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 7th 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
Aditi said:
Interesting to know about the origin of the name Orange! I love the orange hue displayed in skies during Sunrise and sunset!! They offer tremendously beautiful sights!!
shail said:
Yes, beautiful sight always! 🙂
chsuresh63 said:
That was an interesting tit-bit about the name of orange and a nostalgia moment on that hard-boiled sweet. I too remember it fondly 🙂
shail said:
Thanks Suresh 🙂
UmaS said:
Oh…I love those orange hard toffees – we used to call it the fanta chocolate 😛
Elsamma – some personalities like her stay in mind forever…lovely 🙂
shail said:
Yes, it used to taste like Fanta! 🙂
phoenixritu said:
That is quite a bit of research! And nostalgia, those hard boiled orange sweets were quite a hit with us as well
shail said:
Amazing how we all remember that orange toffee!
subzeroricha said:
Yes setting sun has all shades of orange I often imagine it to be a spectrum dedicated only to the colour orange… 🙂
Richa
shail said:
True! 🙂
Roshni said:
I remember the orange hard-boiled sweet that you mean!! Thanks for jogging the old memory!
And, yes, sunsets are the ticket!
Ok, sorry for the Wodehousian dialogues! 😀
shail said:
Never be sorry for Wodehousian dialogues on my page 😉 😀 I love them.
seena said:
I love narnga mitayi 🙂 I once had chicken with oranges at a Chinese restaurant, didn’t like it though, may be there would be a recipe of fish with oranges 🙂
shail said:
Probably there is! 🙂
vishalbheeroo said:
geoluread..that’s something i am ignorant about and thankful for educating me bout. As a kid, I would eat orange if mom peeled the whole skin for me and have one or two orange shirts. I find the color quite attractive:)
shail said:
We live and learn. I was new information for me as well 🙂
Rekha said:
Yellow-Red…what a perfect name it was. And not complicated at all. 🙂
shail said:
True, very easy to connect. But orange is okay as well 🙂
Usha Pisharody said:
Orange the fruit – a favourite 🙂
Orange in the sky… gorgeous! How many oranges are thrown up there, no? Figuratively speaking :D!
Interesting facts, on the research. Thank you for the enlightenment!
shail said:
You are welcome, Usha. Do you have a sari in orange shade?
Usha Pisharody said:
I do 🙂 And I love it!
Vidya Sury said:
Wonder where Elsamma is now and what she’s doing! Orange is one of my favorite colors and I have lots of things in that color. Used to love those naranga mittai. They’re still available you know?
By the way, have you noticed that the orange fruit invariably has 11 pieces in it? My Mom would say aaru+anju (six+five) and that’s how it got its name..when I was a kid.
Just saying the word orange makes me sense the smell of the fruit’s skin!
shail said:
I wonder about her all the time 🙂 May be I will run into her one of these days. Loved that bit about aaru+anju! Naranga mittai is still available and we do buy them, just for nostalgia sake 🙂
Apoorva Kapoor said:
orange … lush life …I loved the naarangis ( mini oranges )
shail said:
Yes, they are good! 🙂