Making the Grey-d

Grey has been pushed against a wall. It isn’t mourning. Grey does not always feel lost as children skate on its sleek streets.

So, what is this about depressed and anxious people choosing grey to reflect their mental state?

Something called The Manchester Colour Wheel has come up with findings to indicate that people who are feeling low chose grey.

Peter Whorwell, professor of medicine at University Hospital Manchester, who worked with a team from University of Manchester, Britain, says, “Colours are frequently used to describe emotions, such as being ‘green with envy’ or ‘in the blues’... there has been relatively little serious research on the subject.”

I am glad. The emotions he describes are not attributable to colour but clichés and linguistic connotations. Phrases are not literal manifestations and although some do have an etymology those are not always apt. Why did Pink Floyd not call themselves Blue Floyd given the nature of most of their songs?

Apparently, the study found that while the groups were ‘drawn to’ yellow and blue was the favourite colour, when it came to depicting mood, the ‘healthy’ people continued to be drawn to yellow whereas the depressed ones veered towards grey.

I am afraid it is time to turn the wheel, besides of course giving someone a rap for having the temerity to use ‘healthy’ in opposition to anxious and depressed.

Yes, I am depressed often. That has not stopped me from doing my work. I wear red or pink when I am anxious because it simply feels better. I would stuff myself with candy floss if I could, but I do settle for strawberry softies and wear chunky rings. I thought it is basic common sense.

I don’t open my cupboard with the smoky-grey mirror and get drawn to grey. I might rip it apart, I fact. I wear grey when I feel that I want to go slow on black and white. Grey is the silk blouse I love with its ruffles that run from the collar down the front and swirl with every movement I make. It is the chiffon saree that clings to me even as its loose end flies in the breeze.

Grey is full of nuances, the in-betweens, the slow smile creeping up and leaving everyone a bit confused. Grey is allusion and allegory.

I love grey when I am happy, when I think of my grandma’s eyes, or smoke curling up from wood-fired ovens and ash lying in a heap from still-burning embers.

I feel utter pleasure during the monsoons as the sky darkens in broad daylight as though it is shading me from the sun and clouds dot the overhead landscape like popcorns.

The movie unfurls as rain appears first as drops, then dancing in the wind, luscious trickles that finally settle down into a pattern and fall straight. My lovely silver linings of grey.