URDU KA RANG — THE COLOR OF URDU
Image by Sophia Naureen Ahmad
PROJECT: Urdu ka Rang — The Color of Urdu
DATE: 2021 - Present
DETAILS: This is the first phase of an ongoing visual project I call Urdu ka Rang or, The Color of Urdu. First and foremost, I want to give credit where it’s due. This project was inspired by a post about Urdu color names from Pakistani content creator Arshad Malik.
My parents originate from Pakistan, where Urdu is the dominant tongue. Due to globalization and the prevalence of English in media (among other factors), many traditional Urdu words are fading from everyday use. This includes color names, many of them unfamiliar to modern-day Urdu speakers, both in Pakistan and in the global diaspora.
THREE EXAMPLES:
انگوری / angoori — grape. A bright yellow-green.
گلابی / gulabi — rose. A light pink.
اناری / anari — pomegranate. A deep, dark red.
My goals for this project are to preserve and share the nuances of the Urdu language, as well as to highlight the unique colors and visual style of Pakistan and South Asia. On a personal note, it’s a way for me to connect with myself, marrying two things I love — color and my culture.
I envision this as a fully-realized project, incorporating my own still life photography and graphic design. As of now, I’m sharing pages from my ideation journal. I’m interested in journaling as a creative practice, how it can create a home for an idea. I embrace the messiness of it, and I like seeing how all the dots connect.
Alongside my own thoughts and images, this book is full of references — the work of contemporary artists, still life photography, commonplace elements of South Asian life and personal ephemera.
FLIP THROUGH MY JOURNAL —