Colours of India - ever changing, ever constant

Jodhpur, Rajasthan resplendent in blue.
Photo credit: indiamike.com

India!

What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the name India?

People... lots of people, saris, COLOURS, yoga & spiritualism, Indian hospitality, food... these are some of the oft repeated phrases. And the list goes on... 

As cliched as it might sound, India is a land of many, many colours. In fact, the brighter, the better. It's in our lives everywhere - the flowers in this sun-drenched land, the food, the cities, the festivals... Heck! we even have a festival of colours! 

Holi celebrations - the festival of colours
Photo credit: nationalgeographic.com

No wonder then, our love of all things colourful is reflected in our clothes, our jewellery and even in our homes. 

I decided to look around and see how colour inspires and dominates our life in India. Here's a glimpse of what I found. 

Flowers of many hues sold outside a temple complex, Bangalore

Paper lanterns make an appearance just before Diwali, Mumbai

Multi-coloured flags at a local festival, Goa 

A Gulmohar tree with its fiery blooms, Bangalore

The brightest yellow taxis, Kolkata :)

The vividly coloured clothes make a splash against a blue-grey backdrop

A night market selling the blingiest creations, Ahmedabad

Colourful bundles of thread & wool in a local market, Nagaland

Fresh produce you'll find in any local market

Purple Bougainvillea thriving in India's warm climate

So, how inspired are you to add more colour to your life? :)

An update on the June 2014 contest

June 5th each year is observed as World Environment Day. Heck, some places even celebrate the entire month as 'Environment Month'.  

At A Full Moon, we source our products from local communities who handcraft gorgeous works of art & craft using natural materials and processes. Their skills provide them with a livelihood that offers them and their families a better quality of life. 

The June contest turned the spotlight on the environment especially on India's natural wonders. Answer 5 (eeeasy) questions (or so we thought) and the winner would get a hand-painted folk art (unframed) by a Santhal tribal artist. 

The contest ended on June 13th, the day/night of the full moon. Unexpectedly, not one of the entries got the right answer even with the descriptions (read hints) supplied along with the questions. We then had to take the unusual step of not declaring a winner. 

So so disappointed! 

June 2013 'Honey Moon' Photo credit: Stephen Rahn

On the fun side, though, I learnt that the full moon falling on Friday the 13th (which I don't consider unlucky, whatsoever) would next fall only on August 13, 2049! 

And the combination of a full moon on Friday the 13th in June only in 2098.

This year's full moon is also called a 'Strawberry Moon' or a 'Honey Moon' for different reasons - It's time for strawberry picking and the moon is the colour of honey respectively.

That's all the full moon trivia for now. :) While completely unrelated to the products we retail, it's just so much fun knowing stuff like this! Ask not why? 

Yes, a bit geeky, we know. But what to say, we are like this only! :)

June 2014 - What's up at A Full Moon?

I didn't mean to post consecutively about the contest on A Full Moon. I didn't even realise that it's been a whole month since the previous contest. Time sure flies when you're having fun! :) 

I promise to post more of other things soon, but for now, here's info on the June contest. It started on June 5th - World Environment Day and is a short li'l quiz about the world we live in, especially the natural wonders we have right here in India. If you'd like to participate in our contest, check out the post on our Facebook page. Remember, the contest ends on June 11th (IST). 

Our products are sourced from local communities who handcraft gorgeous works of art & craft using natural materials and processes. It was only right that our contest for this month highlighted the beautiful world we live in (and generally take for granted).

At A Full Moon, we source our products directly from the artisans and from non-profits (NGOs) who work with local communities. Creating the gorgeous handcrafted products allow the artisans to earn a steady livelihood giving their families and themselves a better quality of life.