39: Colours and communities with Sarover Zaidi

Today I have Sarover Zaidi with us on Audiogyan. She is a philosopher and social anthropologist. Sarovar has worked extensively on the religious architecture of the Jews, Muslims and Christians in the port cities of Bombay and Kochi. She has previously worked in rural public health, across India, Has huge body of work in collecting Islamic & Hindu iconography across South East Asia. She currently teaches at School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi, and Jindal School of Art & Architecture, Sonipat. And today we are here to explore the world of colours and what do they mean in individual contexts. Thank you Sarovar for giving your time and it’s a real honour to have you on Audiogyan. Welcome to the show. How do colours become part of our culture? Can you share some examples from your study? How do communities establish their colour? How is it carried forward by generations? What is possibly Mumbai’s colour? How did you arrive at it? If you can share any case study? Why is Lal Qila, Lal? Is it just using local resources while it was built or has some reasons for it being Lal? How deep is the connection between modern take on "psychology of colours" with actual traditions in India?