Experience Jalato: Where is My Blue Colour?
Recommended for Middle Grades
The Mystifying World of Jalato’s Colourless Room
Varun and Ananya had always been adventurous souls, as inseparable as two peas in a pod or like chappals always found in pairs. When they heard about Jalato’s colourless painting room, it tickled their fancy like nothing else. “A room without colours? That’s like a biryani without spices!” Varun exclaimed, struggling to wrap his head around the concept.
Ananya, always the more poetic of the two, replied, “Or like a poem with no words, just the emotion behind it.”
Intrigued, they made their way to the Jalato Experience Centre located on Radha Krishnan Salai. It wasn’t just another ordinary building. With its vibrant outer wall, showcasing art from local talent, the structure was a testament to Chennai’s eclectic art scene. The pair felt a bubbling excitement as they approached the entrance, like kids waiting to unwrap a much-anticipated gift.
As they entered, they were greeted by the aroma of fresh paint and the sounds of laughter and conversation—music to their ears. It felt like walking into a kitchen where a delightful dish was being cooked; you may not know what it is, but you know it’s going to be good.
“Welcome to Jalato,” said Indrajala Moturi Kandimalla, a warm and radiant woman who had the charisma of a theatre actor and the wisdom of a sage. “Today, you are going to experience painting like never before—in a room without colour.”
Varun and Ananya were led into the famed room, and immediately, their world turned grayscale. “Wow, it’s like stepping into an old photograph!” Varun marveled, examining his now-monochrome clothing.
“My blue colour top looks… well, not so blue now,” Ananya observed, equally amazed.
Indrajala switched on an amber light which cast its warm glow around the room. “This light alters your perception of colour but doesn’t make it depressing. It’s all rather intriguing,” she explained, as if sharing a well-kept secret.
Both friends felt a mix of anticipation and wonder, akin to the feeling of standing on the edge of a diving board, looking down into a pool but not knowing its depth. Indrajala presented them with aprons, palettes, square-shaped canvases, and a mysterious assortment of paint bottles that had lost their identity to the room’s monotone atmosphere.
“Now, let’s apron up, and get ready for an adventure of a lifetime,” Indrajala announced with a twinkle in her eyes that was visible even in the amber light.
Ananya looked at Varun with a grin, “This is going to be like cooking a dish when you can’t taste the ingredients. You don’t know what you’re going to get, but you know it’s going to be something special.”
And so, feeling like explorers setting foot on uncharted territory, Varun and Ananya prepared themselves for a painting experience that promised to be as unpredictable as a rain shower on a sunny day.
Little did they know, they were about to embark on a journey that would not only change the way they saw colours but also how they saw life itself. The room seemed to whisper to them, “Are you ready for the unknown?”
Both nodded, their eyes meeting in mutual excitement and curiosity. They were indeed ready, or as ready as one could be for a world where even the familiar blue colour had taken on a mysterious guise.
And with that, they took their first steps into the magical and perplexing realm of Jalato’s colourless room, their hearts filled with the kind of joy and anticipation that only comes from embracing the unknown.
Dude! Where’s The Colour?
As they stepped into the room, they were greeted by the founder, Indrajala Moturi Kandimalla. “Welcome to Dude! Where’s The Colour? Here, you get to paint without seeing the real colours. Intriguing, isn’t it?” Indrajala introduced.
The friends felt like they had been whisked away to another dimension—a world devoid of hues. “It’s as if we’ve walked into a dream where someone forgot to add colours!” Varun exclaimed, his eyes scanning the room lit only by an amber light that made everything appear as if dipped in golden honey. He felt like a musician who suddenly couldn’t hear any notes, only silence.
Ananya felt the thrill of a challenge rushing through her veins. “Wow, Varun, this is going to be like trying to cook a dish without knowing the ingredients!”
Indrajala chuckled, her eyes twinkling like stars in the night sky. “Ah, you’re in for a fun time! This room has hosted a variety of events. People often use it for birthdays, family gatherings, and even dates. We can accommodate up to 48 people!”
Varun was already examining the set of square-shaped canvases in front of him. He touched the smooth surface, feeling like a detective trying to solve a mystery without any clues. “So how do we even start?” he asked.
Ananya grinned and said, “Remember how our teacher used to say, ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’? I guess we start by putting our brushes to the canvas.”
“Good point,” Varun agreed, picking up a brush that felt oddly weighty in the absence of visible colour. It was like holding a magic wand that had temporarily lost its powers.
Indrajala offered some guidance, “Just let your imagination flow. In this room, your perception is your canvas. You’re painting with emotions, memories, and instinct.”
Ananya looked at Varun, her eyes full of excitement. “This is like trying to read a book where all the letters look the same, yet each word tells a different story. The blue colour I imagine might not be the blue you think of, but that’s the magic!”
They both dipped their brushes into the bottles of monochrome paints, each one resembling a pool of endless possibilities. Varun said, “You know, this feels like playing a video game, but the graphics are still loading. You know something exciting will happen; you’re just not sure what!”
As they began painting, the two friends became engrossed in their canvases. Every stroke felt like a gamble, every swirl a shot in the dark. Yet, there was a unique thrill to it all—like piecing together a puzzle without knowing what the final picture would look like.
The room was buzzing with an air of mystery and wonder. No one knew exactly what colours were filling their canvases, yet everyone was fully engaged in the experience. It was as though the room had its own language, a silent dialogue between perception and reality, constantly asking the question: “Dude! Where’s The Colour?”
The Unveiling of the Unknown
After about an hour of intense painting, both Ananya and Varun took a step back to observe their canvases. Of course, under the amber light, everything still appeared to be in varying shades of gray. Ananya took a deep breath and sighed, “It feels like cooking a meal without tasting it.”
Varun nodded, his eyes squinting at his own canvas, “Or like writing a letter and not knowing if the ink is blue colour or black.”
Just then, one of Jalato’s experience specialists approached them. “How are you finding the session? Ready for the big reveal?” he asked, grinning from ear to ear.
Ananya glanced at Varun, “You bet! We’ve been painting as if we’re making secret codes. Let’s see if they turn out to be treasure maps!”
Varun laughed, “Or maybe they’ll just be abstract art. You know, the kind where you tilt your head and go ‘hmmm’ trying to figure out what it means.”
As the normal lights in the room flicked on, replacing the amber glow, Varun and Ananya’s eyes widened in awe and astonishment. It was as if they had been reading a mystery novel and had finally reached the last chapter where all secrets are revealed.
Ananya’s mountain scene was an explosion of red, blue colour, and yellow. Her sky, which she thought was a safe gray, turned out to be a vivid blue. The base, which she hoped would resemble brown soil, was mostly red. “Look at that! My mountains look like they’ve been painted during Holi!” she exclaimed.
Varun’s canvas was equally surprising. His cloud, aimed to be a fluffy white, had taken a shade of blue colour, contrasting against a background that he assumed would be blue but turned out to be a bright orange. “Ah, my clouds decided to celebrate a festival of their own!” he said, laughing heartily.
Indrajala walked over and took a look at their paintings. “Ah, just as I thought. Both of you found the blue colour in your own unique way. You see, the secret to this exercise is not just what you end up painting, but the joy and mystery you experience along the way.”
Ananya nodded, deeply touched by the experience, “This room is like life itself. Sometimes you think you’re walking on a straight, colorless path, but life has its own palette. When the lights come on, you realize you were part of a masterpiece all along.”
Varun looked at his painting, then at Ananya’s, and said softly, “And sometimes, the masterpiece isn’t just the end product but the time spent creating it with people who make your life vibrant.”
Indrajala, ever the visionary, had her eyes twinkling, “Exactly! You both get it. Whether it’s blue colour or any other hue, it’s the emotional spectrum that makes the painting of life truly valuable.”
As they unfastened their aprons and prepared to leave, Varun looked at Ananya, “You know, today taught me that even if we can’t see the full picture, we should keep painting. One day, we’ll see it in all its glory.”
Ananya, touched by the sentiment, agreed, “Yes, the canvas of life may start as a mystery, but as long as we keep painting, we’re bound to create something beautiful.”
They walked out, holding their surprisingly colorful paintings, each canvas dominated by blue colour. The room had taught them an unforgettable lesson: The journey can be as mysterious and fulfilling as the destination. And both were equally important in the grand scheme of things.
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