Colour psychology refers to the usage of four base colours according to the European colour system. In addition to black and white as the neutral colours, the base colours also include the chromatic colours red, yellow, green, and blue. Red stimulates and increases appetite. Orange improves mood and possible thyroid function. Yellow increases concentration and possibly treats arthritis. Green is a calming color and promotes healthy metabolism. Everyone carries a colour or two splendidly.

Colors influence our emotions, mood, and behavior. It has been scientifically proved that different colors have psychological and physiological effects on people. Therefore, selecting the right colors in our house, office, school, playground, movie theatre, hospital environments have a significant impact on the experience of people. In a hospital setting the choice of colors can influence patients’ perception of their experience and their overall well-being. For example, some specific colors that can affect patients’ mental and emotional health.

Sky and ocean are blue colour. Technically, the short wavelengths that scatter across the sky relate to the colours blue and violet, making the real colour of the sky a bluish purple. However, the cone cells in our eyes which are photoreceptor cells that are in the retina of the eye which are responsible for color vision as well as eye color sensitivity that detect colour aren’t very sensitive to violet, so we see the sky as blue. Colors are the smiles of nature. 

Color is a powerful communication tool and can be used to signal action, influence mood, and even influence physiological reactions. Certain colors have been associated with physiological changes, including increased blood pressure, increased metabolism, and eyestrain.

Smokers and people with diabetes or heart disease have fewer blood vessels in their skin, and so skin would appear less rosy. The preference for more golden or ‘yellow-toned’ skin as healthier might be explained by the ‘carotenoid pigments’ that we get from the fruit and vegetables in our diet.

Do you know that subconsciously, colour affects all our senses and colours have an important effect on our appetite and the food we choose – they can make us feel hungry, sad, happy, relaxed, or energetic. 

Red fruits have several features: cherries are purifying and detoxifying, while the vitamin C contained in strawberries contributes to the normal function of the immune system. Red oranges are also part of this group. They help our body absorb the iron contained in the food we eat. Pomegranates, on the other hand, have strong natural antibacterial power. The watermelon not only a fresh summer fruit, but also a powerful fruit against tiredness thanks to its mineral salts. 

Psychologist Andrew J. Elliot tested to see if the color of a person’s clothing could make them appear more sexually appealing. He found heterosexual men and women dressed in red were significantly more likely to attract romantic attention than women dressed in any other color.

Among red vegetables we find tomatoes, helpful to keep the cholesterol on a low level, radishes that depurate and calm us, and red onions with antioxidant and diuretic functions. Red beet and chili pepper are respectively antioxidant and stimulate our metabolism. When eaten raw, tomatoes and peppers also contain vitamin C that contributes to the normal function of bones, cartilage, gums, skin, teeth, and immune system.

Yellow fruits and vegetables consist of apricots, whose vitamin A takes care of the growth of our bones, tangerines, rich in fibre and particularly helpful for the wellbeing of the bowel, and melons, full of beta-carotene and able to fight free radicals. We have peaches and bananas, both are sources of potassium, regulators of the arterial pressure and high in energy. The yellow-orange vegetables are all rich in vitamin A. Carrots are the one responsible for our eyes’ health while pumpkins preserve the integrity of skin and mucous membranes. Finally, thanks to both vitamin A and C peppers are a powerful antioxidant.

Green colored kiwis are full of vitamin C which are important for the correct function of the immune system, while grapes have an energetic effect due to the fructose and the glucose they contain. Green apple is a friend of our digestion process and thanks to its low calorie count it is a healthy snack. There are many more vegetables belonging to this group, such as broccoli and green salad, filled with antioxidants that help the circulatory system, as well as green leafy vegetables. They contain potassium and water but they both work together to promote diuresis. Equally important, green beans are rich in fibre and fight constipation, while spinach thanks to its folic acid helps us recharge our body.

Blue & purple fruits consist of plums, well known for their laxative effect due to their fibres, while black grape and raspberries are powerful antioxidants. Figs are highly recommended for people who are looking for an energy boost before their training because they contain high levels of sugar. Finally, we have currant and blueberry: the first one prevents capillary fragility while the second one takes care of both our circulatory system and eyes. Part of this vegetables group is the eggplant, full of water that helps cleanse our body, and the radicchio, rich in potassium and an ally of both the nervous and muscular system. The purple carrot is a low-calorie food and is an ideal mid-day snack.

Color can affect how memorable something is, guide attention, evoke emotions, and even influence motor function and performance. Keep in mind that these effects can differ between cultures and contexts. For example, according to Ford Data, France, and Italy Favour Cream Colours, Denmark Likes Black, Ireland opts for Silver. Blue is the most loved color by humans being preferred by more than 35% of world’s population. Love is symbolized by green in Japan, red and purple in China, Korea, Japan, and the USA. Unluckiness is symbolized by red in Republic of Chad, Nigeria, and Germany. Luckiness is symbolized by red in China, Denmark, and Argentina. The traditional bridal color is red in China and white in the USA.

The world around us is full of colours and although different people might prefer a certain hue of colour to others, we all agree that a world in black and white would not be as beautiful as one that offers an array of shades and tones.  

Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosale, Suman Kalyanpur, Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey, Mukesh have been the magnificent pillars of our Hindi film;  their invaluable contribution to playback-singing  is eternal. Their singing has laid the foundation of the ‘Golden era’ of Hindi cinema. This was the era when melody reigned supreme and songs formed an integral and inseparable part of our films. Music directors such as Salil Chowdhary, S.D.Burman, Kalyanji-Anandji, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Roshan gave unmatched music to lyricists such as Pradeep, Bharat Vyas, Sahir Ludhiyanvi, Kaifi Azmi, Sahilendra, Majruh Sultanpuri and many more lyricists penned songs of various human emotions, abundance in nature, human life cycle, flowers, birds, sunrise, sunset, rives, hills, mountains, seasons and so much more. The singers, music directors and lyricists together gave us several incomparable solos and many remarkable duets which are set in in the psyche of every person.

Often in our films one song has been sung by two different playback singers and is woven into the narrative in such a way that they appear at different times in the course of the film depending on the story and the mood of the characters involved. The title song of ‘Raat Aur Din’ (1967) has been heard on radio more in  Lata’s voice than in Mukesh’s and has never lagged behind the male  version. Similarly, Rimzim gire sawan from film Manzil is a twin song sung by Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar. There are many classic twin songs sung by both male and by female playback singers. These songs are normally used in Hindi Films with an intention to express similar-sounding sentiments under different circumstances. When two singers sing the same song with little differences may be in tune or lyrics here and there people do lot of comparison in terms of who sang it better….. At times the versions differed – one sad and one happier. In some songs the male version sounds superior while in some the female version sounds better. I give here below five twins – evergreen dual songs:

Rangoli (1962) ‘Choti si ye duniya,pehchaane raaste hain…’

Kishore Kumar gets to sing the happy version while Lata Mangeshkar sings the sad version. Once again, it was Kishore Kumar’s version which hit the popularity charts. Sad version or happy version, Kishore’s magic was unbeatable.

Baat Ek Raat ki (1962) Na tum hume jano, na hum tume jane

This song is sung very melodiously by Hemant Kumar picturised on Dev Anand and by Suman Kalyanpur picturised on Vahida Rehman. Till date this song is considered a timeless cult classic an evergreen beautiful romantic song.

Hum sab ustad hain (1965)  ‘Ajnabi tum jaane pehchaane se…’

In this song, Kishore Kumar gets to sing the sad version thus adding a lot of pathos to his emotions while Lata Mangeshkar’s version is breezier and obviously sung in happier times. But the beautiful tune composed by the duo of Laxmikant-Pyarelal  stands out in Kishore’s voice so much so that for years people were not even aware of the female version.

Chiraag (1969) ‘Teri aankhon ke siva…’

While the happy version is sung by Rafi where Sunil Dutt describes the beauty of Asha Parekh’s eyes, the sad version is sung by Lata after Asha Parekh loses her eyesight in a tragic way. In this song, Rafi’s version became more famous.

Manzil (1979) ‘Rimzim gire sawan’

This melodious composition by R D Burman had two superb versions once again by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar. While the Lata version picturized in a unique manner on Amitabh Bachchan and Moushmi Chattetjee captures the essence of romance during Mumbai’s monsoon, Kishore Kumar’s version is a simple rendition sung by Amitabh in the film at a friend’s engagement ceremony with just a harmonium to give him company. The kind of popularity attained by Kishore Kumar’s version was phenomenal yet not surprising because there is something so unique about his simple rendition that it touches the soul right away from the very first note of the song. Somehow Lata’s version just could not whip up that kind of emotion in the listener’s hearts and had to settle for the second position.