In the spectrum of visible light, and in the traditional color wheel used by painters, yellow is located between green and orange.

I had never been fond of yellow as a color. Yuck, was my outlook on anything yellow. Of course I loved the luscious yellow mangoes, the lovely flowers, and even the odd yellow butterfly. But that is as far as I went. Yellow clothes? Are you out of your mind?! No thanks. I raised my eyebrows in amazement when I saw yellow cars of which there weren’t too many those days. WEHO were these people who drove YELLOW cars? Yuck, again.

Though I cannot pinpoint the exact time this anti-yellow attitude underwent a change. Somewhere along the line yellow had caught my eye and I found myself in possession of a yellow salwar-kameez with tiny multicoloured flowers on it, which actually ended up being a favorite. I wonder what changed in me. Why did I suddenly start liking yellow so much so that now it reminds me of sunshine, laughter and joy? The yuck of the past is a forgotten thing. Yellow also brings to mind the Golden Shower tree covered in blossoms that stood outside my window. The flowers of the tree are any day better sight than the yellow metal that is such a craze among humans, or should I say Indians/Mallus?

This beautiful color that is associated with optimism and cheer also has negative connotations of cowardice: yellow streak, yellow bellied are examples. Then we also have yellow journalism which seems to be an affliction most news channels/agencies are suffering from. Yellow is also linked with something that we all turn to for information: yellow pages.

I have a story to tell about yellow which I have already told elsewhere too if I am not mistaken. One day, the L & M decided (much against my wishes) to paint the wooden almirah from my grandmother’s time. Yup, he likes to potter around and paint things in and around the house, except that I think it is too dangerous to let him loose with paint and brush as one never knows what all he ends up painting in the same shade. I was away in the US for a month recently and returned to find my precious Bankura horse, the one still standing (the other having been broken by Luci), varnished to a shiny finish (*sob sob*) with, horror of horrors, not clear varnish, but the one used for furniture.

Anyway getting back to the story, late into the night when we were all in bed, the L & M started painting. I woke up a while later and sauntered over to see how things were going and as if struck by lightning and I am damn scared of lightning, mind you. The wooden almirah with the old-world charm was now a crass yellow in color. But.. but I spluttered in shock, but was sent straight back to bed. It took the morning sun to dawn for it to dawn on him that I had been right the previous night, that he had unwittingly transformed the faded aristocratic looking almirah to a painted trollop. Suffice to say it never regained its lost glory.

Having recounted this funny story at the expense of the L  & M on Yellow Day, let me also add that today I complete 31 years of married life to the man himself. Tomorrow we step into our 32^nd year.

I am taking part in 

The Write Tribe Festival of Words 1st – 7th September 2013.