Orange is the color located between red and yellow in the spectrum of light, and in the traditional colour wheel used by painters.

Orange brings to mind Elsamma who was my classmate in 7^th grade.  Unlike other girls of my class she wore no adornments, and was extremely simple in appearance. In spite, to me she looked the sweetest of them all.  She rarely spoke much, and when she did her voice had a soothing quality. When she smiled her gentle eyes sparkled with mischief and compensated for all her silence. But why does the color Orange remind me of her?

You see, on one of those rare occasions when we students did not have to wear a uniform to school, Elsamma had come wearing an orange top and a printed skirt. I still remember her standing with us beneath a tree next to the playground in her polo-necked orange top, her wavy hair plaited neatly and falling to her waist, and her umbrella folded and held in her hand, listening to the conversation, but not really part of it. I guess I wanted to be like Elsamma. She seemed happily contained within herself and content to be a watcher and not a participant. But who knew then I’d grow up to be exactly like her in that aspect?

Orange is another color that I have never paid much attention to in the growing up years. But I remember the bright orange hard-boiled sweets called naranga muttai displayed in glass bottles in local shops. There was another orange colored hard toffee that came wrapped in paper. Both were a treat to have and reminded you so much of oranges. But of course there is nothing like orange the fruit itself. I remember being home for study holidays when I was fifteen and gorging on fried fish and oranges. Not together of course. What an idea! The fish was had with lunch, but the oranges were at my whim and fancy.

Here is something interesting about how the orange got its name. The word comes from the Old French orenge, from the old term for the fruit, pomme d’orenge. That name comes from the Arabic naranj, through the Persian naranj, derived from the Sanskrit naranga (orange). (Wiki) And WHAT do you think they called the color before this name was introduced to the English language? Believe it or not, they called it as ġeolurēad (yellow-red).

Orange abounds in nature, fruits, flowers you name it. But, the best orange I like is that seen at sunrise and also at sunset when the sun paints the sky. I have come a long way since I neglected the color and since noticing that it suited me gone out of the way to buy a few orange outfits. By the way, have you all heard of this meme: Orange You Glad It’s Friday (link). It is for sharing pictures with orange in it. Cool bit of info for Orange Day, eh?

I am taking part in 

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