Retro brands also called nostalgic brands help the consumers to connect emotionally with them. Nostalgic branding involves incorporating elements from the past, such as antique designs, retro packaging, fragrance, taste, or classic advertising slogans, into a brand’s image and personality. It captures the nostalgia and charm associated with a specific period. Retro items are classical belonging to golden era, yet newly manufactured by incorporating elements, colors, patterns, and materials reminiscent of the designated era. The marketers use symbols from the past to associate the modern product with the audience’s fond memories.

Fashion is a typical cyclical trend that alternates between the past and the present constantly. Retro fashion trends are making a comeback.  Flared wide jeans, oversized blazers, platform shoes, flared skirts, palazzo, saree, tight salwar kameez are becoming popular once again. This reflects the cyclical nature of fashion trends, where styles that were once considered outdated have become fashionable again.

Retro music, retro outfits design, retro jewellery, and retro food items experience cyclical demand. Retro garment style or design are often made from contemporary fabrics, using modern machinery and methods. It is given a modern feel. Fashion trends come back in market back over time, bringing with them a sense of nostalgia and a renewed appreciation for previous styles. There has been a surge of revival in retro styles in ethnic wear that catches attention in the fashion, resulting in a delightful combination of the old and the new. In today’s digital age, social media campaigns are a crucial component of retro marketing for businesses.

In the last few years, we have witnessed many legacy brands taking birth again. Among white goods products we saw Kelvinator and BPL getting revived. Kelvinator brand was revived in 2019, when the retail arm of Reliance Retail signed a licensing, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution deal with Electrolux. They currently sell a range of appliances of whitegoods under the Kelvinator brand. Similarly, Reliance has acquired the license to manufacture and market consumer durable products under the BPL.  Both brands were iconic brands and ruled the market in the 80’s and the 90’s. In both the cases, Reliance Retail was instrumental in bringing them back.

Reliance Consumer Products, the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) arm of Reliance Retail Ventures Limited, had also acquired Campa Cola from Pure Drinks Group in August 2022 for Rs 22 crore. the iconic Indian soft drink brand Campa Cola is making a comeback in the country’s market.

API (Automobile Products of India) used to manufacture the famous Lambretta brand of scooters. It was the first Indian scooter manufacturer. The early models were the Lambretta 48, a 48-cc moped and the D and LD – Series of scooters. This brand of scooter is now going to re-enter the Indian market in a new avatar, which will be the electric version. The Lambretta electric scooter will be showcased to the public at the Milan Motorcycle Show in 2023(an annual trade show in Milan, Italy featuring two wheelers) and the same model will be produced in India a year later, in 2024. The brand is planning to recreate the magic of its past. They are going to partner with Bird Mobility for the comeback in India. According to news reports, the Lambretta electric scooters will launch their premium version of their models.

But Lambretta must handle a tough challenge in hand as the remaining equity of this brand hardly exists and the generation that experienced the earlier Lambretta is way past its prime. How much of that brand equity will be leveraged remains to be seen. It is almost like a brand-new product launch from scratch with new features. Lambretta V125 is expected to launch in India in July 2024 in the expected price range of ₹ 80,000 to ₹ 90,000.

Lots of devices, including CD players, polaroid cameras, and MP3 players, have shot up in sales over the last few years. However, perhaps the most popular device that is growing in popularity is the classic flip phone that most people had back in the ’90s and early 2000s before smartphones came about.

There is too much information out there for our minds to consume. Every streaming platform has thousands of movies and TV shows to watch, every news outlet can flood our smartphone with stories 24/7, and the content we scroll through on social media is endless.  Although the Gen-Z may be grateful for their devices, they probably wonder what it was like for their parents and grandparents before all this technology was not available.

Despite past troubles with comic sales, technically speaking, comic books never went away. They had been around for decades and enjoyed readership for ages. Who can forget Archie comics? Arguably the most successful non-superhero comic book ever, Archie debuted in 1941. In an era of superhero comics like Captain America dominating the scene, how did Archies come about? The fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle, Sabrina Spellman, Josie and the Pussycats and Katy Keene were adored by the world.  It enjoyed fans from the age of 7, all the way up to 70. The characters of the comic have remained young forever.

No wonder, Zoya Akhtar directed “The Archies” with new Bollywood stars. It is a nostalgic tribute for people of a certain vintage era. Archie Comics were first published in December 1941 in Pep Comics. The comics, set in the fictional town of Riverdale, told the story of an archetypal American teenager, the red-headed, freckled Archie Andrews, and his friends.

Culture constantly recycles the past by bringing it into a new and improved look in the present. Technological advances have made it easier for businesses to create retro themed products and concepts in the most unique ways. Retro themes are popping up everywhere.

Recently, in the movie Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, director Karan Johar cleverly used a retro hit to trigger the nostalgia factor which added to Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi’s chemistry. Good versions of old songs can also help boost the streams of the original compositions. “Abhi na jao chodkar” the old classic song made the movie a hit. 

Businesses can benefit greatly by capitalizing on the consumer’s fascination with the past and the positive memories associated with it through retro marketing. The nostalgia associated with classic brands and trends is making a big impact in the consumer market. In today’s technology-driven world, people are beginning to realize the value of tangible and emotional things. Vintage t-shirt shops are popping up in major cities, making retro branding a trend that’s here to stay. Marketers are enjoying the reintroduction of vintage products.

Challenges faced by Legacy brands

Most legacy brands are almost over 3 decades old and catered to a different generation. Today, when these legacy brands seek to re-enter the market, they are selling and talking to a totally a new breed of audiences who hardly remember the earlier equity and values that these brands delivered years back. While the market presents an opportunity, but one is not sure whether they could enjoy their old positioning. Infusing a fresh breath of life into an age-old brand is a huge challenge as the brand needs to meet the new desires and aspirations of the new generation consumer. Technology advances faster than we can keep up. The number of devices we have access to and what they can do for us can be overwhelming for the manufacturer.   

Requires creativity in advertisement

Essentially, if the purpose is to get a consumer to think about a message, a nostalgic ad is not effective because the consumes expect more of their thoughts towards their memories instead of the ad’s content. It’s a very tricky game.

Conclusions

Retro marketing has become a phenomenon, and businesses are bringing it to products in almost every area such as automobile, fashion designing, beverages, music, and entertainment industry. The list is big. A feeling and emotion have wakened in the modern-day consumer. The business is cyclical; old brands are renewing and coming back to market. Nostalgia is powerfully triggering the consumers to purchase retro brands.

In 2009, archaeologists excavating a cave in southern Germany discovered a flute carved from a vulture’s wing bone. The delicate artifact is the oldest known musical instrument on earth which indicates that people have been making music for over 40,000 years. Research proves making music is a universal human trait that dates back 35, 000 to 40,000 years.  Although we can’t be sure exactly when human beings began listening to music. Scientists have proved listening to music benefits all living beings – human, plants, birds, and animals.

Most people get tears, chills, tingles while hearing music. These are physiological responses which activates the parasympathetic nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system occurs in quiet “rest and digest” conditions. Studies have shown that around 25% of the population experience this reaction to music.

Music activates many parts of our brain, including the so-called limbic system of the brain. It is the part of the brain involved in our behavioural and emotional responses to world around us. Limbic system is involved in motivation, passion, learning, and memory. In fact, music is known to stimulate almost every part of the brain. One of the most important functions of music is to create a feeling of organization or social connectedness.

Evolutionary scientists say human beings may have developed a dependence on music as a communication tool because our ancestors descended from the stone age. Music remains a powerful way of uniting people. Neanderthals (an extinct species of human who lived in ice-age) probably didn’t have the vocal cords or cognitive capacity for complex verbal communication. That’s something that developed with humans, and researchers think music is a direct product of this cognitive development. In fact, music is even seen as a form of language by many anthropologists.

Rhythmic entrainment: This refers to a process whereby an emotion is evoked by a piece of music because a powerful, external rhythm in the music influences some internal bodily rhythm of the listener e.g. heart rate. For example, the National Anthem connects us with our nationality, we love our country, therefore we feel proud that we are the people of this country. Our National Anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’ infuses pride and patriotism in us. The anthem highlights India’s national heritage and demonstrates patriotism and loyalty to one’s country.

Protest songs stir a sense of shared purpose during marches. Protest songs are often situational, having been associated with a social movement through context.  For example, in Dileep Kumar starrer movie Shaheed (1948) “Watan ki raah me, watan ke naujawan shaheed ho” song motivated the independence movement in hearts of thousands of youngsters.  

Hymns build group identity in houses and worship in social gatherings of worship. For example, ‘Bhaj Govindam’ which defines the composition and gives it its name invokes the almighty in the aspect of supreme god Shree Krishna; it is therefore very popular not only with Sri Adi Shankaracharya’s immediate followers but all Hindus.

Love songs help prospective partners bond during courtship. For example, ‘pal pal dil ke paas’ sung by Kishore Kumar from film Blackmail (1973) lifts the soul and many listeners get goosebumps while listening to the song.  The picturisation, the lyrics, the tune everything   is superb. Music has a powerful way of evoking emotions and connecting with our feelings. The theme of love, longing, and relationships are universal, and listeners find comfort or enjoyment in exploring these emotions through music, even if they are not currently experiencing them in their personal lives. Music allows you to connect with the universal human experience of love and emotions.

Lullabies enable parents and infants to develop secure attachments. Lullabies calm down babies and put them to sleep. It is a soothing song with the perfect balance of rocking music that lures the baby into sleep. Nursery rhymes have been a time-tested bedtime routine by parents over the years. Babies respond to lullabies; they calm down because they feel secured. “Surmai akhiyon me” from film Sadma (1983) is a beautiful lullaby sung by K.J.Yesudas is evergreen song today after 4 decades.

Doctors at Johns Hopkins suggest listening to music to stimulate our brain. Scientists know that listening to music engages our brain; they can see the active areas light up in MRI scans. Researchers have proved that listening to music can motivate people wanting to learn more. A 2019 study has proved that people were more motivated to learn when they were told that they would listen to a song as their reward. Music improves memory.  Music memory is one of the brain functions most resistant to dementia. That’s why some caregivers have had success using music to calm dementia patients and build trusting connections with them.

Conclusion

Music is universal.  It is considered the universal language. The reason is that it exists in every society, with and without words. 

The sun is source of light, human body consists 70% of water, without soil vegetation cannot grow, living beings need air to breathe and sky is multi-hued. The basic elements in our environment consist the basic colors and are they are differently structured. The sense of colors is an extension of life. Each season has its color, therefore colors plays important role and it has been an important dimensions of human life.

India is known for her diversity and therefore the country is home to numerous interpretations and illustrations of symbols and colors. Colors represent different emotions of people living in different regional and geographical states. Each color has a different meaning and notion, and it differs from place to place. Some of the universally celebrated colors find their origins in the spices: turmeric which is used all over the country by each religion is yellow, it is also used in ceremonies and while offering prayers. Yellow symbolizes sanctity and is an essential herbal ingredient applied on the body and face by people. Cardamom is green, clove and pepper are black, chilies are red, cinnamon is dark brownish, coriander seeds and cumin are greenish brown, nutmeg is grayish brown so on and forth. Each spice has its color.

Indians are religious at heart; each god is associated with a complexion. Vishnu, Ram and Krishna are depicted in blue, the reason being blue is the color of the sky and of divinity. Whereas Shiva is fair, he is described as ‘Karpura-Goranga’ meaning he who is as fair as camphor. Most goddesses are fair complexioned except Kali. She is depicted in dark complexion.

India is an agrarian economy therefore green plays most important color. Green symbolizes a new beginning, harvest, and happiness. It is also the revered color of Islam which has a large religious presence in India. Green is a manifestation of God himself.

Some of the obvious differences between the perception of color in the West and the East are due to the simplest elements in history. Royalty, in the West and in the Christian culture, is represented by a deep, mystical shade of gray and purple, while in India, it is the deep hues of red and ochre that symbolize wealth and dignity. Perhaps one of the most affecting factors in the perception of colors in the Indian psyche is the religious undertones that coexist at almost every phase of life. India is steeped in tradition, culture, and a rich and a fabulous history. Kings and kingdoms, saints and followers, rebels and fighters have traversed the paths of its glorious past and they have all played an important role is forming the perception of colors.

Another fact why Indians are so obsessed with colors is because in ancient and medieval India textiles was the prime business. Some rulers were favorably inclined towards the arts and they encouraged weaving. Differentiation was made between the rural textiles woven for the masses and those made in state workshops for royalty and the well-to-do in other countries. The best workmanship was found in the ritual drapes for temples and palaces. Then, fabric names apparently represented the places where they were woven, and details about weaving techniques were not recorded.

It was Marco Polo who left detailed accounts of the people and industries of the coastal regions of India in the late thirteenth century. He has mentioned after seeing the Coromandel Coast the finest and most beautiful cloth in all the world-buckrams like the tissues of spider webs, and he observed dyeing with indigo in the great tex­tile center of Cambay and spinning of cotton in Gujarat. Under the Sultan of Delhi (1325-1351) price controls for food, cloth, and other commodities were initiated to help fight inflation. A permit was required to buy silks, satins, and brocades, and only the well-to-do were allowed to have them. The sultan employed four thousand silk weavers who made robes of honor, hangings, and gifts of gold brocade for foreign dignitaries.

Even today Indian textile heritage has been preserved by the women’s sari, which often reveals fine weaving, delicate textures, beautiful colors, and rich patterns. A formal sari might be of silk or a cotton which is brocaded in floral patterns formed with many tiny bobbins, each holding a different color. Some saris are exquisitely block printed with gold or silver floral sprays or show allover spot patterns of tie-dye. Kanjivaram, Dhakai, Paithani, Sambalpuri, Pattu, Asssam Silk, Banarasi, Poachampally, Gota, Chanderi……..the list is big. Each saree is woven with the threads of tradition. They are famous more for their tradition and culture than a mere fashion.  There is a legacy behind every type of saree. The “rani” pink of mystical Rajasthan, the pastel hues of southern India, the joyous, bright hues of the northern frontier, and the balmy bright colors of the east offer a multicolored insight into an almost perfect blend of history and modernism. And perhaps a trip down its many roads will lead to an understanding of its pulse.

Colors usually symbolize anxiety, conformity, faith, joy and trust. India remains colorful and vibrant in more ways than one. It stands strong as perhaps the most enduring example of unity in a world in its diversity. The colors hold it together are the colors of faith, pride, and love – feelings that overcome all differences. Black in India has connotations with lack of desirability, evil, negativity, and inertia. It represents anger and darkness and is associated with the absence of energy, barrenness, and death. Black is used to ward off evil. This can be found in an age old custom where you see little black color kajal spot on infant’s cheek, for that matter, anyone looking really spectacular is often seen with a little black dot on the chin or under the ear to ward off the evil eye.

White is the absence of color; white, as a color, repels all light and colors and therefore, when a person wears white, he/she disconnects from the pleasures and luxuries of active and normal participation in society. We usually see the devout and pious people use the white color. It is an inherently positive color associated with purity, virginity, innocence, light, goodness, heaven, safety, brilliance, illumination, understanding, cleanliness, faith, beginnings, sterility, spirituality, possibility, humility, sincerity, protection, softness, and perfection. In short friends, colors have their effect on us to the extent that they stimulate even our highest-level thoughts and intelligence.

When we look around, we find some people on the emotional or sensitive side of the spectrum. These people get affected by sensitive issues more than others. People who are emotional, don’t get emotional for the sake of getting attention; they are emotional because that’s the way they have always been.  Sadly, today not many people want show their emotional side, simply because society considers them as weaklings. Hence people dislike even appearing to be sensitive. Sensitive people frequently live life on the brink of emotional snowballing, which means sometimes their emotions get out of control, and out of proportion in some situations.

A highly emotional personality is also very sensitive and will not need a big stimulus to react. A not so emotional person can also be very sensitive but will not react emotionally at the same stimulus. I think people who are more emotional experience life more than those who aren’t. They are more connected with reality, they feel more deeply than others. Therefore, literally they live more than others. Having feelings makes these people experience the world on different levels with intensity; they see, touch, and feel, hear sounds, smell more vividly. They take in information from the outside world and experience it at personal level in their heart, hence they experience happiness, pain, agony and pleasure, mysteries easily; they are more connected with the surrounding and environment.

A research was carried out by The Carnegie Institute of Technology on EQ that showed that 85% of financial success is due to skills in “connecting with ease with others,” inner personality, ability to communicate, negotiate, and lead. They found that only 15% was due to technical ability. In other words people skills come easily when emotional intelligence is high. And, this is the most crucial skills. Nobel Prize winning Israeli-American psychologist Daniel Kahneman found that people like to do business with a person whom they can trust rather than someone they don’t, even if that that person is offering a better product at a lower price.

Sensitive people are more empathic. Empathy is one of the greatest quality of a person which helps him/her functioning in the world with more understanding because it allows to put oneself in another person’s shoes, and see the world through their eyes, and feel the way they feel. This is incredibly important, as empathizing helps one to understand how other people function, why they do the things that they do, why they behave the way they do, why they talk the way they do. It allows the person to form a very personalized connection with others. Because of vulnerability they become very passionate about causes.  And, nobody can deny the fact that passionate people live a fulfilled life. Unless we connect with the world empathically, we will feel lonely. Even when we are surrounded by people and we don’t feel connected to them, we feel lost in the crowd.  When we experience emotions in response to things that happen outside of ourselves, we are forming a connection to those things and to the world outside our skin.

It’s sad, but people tend to perceive emotional people as weaklings, because emotional people feel things more deeply than others. Sometimes people with high Emotional Quotient make poor decisions, but they learn from those poor decisions, and come out well. Being sensitive is not being weak, in fact it is being human that allows one to be in tune with their souls, and it gives them permission to follow their instinct and have faith in themselves even when they experience odds. Being sensitive helps in looking at flawed people as beautiful people. Sensitive people can handle their egos subtly. They can much easily put their egos aside and bridge gaps with others. Speaking and feeling from a sensitive mind and heart is a strength and not certainly not a weakness.

I think probably when sensitive people show their emotion such as hurt, irritation, frustration or anger, where others see them as wavered. Whereas a more apathetic person, who can put on mask of calmness is able to hide his/her feelings, giving the notion of, “I don’t care”, “I am not bothered.” But then they are the dangerous people who pretend their feelings and emotions.

International search firm Egon Zehnder International analyzed 515 senior executives and discovered that those who were strongest in emotional intelligence were more likely to succeed than those strongest in either IQ or relevant previous experience. Research that has been done on the relationship between emotional intelligence (EQ) and IQ has shown only a weak correlation between the two.

When someone says that “I have invested my emotions in a cause/ a relationship” it means the person has invested his/her energy, conscientiousness, focus, dedication and drive in a relationship or a cause. We don’t deliberate on investing emotions, that’s because we don’t understand the concept. Make your emotions work for you, and you will be unstoppable. The more emotions you experience — the more emotions you can better understand — the more you will learn about yourself and people in general. Weakness is allowing your emotions to take the wheel. Don’t let your emotions govern your life.

When you get affected by situation or condition of other people and try your best to help them in improving or handling difficult situation effectively without making your own condition weak or worse, it is a trait of great human being.

In the words of Richard Bach – the author of ‘Illusion’ a movie is nothing but an illusion which requires space and time to be experienced. So you pay for the ticket, you settle on in a seat and forget what is going on outside the theatre.  People watch movies and dramas for fun, for learning, for taking some lessons, and most importantly they identify with one of the characters in the movie. Same is the case while reading a book; we identify ourselves with one of the characters in the novel.

Moviegoers and readers identify with stories through the characters. The most powerful way to reach an audience is through the characters’ emotions. For only when we connect with the characters on an emotional level, the communication becomes deep and meaningful. Well-written scenes that include characters’ emotions allow the audience to absorbedly take part in the story and bond with the characters. In our real life, we meet and interrelate daily with other people. Unlike in stories, many of these interactions are fairly apparent. While some audience rather enjoy a more distanced, intellectual challenge, many others want to engage with characters in books and movies on an emotional level. Through the character’s emotions, experience, learning etc the audience live their lives.  Writing, plotting, editing, etc is not a joke. It requires great talent to script a story, choose the right actors to emote those characters, a great writer to write dialogues, a great editor to edit scenes to reinforce significance of emotion in creating a persuasive story.

A movie requires developing the character’s emotional development as it leads to their ultimate transformation at the overall story level. It needs to portray the character’s more transitory emotional reactions at the scene level. Often writers get stuck by staying in the character’s head and “telling” what the character thinks. An emotion, on the other hand, has a strong physical component and is primarily felt in the body. The writer is able to “show” emotions through how the character relates or reacts to conflict. Emotions always tell the truth. Most of us in real life are capable of handling ourselves when things go well or working in our favour. But, when we are thrown in some sort of disaster, conflict, roadblock we find out who we truly are. This same principle applies in stories. Moviegoers and readers alike want to participate in dramatic stories to learn how characters respond emotionally when things turn disorganized, challenging, and stressful, when all is lost.

Storytelling involves more than lining up the action pieces, arranging them in a logical order and then drawing conclusions. Yes, dramatic actions pull moviegoers to the edge of their seats. Emotions such as conflict, tension, suspense and curiosity hook moviegoers. Yet, no matter how exciting the action, the character’s emotional reactions and emotional development provide an appeal. Any presentation with a strong human element increases the chances of audience identification. Why ‘Gone with the wind’ is still a great movie? The reason being – the Costumes for one, Vivien and Clark Gables performance, the way the movie shows hard times and a woman of great demeanour – the protagonist isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty to help herself and her family survive. The courage it takes to survive. The great romance between Scarlett and Rett Butler and it shows how a woman draws her strength through her feminity. The romantic pairing of the fabulous Clark Gable with Vivien Leigh is absolutely unparalleled in cinema history!

A Bollywood movie like ‘Hum Dono’ 1961 which Set in the period of World War 2 on the backdrop of India-Burma war, Hum Dono is not an out-and-out war film as might be the notion, but more of an emotional drama. The central plot had classic conflicts ranging from the rich-girl-poor-boy formula to the identity swapping in the double-role premise. However, while these may appear as clichés today; in the scheme of things in1961 these were still one of those innovative plot-points which went on to be trendsetter and subsequently stereotypes in Hindi cinema. Including myself I know at least another hundred people who love watching this trendsetting movie for reasons such as Dev Anand’s emotional acting, the storyline, songs, superb dialogues so on and forth.

In a compelling story line, the characters grow and change step-by-step because of the dramatic action. This growth is not meant merely on a physical level. Often, in their enthusiasm of showing off high-tech special effects, moviemakers and writers forget the power of character emotional development. The challenges a character faces must effect the character emotionally, and the deeper the better. An effective way to keep track of these strongly growing steps is with the use of a Scene Tracker. I would like to make reference of a great movie such as ‘zinadagi na milegi dobara’ directed by Zoya Akhtar. We can easily identify with one of the characters of the movie. That’s the power of powerful storytelling.

Movies often rely on star power alone without taking the time to develop the characters in the story. Even so, the audience may feel an emotional attachment to the star. Ultimately, however, unless they emotionally identify with the main character as a character, the audience will ultimately detach from the film.

Ultimately, the reason why we would want to live sensationally through the lives of others, be it a fictional character or a real person, is because we find others’ lives more interesting or exciting than ours. We find their roles interesting because we see the characters on screen achieving something that we want for ourselves and our life, but have yet to fully achieve that yet.

Men and women grow up expecting to be the hero of their own story. We are all characters in other people’s stories, and so other people are characters in our own. We all see the world through our lens in the end. We have a world where girls grow up identifying closely with male heroes and putting themselves into the heroes’ shoes, understanding and relating to them. Do you think boys grow up identifying with women characters at all? Yes, even they do.

Look at 1978’s Superman, what I can definitely say is that that movie has left a huge literary impact, even after all these many years. It still has influence around the world and has given studios the runway for future superhero movies to take place. I mean just look at the entire slate of movies lined up until 2020. For the most part, we have been given superhero movies with very similar story-lines, some just showing a guy and a group of people, gearing up for the final climatic fight against the BOSS level.

Our lives are changing, we are all moving at a faster pace. Who knows, maybe in 50 years time we may have flying cars and Smartphone in our brains. How would superhero movies work in the future? Would we see Spider-Man swinging from flying car to flying car? Yes, maybe. Will we witness Captain America being awakened from a 60 year sleep to find him in our high flying future society? We may. As human we are imaginative, emotional, quirky, inquisitive, we love, we fear, we feel jealous, we want to shoot somebody, we want to experience romance and what not….. What we cannot do in a real life we sit and enjoy doing all that on screen in a reel life.  Whether watching a retro classic such as ‘Tere mere sapane’ or turning out for the opening weekend of Man of Steel, there’s something special about going to the movies.

At home, distractions such as nagging kids or parents, ringing phones, texts on mobile, ringing phones, cleaning, and many other chores do not allow us to enjoy a movie. The theatre gives us an excuse to switch off for a couple hours and surrender to a completely immersive experience. It’s through this uninterrupted story telling that movies deliver their full emotional and creative intent.

As humans we enter the darkened theatre seeking three things: one, to expand our emotional bandwidth – in sense to feel sensations that we rarely experience in our normal lives; to reconnect with our higher selves. Two, to be reminded of what humans are capable of, in terms of both good and evil, and to alter course if we’re steering more towards the latter than the former. And, three, to be reminded we are not alone; through the collective reaction of others in the audience we realise that we are not the only ones wrestling with life’s challenges – there are many other like us.  And, therefore we watch movies.

In psychology and philosophy, emotion is a partial, conscious experience characterized primarily by psychological expressions, biological reactions, and mental states. Emotion is often associated with mood, outlook, personality, disposition, and motivation. Emotions have given human life a rich foundation which governs their existence. Various activities and happenings govern our emotions. But, can we imagine life without emotions? Emotions add colour and texture to our lives. The routine actions that characterize every day as well as the surprising happenings that make and keep our lives going and they are all threads that get woven together to form the embroidery of our life.

The one thing that is common to all these threads is the fact that they evoke feelings in us, we respond to them with our emotions before they can become a part of our internal life. Indeed, life can be thought of as a continuous sequence of Emotions that arise in various contexts and circumstances. These Emotions are called “Rasas” in Sanskrit which give life different hues, shades and colours. In Sanskrit Rasa means taste or essence and Nava means nine. Rasa is commonly used to denote the sense of an “emotional state.” The nine Rasas were (and are) the strength of character of Indian aesthetics ever since they were symbolized in the Natyasastra (written sometime in 200 BC-300 AD) and they formed the foundation from which the traditions of dance, music, theatre, art and literature evolved.

Concert and artwork were created solely with the aim of evoking the Rasas in the audience. There is rasa in each activity of our life; or better yet, everything that we do “has” Rasa. Some rasas have more significance in our life (depending on our individual character). Though some things have a higher essence, others are lower and some are innate. Rasa is the invisible substance that gives life its meaning.

The NatyaShastra is an ancient Indian text dated between 2nd century BC and 2nd century AD which analyses all aspects of performing art. It is often called the fifth veda because of its importance. In it one finds a thorough exposition on the rasas, or emotions that characterize Life as well as Art. The NatyaShastra describes nine rasas or NavaRasas that are the basis of all human emotion. Each is commented upon in detail. It is useful to keep in mind that a rasa includes not just the emotion, but also the various things that cause that emotion. These two things go hand in hand and are impossible to treat independently.

The nine Emotions included in Navarasa are Shringara (love), Hasya(laughter), Karuna(kind-heartedness or compassion), Raudra (anger), Veera (courage), Bhayanakara (terror), Bheebhatsya (disgust), Adbutha (surprise) and Shantha (peace or tranquility). These are the emotions that a human shows according to the situations. Scientists have found that every emotion of human evokes a colored aura (halo). The emotional spectrum is divided into the seven colors of the rainbow, with each color corresponding to a different emotion: rage (red), greed (orange), fear (yellow), willpower (green), hope (blue), compassion (indigo), and love (violet). However, it also represents the absence of color (black), which is death, and the combination of colors (white) which is life.

Shringara: means “Love” and also “Beauty”. It denotes enjoying company of opposite sex. In English it means “Romance.” It is the foundation of man-woman relationship which brings warmth and security of a relationship. Loving and being loved adds richness to our lives. When people feel close to others they are happier and even healthier. Love helps us feel important, understood, and secured. Shringara implies that we must realize that beauty is everywhere and is always there to be loved. Enjoy beauty in others. In Indian mythology, Lord Krishna’s Raas Leela is full of Shringar Rasa. Swami Vivekananda said that the raas leela is an external expression of divine leela which takes place in the heart of each and every individual. Unless we love somebody, have romance, life is unadorned. The Gods showed us that Shringara is divine feeling. Shringara means paying little attention to neatness and tidiness. By adding a little sleekness to our living we can bring harmony in life. Flowers, fragrances, perfumes, colours add Shringara to life. Sringara rasa is depicted by light green color.

Hasya: Hasya Rasa is an essential part of the life; what’s life without laughter? Hasya is of two kinds, Atmastha or self-based, Parastha or based in others. The Hasya Rasa is denoted by white colour. When we laugh at ourselves it is called Atmastha and when we make other laugh it is called Parastha. Laughter offers a number of positive organic effects on the human body. It strengthens immune system, reduces cravings and makes people more resistant to pain. Reduces the pressure, stress and increases the flexibility of muscles. The psychological and physical relaxation generated by laughter cannot be replaced by tons of money. It can draw our attention away from things that cause anger, guilt, stress and other negative Emotions. It allows us to see difficult situations with a new perspective, more like a challenge rather than a threat. At the social level, laughter and humor, creates bonds and better relationships with others. Also, because laughter is contagious, if we introduce into our lives more laughter this means that will help others in our environment to laugh more, which will have positive repercussions on many level.

Karuna: means Compassion which I would term as positive feeling. It isthe feeling of empathy for others in response to seeing their suffering; and a desire to help. Compassion when based on rational notions such as fairness, justice and interdependence is beautiful. There is also an aspect of compassion which regards a quantitative dimension, such that individual’s compassion is often given a property of “depth,” “vigour,” or “enthusiasm.” The negative Bhavas of Karuna rasa are dejectedness, indifference, lethargy, anxiety, yearning excited state, illusion, loss of sense, sadness, ailments, sluggishness, epileptic loss of memory, fear, death, paralysis, tremor, pallor in the face, shedding of tears, loss of speech and the kindred feelings. The NatyaShastra states that the Karuna Rasa takes its origin through different Bhavas either at the sight of the death, murder, torture, or anguish. It is expressed as crying, speechlessness, sighs, expression of grief, loss of sense, weeping bitterly and other similar gestures. Karuna rasa is depicted in Grey color.

Rudra: In English it means Anger. It is one of the negative Emotions. There are two types of angers. The first being destructive anger and exists for the sake of itself. The second being constructive anger where it is born out of an injustice or dissatisfaction and a will to make a change towards a positive. Anger is a normal emotion with a wide range of intensity, from mild irritation and frustration to rage. It is a reaction to a perceived threat to us, our loved ones, our property, our self-image, or some part of our identity. Anger is a warning bell that tells us that something is wrong. Everyone experiences anger, and a little amount of it can be healthy. It can motivate us to stand up for ourselves and correct injustices. When we manage anger well, it makes positive changes in our lives and situations. Raudra Rasa and Karuna Rasa are similar as both can be the consequence of some deprivation. The outcome of deprivation in Karuna is loss of hope and resignation and in Raudra it is rage. Lord Shiva is famous for his “Rudravtar”. The outcome Rudra Rasa are Krodha (anger), Dharsana (violation of modesty), Adhiksepa (abuse), Apamana (insult), Anrtavacana (uttering falsehoods), Vakparusya (Harsh words), Droha (animosity), Matsarya (jealousy) and kindred ones. The activities connected with Raudra Rasa are beating, tearing, harassing, chopping off, breaking, piercing, striking hurling missiles, shedding blood, seizing of weapons and similar activities. Rudra Rasa is portrayed in red color.

Veera: In English it is heroism. The Veera rasa is all about bravery, fearlessness, determination, boldness, self- confidence and grit. It is our willingness to venture out and do the right thing at the right time, despite the barriers we may encounter. Boldness enables us to speak the truth, and perform a task without fear of the consequences or results, because, it is the right, thing to do. In battle, the attitude of boldness is shown in a way with which warriors go to war, and the valors with which they die. We always like bold leaders; it is the most vital quality of a leader. In the Hindu mythology, Abhimanyu displayed a different type of heroism when he went to war knowing fully that he would be severely outnumbered and almost certainly die and yet fought so bravely till his last. In Sattriya Dance and culture, the Veera Rasa is displayed in various characters in Keli Gopal, Kaliyadaman, Patni Prasad, Parijat Haran, Rukmini Haran, Rambijay, Arjun Bhanjan etc. The foundation of civil defense is based upon Veera Rasa. Orange color depicts Veera rasa.

Bhayanaka: In English it is terror. The Bhayanaka Rasa depicts fear, worries, fretfulness and anxiety, https://livingwellnessmedicalcenter.com/ativan-lorazepam/. Bhayanaka is a feeling evoked while facing something that is powerful than oneself, it’s a feeling of being helpless. The main cause of terrorism is the political and economical exploitation of oppressed majority by the people who enjoy the power of ruling. Present day concept of terrorism is based on duplicity; one man’s terrorism is other man’s freedom fight. Angst, fear, phobia and distress are the outcomes of terror. The modern definition of terrorism refers to criminal or illegal acts of violence at randomly chosen targets, in an effort to raise fear. It is practiced by extremist groups with a limited political base or parties on the weaker side in asymmetric warfare. To keep the law and order in place terror is practiced, usually within the legal framework of the state; we see shades of it to terrorize the criminas. The black color depicts bhayanaka rasa.

Beebhatsya: is disgust in English. Vulgar and uncivilized acts, usage of bad words and manners evoke an unpleasant feeling which is Beebhatshya. The feeling of disgust in the mind of Prince Siddhartha towards sickness, old age and death later transformed him into Buddha which is one of the avatars of Lord Vishnu. Blue is the color of Beebhatsya. It is a feeling of revulsion or strong disapproval aroused by something unpleasant or offensive. Disgust is a strong negative feeling of aversion or disapproval. Disgust is not just a physical sensation; it’s a powerful emotional warning sign.

Adbhuta: is amazement in English. Adbhuta is the rasa of curiosity, astonishment and wonder. The feeling when one comes across something divine and supernatural, something never seen or imagined before is Adbhuta. When we understand that there are things that we do not understand, it makes life beautiful and exciting, full of wonders to explore, full of opportunity for new understanding and personal growth. Wonder comes at the beginning of the spiritual journey, the journey to find real truth and solve the mystery of life. Life has much astonishment to offer. Take a look at the clouds, the colors of sky at sunset and sunrise. Look at the plants, trees, leaves, and flowers and how they sway when wind blows. Look at numerous forms of life insects, animals, birds and humans. There is so much to feel astonished. People who have visited the Mansorovar trip say it is full of astonishments. On a personal level there are physical challenges that await us and situations where our mental and emotional makeup becomes apparent. Adbhuta Rasa is depicted by yellow color.

Shanta: In English it is tranquility. Shanta is the rasa of tranquility and peace. It represents the state of calm and untroubled steadiness. Shanta represents complete harmony between the mind, body and universe. Shanta is what Buddha felt when he was enlightened that led him to salvation or nirvana which freed him from the cycle of life and death. With all the advancement of science, no remedy has yet been found for lack of inner peace and tranquility. Often, even when being in good financial condition and in good health, people have no peace of mind, which only proves that peace of mind does not depend on external conditions or on any scientific or technical progress. The solution has to come from within, not through external means. The color of Shanta Rasa is white.

Naturalist Charles Darwin believed that emotions are adaptations that allow both humans and animals to survive and reproduce. When we are angry, we are likely to confront the source of our irritation. When we experience fear, we are more likely to flee the situation or threat. When we feel love, we might seek out a mate and reproduce. Emotions serve an adaptive role in our lives by motivating us to act quickly and take actions that will maximize our chances for success.

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