, sleep, hope, friendship, wisdom, loyalty and ones desire to nurture. The Sober Blue – City of Jodhpur Lighter shades of blue can be associated with understanding, health, tranquility, protection, peace, and general happiness. It sharpens the power to perceive, heightens spiritual awareness, and increases one’s patience. is the color of nobility and tranquility. It has elements of healing, peace, the psychic. Blue is the color of the element of Water - symbolic of the ocean, sleep, twilight, and the sky.

19. PAINTED PUPPET Now a fast vanishing art in South India, painted puppets have entertained folklore for generations. The puppets are made with leather and then painted. The movements are controlled by threads and sticks.

20. BLACK BEAUTY In India, colors are highly symbolic. However a bit of black acts as a visual magnet. Black absorbs all colors and negativity. Black is a powerful color. In a positive light is portrays virtues of constancy, prudence and wisdom. purity, binding, repelling, remembrance and protection. It is a color of sexuality, formality, elegance, wealth, and mystery.

21. Colors of History This starting surface ( bhitti or mani bhoomi ) is prepared by using a mixture of powdered bricks, clay, kernels of Bilva (a type of fruit, Aegle marnelos ), guggula gum, beeswax, jaggery and oil in different proportions. Lime prepared from seashells is also an important ingredient for this mixture, along with the sawdust of a particular bark. The mixture, after being stored for about a month, is applied to the wall to obtain a smooth surface. It should be as bright as a crystal in order to be able to obtain the desired results. From the beginning of time, Indians have used hues and color in their art. Here, ancient mural from Karnataka From the ancient texts on fine arts, it can be gathered that the basic necessity for the style is a smooth, plastered surface. That means it does not demand a wet surface as in the frescoes of Italy.

22. Folk painting Holy Cow and Mango Tree- Mithila painting Perhaps the best known genre of Indian folk paintings are the Mithila (also called Madhubani) paintings from the Mithila region of Bihar state. For centuries the women of Mithila have decorated the walls of their houses with intricate, linear designs on the occasion of marriages and other ceremonies, Painting is a key part of the education of Mithila women, culminating in the painting of the walls of the kohbar, or nuptial chamber on the occasion of a wedding. The kohbar ghar paintings are based on mythological, folk themes and tantric symbolism, though the central theme is invariably love and fertility.

23. The Color of the Night Illuminated Entrance to Mysore Palace

24. Celebratory Greens Strings of mango leaves indicate festive occasion There is really something about living a life that is close to nature, perhaps the way humans were meant to live. Using natural fibers for clothing , and fruits of the nature for decor, and utility are some of the examples, even though such use is temporal or short-lived. We have compiled this exhibition to illustrate how the Indians have blended natural products in their daily living -- using cow-dung as an antiseptic, and leaves as plates for eating.

25. Stamped in Red A vermilion mark on the forehead is considered to bring good luck. It must have come in vogue when the cave-men fought fiercely for the same mate and the victorious one decorated her forehead with his rival's blood.

27. Nomadic Colours The Lambanis (a.k.a. Lambadis, Romanis) are the nomadic tribes of India. They go from place to place in search of a livelihood. They have their own language, culture and a unique social structure. It is fairly well accepted that the Gypsies found today all over eastern Europe and the Balkans actually migrated from India centuries ago. The Lambanis mostly lead a poor, uneducated, and yet a very colorful life.

29. Fish Eyes Bharatanatyam Dancer Strikes a Pose Classical Colors Facial of a Bharatanatyam classical dancer reveals the perception of traditional beauty in South India.

32. Indian Tribals The tribal people of India constitutes 8.08 percent of the total population of India. They are generally inhabiting in different ecological and geoclimatic conditions mostly inaccessible to other people. So each tribal group is distinct from the other in ethnic affinity and social practices. They are having some salient features which make them unique. The cultural identification or way of living is still strong among them.

33. Colors of Indian Music Music has always occupied a central place in the imagination of Indians. The range of musical phenomenon in India, extends from simple melodies, commonly encountered among hill tribes, to what is one of the most well- developed "systems" of classical music in the world. Indian music can be described as having been inaugurated with the chanting of Vedic hymns, there are references to various string and wind instruments, as well as several kinds of drums and cymbals, in the Vedas. Music may include vocal, instrumental, fusion , bhajans and folklores.

35. Color of Festival Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is one of the most colorful occasions in India. Prayers are said to invoke the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth. The origin of this festival can be traced to the Hindu mythologies. According to a section of the population, Lord Vishnu rescued Goddess Lakshmi from King Bali on Diwali. According to another group, Goddess Lakshmi emerged on Diwali from the milky way (Ocean of Milk). Diwali is also celebrated to mark the return of Lord Rama from Lanka after his victory over Ravana. In South India, Diwali is celebrated to commemorate the victory of Lord Krishna over the demon Narakasura.