Embracing Red

Purple was my favorite color.
Then blue,
then black.

But red?
Never ranked up there.
Overused, overstated,
too harsh, even garish.

Then I went to Nepal
and embarked on a
journey of appreciating,
then
embracing raato (red).

There is the red of Nepal's flag.
And the sea of reds amidst the ocean of sindur (colored powder)
at the stalls surrounding the sacred Pashupatinath temple.
Red smears above doors and windows, on stones and trees,
red tikas (blessing mark) on photographs, animal and human foreheads.
Bolts of fabric in all shades of reds stacked floor to ceiling in shops.
Women in red sarees, like waves of butterflies,
walking along villages paths or emerging from city cars
during wedding season.
Red pote (beaded necklaces) adorn the necks of married women
and red bangles tinkle on wheeled carts bouncing through Asan bazaar.
Bold patches of red in dhaka topi (men's caps).
Hillsides of rhododendron in full bloom.
The life-giving blood gushing from the neck of a goat
slaughtered for our village school picnic.
The inescapable red of Nepal.

Once, stateside as a fundraiser volunteer
I talked with a caller.
In return for her donation she inquired about the color her t-shirt gift.
"What shade of red is it?" she asked.
"I''m legally blind now but it's still my favorite color."
I stumbled with words to match images,
maroon
cranberry
burgundy?
I did my best.
But if I was granted two wishes,
she'd regain her vision and
we'd instantly be transported to Nepal
where together,
we could celebrate and embrace red.

raato
The color of love, of life, of sacrifice. The color of Nepal.