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As May unleashes its fury and the mercury climbs up to a dizzying 46 degree Celsius, the heat and the long wait for the monsoons are all one talks about these days. I, in the meanwhile, am fixated with the colour yellow - it's like everywhere, the quite obvious representative being the malevolent and monstrous ball of fire hanging in the afternoon sky. Though not my most favorite color from the mood-lifting spectrum, I tend to associate yellow with the childhood summer vacations - may be it's something to do with the ubiquitous presence of mangoes and the unrestricted freedom from the shackles of schoolwork. So as the sun continues showering its flames of vengeance, I cannot help but arrange these postcards of different yellows in my head, some vibrant and the others mellow, some seasonal and a few born out of idle musings.
Mangoes, the golden-yellow summer delights! Wherever you look, there they are - heaped in small carts lining the roadsides, dominating the fruits section in supermarkets, pulped and candied in thin, long strips, sliced and spiced in tempting pickle jars, and so on. One wonders if they'd still be such a rage if they weren't seasonal.
The full-of-hopes-yellow cover of A Thousand Splendid Suns, a tale equally, if not more heart-rending than The Kite Runner. It officially stamps me as a Khaled Hosseini fan and coincidentally, the end of May will see the release of his third novel which has already been pre-ordered online.
Yellow trumpet flowers paving the sun-beaten, desolate streets, cheerfully reminding one of the brighter aspects of an Indian summer. One could do well with a leaf or two from their book of resilience and steadfastness.
And finally, my pair of miniature yellow Bavarian clogs, which has stirred the travel bug in me that was lying dormant for a while. Gripped by a major bout of hill nostalgia, I long for a bit of the proverbial mountain air, where colorful prayer flags flutter against a blue, blue sky and the reverberating gong of a monastery makes the hills come alive. Sounds like the perfect daydream to be lost in for a while!
I hope you get some time in the cool mountain air. Odd, how we both seem to feel the same way about yellow, thought I like your arrangement and explanation of each item. I have A Thousand Splendid Suns, but have been saving it for a time when I am up for that sort of read. It hasn't happened yet, so perhaps I should push the issue with myself!
ReplyDeleteThank you for appreciating the post. I know, books like that need some waiting, so take your time. And of course, I won't be the first one to tell you how Hosseini sways you away, every time, with his heroic characters caught up in a murky, grey world.
DeleteHard to imagine your heat. I love yellow and associate it entirely with spring here - daffodils, primroses, celandine, chicks. At any other time of year I feel it is almost too harsh for me but in spring it can do no wrong. I am another fan of Khaled Hosseini. Loved both the books I have read and will order the next one.
ReplyDeleteI agree, absolutely. Spring, in the west, is synonymous with yellow - especially the spritely dandelions and the daffodils. May be here I don't find it much, or perhaps, I don't find it the way I like it.
DeleteA loud 'yay' to our Hosseini fan club! :-)
I like yellow. at least I do over here, where yellow is lemony, at best.
ReplyDeleteI couldn’t bear to live under the fireball you describe. I would erupt in heat rash within hours.
Perhaps a trip to the hill country would be beneficial?
Think of me, drenched in mist and rain, blown about by chill winds and wearing a nice warm jumper.
Ah, that image of you all toasty and the mist shrouding by the windows, makes me dream. When will I see such climate again?! Not in this heartless city, of course.
DeleteYes, a trip to the hills is on the way. Can't wait!
Mangoes!! I would like to taste those mangoes.
ReplyDeleteI love your pictures and this post.
Yellow is a wonderful colour : warm but not agressive.
Thank you for appreciating the pictures, dear Celine. I think you do get good Indian mangoes in Paris; just saw someone, who lives there, post a photo of a box of Alphonso couple of days back. You never know, you might be lucky! :-)
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