Shades of blue

Aadya Gupta, B.A. Programme

Edited by Nandana

Some days, you just sit still while everything around you turns into chaos, like you're standing in the middle of a storm. The world feels like it’s spinning wildly, and you’re stuck, unable to stop the whirlwind. The mess surrounds you, tossing pieces of your life here and there, making it hard to see clearly. In moments like this, you feel the confusion pressing in, yet somehow, you remain standing, holding your ground while the storm rages on.

You feel Sad, because you somehow fixated your life around one person

You feel Guilt, because you are not meeting your own or maybe others’ expectations

You feel Longing, because you are still waiting for that person

You feel Love, because you see “your people” around you

You feel Anxious, because you feel everything is getting out of hand

You feel Hopeless, because you are trying to act so independent

All these feelings lie on a spectrum of colors for me. A strip with different shades of blue.

Apparently, it is supposed to denote sadness but I think we don’t do justice to this color. Blue is a feeling that I don’t mind feeling for the rest of my life, because for me it’s not just feeling sad but everything from love to longing. Every thought that makes me want to run away in a void and stay completely alone to every text that makes me want to stay for the people around me, all this feels like a new shade of blue. Because for me,

Love is the blue sky on a sunny day

Guilt is my blue diary begging for me to complete my notes

Sadness is the blue ball inside my chest from inside out

Longing is Nanu’s favorite blue kurta

Hopelessness is the ripped blue jeans I wore when I met someone

Anxiousness is the missing 50 rupee note that I kept in my pocket

The beauty of blue lies in its ability to carry both the weight of solitude and the warmth of connection. It’s the color of midnight skies that cradle your deepest thoughts, and oceans that whisper secrets only you can hear. Blue doesn’t demand resolution; it simply sits with you, reflecting every emotion back in its quiet resilience. When the chaos around you grows unbearable, it’s blue that becomes your refuge—a calming hue that lets you breathe and feel everything fully, reminding you that even in turmoil, there’s depth and grace.

So, I will continue to feel all the shades of blue in my life and fill the canvas with new interesting shades