COLOURS IN NATURE
The world of nature is colourful and bright and human
ingenuity cannot hope to match it. Right from the sky above to the sea below,
nature abounds in the richness of colour. The human eye and the human mind
respond to this world of colour and identify themselves with it. When a person
is cheerful and bright we refer to him as a 'colourful personality', similarly
the different colours are used to indicate human moods and attitudes: blue is
associated with depression, white is likened with serenity, green with jealousy
and red with rage. Colour is also used to relieve tension. Psychologists have
investigated the effect of colour on the working ability of workers and have
come to the conclusion that certain colours are more conducive to Positive thinking
than others.
Nature fulfills man's longing for colour: there is variety in
everything. The sky can be clear and blue, it can be dark with clouds, it
reflects the glory of the rising sun and the variegated hues of the setting
sun. The sea which is normally associated with blue is not really so all the
time. The sea water can he blue, green, grey and many more subtle shades and
even the rivers and streams reflect the surrounding area and acquire that
colour. Coleridge's poem 'The Ancient Mariner' is rich in its description of
the world of nature. People who do not observe are not able to notice the finer
shades and are consequently not able to enjoy this valuable side of life.
In the west, seasonal changes bring in changes in the
landscape. While spring is rich with colour, autumn provides a restful view to
the eye with its soft browns and ripe greens and winter brings in the whiteness
of snow along with its stillness conveying the effect of sleepiness and
hibernation. And if on the one hand there is joy and vivacity in spring, there
is coolness in the abundance of the green forests, and a challenge in the dark
rocks of the mountains and an immensity in the vast, barren stretches of sand.
On the question of birds, I have discovered that in their
world there are endless color combinations. If green and grey birds mate, the
new born chick has a lovely soft green color; if yellow and blue mate the
chicks may be either a heightened blue or a softened yellow. No painter's
effort can successfully capture the elusive world of nature.
Nature's world of color, especially among the animals, has a
deeper purpose than there variety. The colour of animals helps them to
successfully camouflage themselves. If the toad is brown and mingles with the
color of the earth, the frog merges with the green colour of the scum. The
polar bear is white but not so the tropical bear. Fishes also have the ability
to change colour in order to mingle with their surroundings as do some birds
like the willow ptarmigan. Lizards also have different colors according to
their surroundings - a desert lizard will be sand-colored while a lizard in a
heavy monsoon area will be of greenish hue. Butterflies and insects also share
this characteristic. This is not to say that animals and birds do not have
bright colors which contrast with their surroundings. This also has a purpose.
The bright colors of the peacock are not only a pleasure to the human eye but
they also push the peahen into obscurity and offer her greater protection. A
male bird may display some brilliant coloration to scare a rival. The Chinese
ring-necked pheasant does exactly this, he puffs out his red pouches on the
side of his neck when confronted by another male.
Thus color does not only give pleasure, it also has a
purpose. Imagine life without the color of nature! It would indeed be dull and
monotonous: the sparkle of life will not he there. Color also has brought up
problems. The whole problem of racial discrimination is connected with the
color of the human skin. Men are hidebound in their narrow beliefs and have not
yet learnt to value the variety of color and have not understood nature's
purpose behind this.
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