colorful fest of farmers........... Sankranthi

Sankranti is a festival that signifies the beginning of the harvest season for the farmers of India. The Tamil version is called Pongal. Since the festival is celebrated in the mid winter, the food prepared for this festival are such that they keep the body warm and give high energy. Laddu of til made with Jaggery (Gul)is specialty of the festival.In Maharshtra it is called 'Tilgul', but the place where it is celebrated with much pomp is Andhra Pradesh, where the festival is celebrated for 3 days and is more of a cultural festival unlike an auspicious day as in other parts of India.

It is three day festival in Andhra Pradesh,

• Bhogi Panduga (Bhogi Pongal)
• SANKRANTI (Surya Pongal)
• Kanuma Panduga (Kanuma Pongal)

The auspicious day of Sankranthi is celebrated typically in Andhra Pradesh, the festival is celebrated for three days. It is this time you can watch the cultural greatness of Andhra Pradesh at its best. Every village and town in Andhra Pradesh is decorated with drawings in front of their houses. Woman enjoys making of these drawings it a lot and every year they try to out do themselves. All the new in-laws are invited and many delicious sweets are prepared. Budabukkalavallu, Haridaslulu, Gangireddulavallu, and people decorated in mythological roles come to visit each and every house during this festival and they will be honored.

Cock fight is one of the most prominent events of this festival. The first day of festival is Bhogi, in the night people light up fire with several old articles in their houses. The next day is Sankranti the big festival, on this day every one wear a new dress and pray to their favorite god and offer him all the sweets and dishes they prepare for the day and eat, many guests are invited for lunch on this day. On this day cock-fighting is a favorite pass time, and people bet in huge amounts and see that it is not known to police as it is a banned game in Andhra Pradesh. And on the third day it is Kanuma after eating too much of sweets on the festival day people eat meat on this day. Sankranti is however celebrated all over India.

Makar Sankranti is one of the most auspicious day for Hindus, and is celebrated in almost all parts of the country in myriad cultural forms, with great devotion, fervor & gaiety. Lakhs of people take a dip in places like Ganga Sagar & Prayag and pray to Lord Sun. It is celebrated with pomp in southern parts of the country as Pongal, and in Punjab is celebrated as Lohri & Maghi. Gujarati's not only look reverentially up to the sun, but also offer thousands of their colorful oblations in the form of beautiful kites all over the skyline. They may be trying to reach up to their glorious God or bring about greater proximity with the one who represents the best. It is a day for which Bhishma Pitamah kept waiting to leave his mortal coil...

Day 3.............. kanuma panduga

Kanum Pongal, which falls on the same day as Maatu Pongal, is celebrated by sisters for the welfare of their brothers. All the women, young and old, of the house, assemble in the courtyard. The rice is placed in the center of the leaf, while the women ask that the house and family of their brothers should prosper. Arati is performed for the brothers with turmeric water, limestone and rice, and this water is sprinkled on the kolam in front of the house.





Kanum Pongal is marked by, elaborate powdered chalk designs of the sun god, Surya. Sheaves of sugarcane dot the prayer area. Freshly cooked food including the typical sweet dish 'Sarkarai pongal' is first offered to Surya. Sugarcane that is offered is symbolic for sweetness and happiness in life. Sugarcane stalks and coconut- both auspicious symbols of plenty- are also offered to the Gods in propitiation of a plentiful harvest in the forthcoming year.






On this day, people travel to see other family members and the younger members of the family pay homage to the elders, and the elders thank them by giving token money. Many leave food out on banana leaves for birds to take. Some also go to temple to worship and thank God for all good things that are bestowed on them.

Day 2..................... makara sankranthi

This is the day when the sun begins its northward journey. It usually falls in the middle of January. For the people of the northern hemisphere, the northward path of the sun marks the period when the sun is getting closer and closer to them, when the days are getting longer, and it is becoming warmer and warmer. To Hindus, the sun stands for knowledge, spiritual light and wisdom. Makara Sankranti signifies that we should turn away from the darkness of delusion in which we live, and begin to joyously let the light within us shine brighter and brighter. We should gradually begin to grow in purity, wisdom, and knowledge, even as the sun does from this day.

In fact, the sun itself stands for all the ideals of the Pongal festival. Its message is that of light, unity, equality and true selflessness. These are the ideals of Karma Yoga. Hence, the sun is the greatest Karma Yogi. Does it ask any reward for all that it gives to us? If it stops shedding its light, we are doomed to death. If we learn this one lesson from the sun, our lives will shine with divine luster like that of the sun.

Makara Sankranti is called Pongal by the Tamilians, from whom it ushers in the New Year. The day begins with Surya Pongal or sun worship. The newly harvested corn is then cooked for the first time. Joyous festivities mark the celebration in every home. Servants, farmers and the poor are fed and clothed, and given presents of money. On the next day, the cow, which is regarded as the symbol of the Holy Mother, is worshipped. Birds and animals are also fed.

In this manner the devotee’s heart gradually expands during the course of the celebrations. Love extends from the household to servants, the poor, the cow and all other living creatures. During this holy festival we learn to feel our oneness with all creation; we learn to be unselfish and to tread the path of love, purity and forgiveness. We learn that our real wealth is the goodwill and friendship of those around us, the land on which our food grows, and the animals that help to make our work lighter.

Day 1............. bhogi pongal

The first day of Pongal is celebrated as the BHOGI PONGAL and is usually meant for domestic activities and of being together with the family members. This first day is celebrated in honour of Lord Indra, the supreme ruler of clouds that give rains. Homage is paid to Lord Indra for the abundance of harvest, thereby bringing plenty and prosperity to the land.

An interesting story is told that Indra, being worshipped by all on this day, became proud and arrogant Lord Krishna to teach him a lesson asked his shepherd friends to worship Mount Govardhan instead of Indra on Bhogi Pongal day. Terribly enraged, Indra sent forth the seven clouds to bring forth thunder, lightning and heavy rains to cause deluge to destroy the shepherds. But Lord Krishna lifted up the Govardhan mountain under which the shepherds and their cattle got full shelter. Then Indra begged Krishna's forgiveness and once more Lord Krishna allowed Bhogi celebrations to continue in honour of Indra. There is a beautiful carving at Mahabalipuram showing Krishna lifting Govardhan.

On this day before sunrise a huge bonfire is lit in front of the houses and all the useless household things are thrown into the fire. The burning of all that is old is symbolic of the starting of a fresh new year. The bonfire is kept burning throughout the night while boys beat little drums known by the name "Bhogi Kottus" made from the hides of buffaloes.

Homes are cleaned till they literally shine and are adorned with "Kolam" designs drawn with white paste of newly-harvested rice and outlines of the Kolam designs with red mud. In villages yellow pumpkin flowers are set out in cow-dung balls in the middle of the designs. The harvest of rice, turmeric and sugarcane is brought in and kept ready for the next day's festivities.

Aspects of colors...........

ASPECTS OF COLORS








The aspects of qualities of color refer to colors and color combinations that evoke certain emotional responses. We use many words to describe the properties of individual colors and to compare the basic distinction. Without sunlight or artificial light for color, which we use in countless combinations to express our ideas and emotions.

The following aspects of color contain color combinations that exist in harmony with each other, and are in spectral balance. Spectral balance occurs within the eye as thousands of waves of electromagnetic energy of different lengths bounce off (or are absorbed by) the chemical components of any object. Light waves are reflect red, yellow, and blue, and the rods and cones in the eye’s retina simultaneously mix and sort these reflected colors into thousands of tints and shades, which work to offer endless possibilities for specific color use.

Color is both simple and complex. It means different things to different people in different cultures. NO color is seen the same way by any two people. Color is personal and universal, sending messages full of endless variations.

HOT

Hot refers to red in full saturation on the color wheel; this is red it’s strong’s. Hot colors project outward and attract attention. For this reason, red is often used in graphic signage and design. Hot colors are strong and aggressive and seem to vibrate within their own space. The power of hot colors affects people in many ways, such as increasing blood pressure and simulating the nervous system. hot colors chart.

COLD

Cold refers to fully saturated blue. At its brightest it is dominating and strong. Cold colors remind one of ice and snow. The feelings generated by cold colors—blue, green, and blue-green are the direct opposite of those generated by hot colors; cold blue slows the metabolism and increases one’s sense of calm. When placed next to each other, cold and hot colors vibrate like fire and ice.

Cold colors chart.

WARM

All hues that contain red are warm. It is the addition of yellow to red that makes warm colors substantially different from hot colors. Warm colors, such as red-orange, always contain a mixture of red and yellow in their composition and encompass a larger part of the emotional spectrum. Warm colors are comforting, spontaneous, and welcoming. Like and Arizona sunset, the warmth of these hues radiates outward and surrounds everything in reach.

Warm - cool colors chart

COOL

Cool colors are based in blue. They differ from cold colors because of the addition of yellow to their composition, which creates yellow –green, green, and blue-green. Cool colors, such as turquoise blue and verdant green, are seen in nature. Like spring growth, they make us feel renewed. Soothing and calm, these hues provide a sense of depth as well as comfort. Cool colors are like a swim in a refreshing, tropical pool.

Warm - cool colors chart.

LIGHT

Light colors are the palest pastels. They take their lightness from an absence of visible color in their composition, and are almost transparent. When lightness increases, variations between the different hues decrease. Light colors open up the surroundings and suggest airiness, rest, and liquidity. They resemble sheer curtains at a window and send a message of relaxation.

Light colors chart

DARK

Dark colors are hues that contain black in their composition. The close up space and make it seem smaller. Dark colors are concentrated and serious in their effect. Seasonally, they suggest autumn and winter. Combining lights and darks together is a common and dramatic way to represent the opposites in nature, such as night and day.

Dark colors chart.

PALE

Pale hues are the softest pastels. They contain at least 65 percent white in their composition, and have diminished hue which is most often referred to as soft or romantic. Pale colors, like ivory, light blue, and pink suggest gentleness. They can be seen in the clouds in a soft, early light, or in the lavender colors of a misty morning. Because they are calming colors, pale hues are frequently used in interior spaces.

Pale colors chart.

BRIGHT

The amount of pure color within a hue determines its brightness. The clarity of bright colors is achieved by the omission of gray or black, Blues, reds, yellows, and oranges are colors in full brightness. Bright colors are vivid and attract attention. A yellow school bus, a bunch of colored balloons, the red of a clown’s nose, never goes unnoticed. Exhilarating and cheerful, bright colors are perfect for use in packaging, fashion and advertising.

Bright colors chart.

Color psychology...........

Colors also have psychological and physiological effects on our bodies. Reds make people jumpy. Green cal us down. In a red room, time seems to fly. A pink room effectively lessens anger. Reactions to colures are so strong that coffee sipped in blue mug will actually seem cooler than the same liquid served in an orange cup. We use color every day to inform and sell. Red tells you to stop your car. Silver suggests exclusivity. Spas feature sea greens to reinforce feelings of serenity and antiseptic cleanliness. Sugar companies put blue on their packaging because it connotes sweetness.

Innovative uses of color can open the door to product and market expansion as well. Hair dyes were once directed at a limited market of women of a certain age for covering gray, or as a vehicle for going slightly blonder or darker. Today, teens and men have enormously boosted hair-color sales. The antiquated message of “Does she, or doesn’t she?” And not-found in nature color effects are a badge of honour, whether subtle or dramatic.

Other new avenues for color development involve chromatherpy and customization. Just as interest in aromatherapy caused an explosion in sales of scented products, chromatherpy presents new opportunities of its own. Ultra Baths, for example, is one of several companies that have installed colored light systems in their tubs. Just touching a button illuminates the interior of the tub in one of seven different colures to cure what ails you. Blue calms, violet stimulate your immune system, and red reportedly helps migraine and rheumatism sufferers.

Interior Desing of a home !!!!!!

colors for rooms

A room, in architecture, is any distinguishable space within a structure. Most typically a room is separated by interior walls from other spaces or passageways; moreover, it is separated by an exterior wall from outdoor areas, sometimes with a door. In early structures, diverse room types could be identified to include bedrooms, kitchens, bathing rooms, reception rooms and other specialized uses. Ancient Rome manifested very complex building forms with a variety of room types, including some of the earliest examples of rooms for indoor bathing. At the Akrotiri site rooms were sometimes built above other rooms connected by staircases. The Anasazi civilization also had an early complex development of room structures, probably the oldest in North America, while the Mayans of Central America had very advanced room configurations as early as several hundred AD. By at least the early Han Dynasty in China (e.g. approximately 200 BC) complex multi-level building forms emerged, particularly for religious and public purposes; these designs featured many roomed structures and included vertical connections of rooms.

Different rooms for a beautiful house are:

Hall

Guest hall for the house should be facing to east. This is the entrance room. This room is especially for the outside people. This is also called as the waiting room for guests where they can wait for the person who he actually wants to meet. Watch the gallery to have an idea for colors to use in halls.

Gallery for front hall

Bed Rooms

A bedroom is a large room where people usually sleep for the night and/or for relaxation during the day. It should be face to south. Bed room is symbolic for romance, so using of light colors is much better like pink, blue, green etc. Many houses have at least two bedrooms – usually a master bedroom (dedicated to the heads of the household, such as a husband and wife) and one or more bedrooms for either the children or guests. Generally, bedrooms are defined as having a minimum of 70 square feet of usable space, with a window and closet. A bedroom may be below ground level. A room cannot be considered a bedroom if it is used to access another room, unless the other room is a bathroom.

Watch the gallery to have an idea for colors to use in bed rooms.

Gallery for bed rooms

Dinning room

A dining room is a room for consuming food. We use to take lunch or dinner in the dining halls. So colors like royal blue or green will raise the feeling of hunger.In modern times it is usually adjacent to the kitchen for convenience in serving, although in medieval times it was often on an entirely different floor level. Historically the dining room is furnished with a rather large dining table and a number of dining chairs; the most common table shape is generally rectangular with two armed end chairs and an even number of un-armed side chairs along the long sides.

Watch the gallery to have an idea for colors to use in dining room.

Gallery for dining rooms

Drawing room

A drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained. The name is derived from withdrawing room. This room is especially for entertainment purpose, so we need to use yellow. Yellow is the smiley color. So if we watch that we can have the feeling of laugh.

Watch the gallery to have an idea for colors to use in drawing room.

Gallery for drawing rooms

Study room

A study is a room in a house which is used for paperwork, computer work, or reading. Here we can pay the concentration on work so we have to use professional colors like grey, cream, white etc. Historically, the study of a house was reserved for use as the private office and reading room of a family father as the formal head of a household, but today studies are generally either used to operate a home business or else open to the whole family. A typical study might contain a desk, chair, computer, and bookshelves. A spare bedroom is often utilized as a study, but many modern homes have a room specifically designated as a study. Such rooms are usually located in a convenient area on the main floor of the house and may be referred to as a den, home office, or library.

Watch the gallery to have an idea for colors to use in study room.

Gallery for study rooms

Pooja room

Most practicing Hindus maintain a mandir in their homes for daily worship and meditation. green color is used to pay attention at work. So this color is suitable for this room. It should be face to North-East. Although the devotee is free to worship in any manner as long as it is respectful and not offensive, some common elements of worship in a mandir are darshan, puja, bhajan, pradakshina and Prasad.

Watch the gallery to have an idea for colors to use in pooja room.

Gallery for pooja mandir's

Kitchen

A kitchen is a room or part of a room (sometimes called "kitchen area" or a "kitchenette") used for food preparation including cooking, and sometimes also for eating and entertaining guests, if the kitchen is large enough and designed to be used that way. using of any light colors is good for kitchen. dont use dark colors like red, violet why because they are irritating colors. So it is necessary to do work carefully in kitchens. It should face to South-East. A modern kitchen in the affluent parts of the western world is typically equipped with a stove and possibly a microwave oven. It also has a sink with hot and cold running water available for cleaning food, for providing water to cook with, as well as for washing dishes, although some modern kitchens have a dishwasher. One or more units in which to store food, and to store utensils, pots and dishes, are also usually present in or near a kitchen, either in the form of an adjacent pantry room, or more commonly as kitchen cabinets and a refrigerator which often has a freezer compartment too.

Watch the gallery to have an idea for colors to use in kitchen.

Gallery for kitchen

bright colors...

pale colors.......

light colors.........

chart for lite colors








lite colors used by men







lite colors used by women

dark colors.....

warm-cool chart

cold colors...

hot colors chart...

Exterior design for ur dream home !!!!!!!!!

Colors for your beautiful home:

If ur planning to construct a house, you have to pay concentration on the colors. Choosing a paint color becomes even more baffling when you consider that most homes use at least three different shades -- one for the siding and two or more for trim and accents such as doors, railings and window sashes. A poor selection can make a house seem flat and featureless.

Here are a few pointers to guide you as you choose house paint colors.

In case if u would like to paint to the old house u have to follow:

• You can hire a pro (house with all facilities u need) to analyze old paint chips and recreate the original color.
• You can refer to historic color charts and select shades that might have been used at the time your home was built.
• Or, you can fly in the face of history and choose bright modern colors to dramatize architectural details.

The third option can produce startling and exciting results. It's a good idea to look at what your neighbors are doing.

For painting a color, you have to consider many things like:

Neighbors:

Even if you are opting for a more subtle (artful) scheme, you'll want to make sure that your colors are compatible (suitable) with the houses next door.

Interior Colors

It may seem comical to paint entire house based on the pattern of a pillow case, but this approach does make sense. The color of your furnishings will guide you in the selection of your interior paint colors, and your interior paint colors will influence the colors you use outside. Once again, your goal is to harmonize.

Accents
Depending on the size and complexity of your home, you may be choosing two, three or as many as six colors. In addition to the color you select for siding, you'll want to select accent colors for trim and details such as shutters, moldings and columns. This can be tricky, because too many colors will overwhelm your house and too few will make it seem two dimensional.

Dark and Light colors
Light colors will make your house seem larger. Dark siding or dark bands of trim will make your house seem smaller, but will draw more attention to details. Darker shades are best for accenting recesses, while lighter tones will highlight details which project from the wall surface. On traditional Victorian homes, the darkest paint is often used for the window sashes

Balance
A burst of a single color on just one part of your home may give it a lopsided appearance. Strive to balance colors over the entire building.

Brightness/glow to ur house:

You thought you only had to pick colors? Sorry! In addition, you'll also need to decide on the sheen of your paint -- glossy, semi-gloss or flat. The glossier the surface, the more likely it is to show imperfections, brush strokes and touch up marks. On the other hand, glossy surfaces are easier to clean. Many homeowners opt to use flat paint for walls and semi-gloss or glossy paint for columns, railings and window sashes.

Durability of colors
The more intense a color, the more likely it is to fade. After a few years, vivid blues and deep reds will seem more subdued. Dark colors also pose more maintenance problems. Dark colors absorb heat and suffer more moisture problems than lighter shades. And because dark paint fades, it's difficult to touch up.

Color Deceptions (cheating) by sellers:
Color swatches look very different when they are brought out of the store and viewed in natural sunlight. Also, colors appear lighter on large surfaces than they do on small samples. It's best to test your selected color in one area before buying the colors.

kitchen.................

pooja mandir's............

study room colors......