The great amazon sale offered the book, “The color of god” by Ayesha Chaudhry at a mere Rs.59/- in October. The title and the cover looked impressive. The blurb was about traditional Islamic childhood which was a mystery to me owing to the fact I didn’t had much contacts in real world. On a whim I got it to read and I am not regretting it now.
The events of the book were relatable, as irrespective of religion, conservative and patriarchal methods were the same all around the world. After a while it would seem recurring and boring to read the same old story and the same impact on the author, but that’s how these conservative ideas get drilled into the new generation. The only difference, as a reader we can easily put off the book but while growing up in the same house, amidst the same environment, groups, and the circle, it’s inevitable to not fall for it. It reminded how, as a child I used to question the existence of God and the story behind the rituals and how we had to follow it through even if it didn’t make sense. It reminded me of how whether be it any religion, belief and faith arises out of necessity to connect with other people. And how why we end up relying on religion to belong somewhere. The identity crisis of the older generation could be easily solved with religion and the connected rituals.
The vulnerability of the author sharing close personal moments of her relationship with her husband is admirable. The decision regarding having children or not is an unspoken dilemma shared by many. The stigma associated with it and the reasoning provided by the author seems reasonable and valid, making me think about my own decisions.
There is a full blown chapter on hair issues. It’s such an intimate topic to discuss and yet the hardships can be vouched for by every single woman on this planet. Beauty standards and skin issues are sometimes a bane for women. How much we struggle on the societal conditioning and yet cannot ignore and live for ourselves. Also its pointed out gracefully how the conditioning is not only applicable for women but to many men too.
The color of god is not easy to define as mere black and white or any other solid colors; it certainly has elements of grey. But it also preaches the same slogan present in all religious books. Love is everything and it comes in all forms.
