Daag Acche Hai

A tag line made famous by a known detergent brand. ‘Daag acche hai’ is something you won’t hear a dermatologist say. What can be considered a nightmare in some professions can be fun in others. I am not saying I am all for splattering paints on clothes, what I am trying to say is that getting messy while painting can be so much fun and you are missing out on all the fun if you haven’t tried it yet.
While it can be horrific for parents or your house helps to get rid of stains from your pristine whites, not getting down right messy because of that is just pitiful. Holi is our Indian festive way of getting colours all over us with carefree abandon. Guess our forefathers knew colours can be therapeutic and fun.
Some of us as children loved this festival but as adults most of us tend to turn our noses up lest we get dirty. God forbid our hair starts looking like a rainbow or our pretty manicure gets messed up!
Somewhere we have forgotten what it is like to be just plain crazy when it comes to being messy. Peppa Pig loves to jump in muddy puddles but how many of us have run around our lil ones with tiny bottles of sanitisers cause God forbid they pick up some germs while playing in mud. Of course the pandemic just fed our fears and made matters worse.
I have students (children) who come for class with aprons and I always tell their parents to just make them wear an old t-shirt. That messing up their clothes is a part of childhood. A lot of adults too are reluctant to use certain paints because they are reluctant to mess up their hands or clothes.
I can’t explain enough how great it feels to have splatters of paints on your clothes (old faded ones of course, let’s be reasonable). How much fun it is to paint on paper or canvas without worrying if you are spoiling your branded tops or trousers.
It’s liberating to take some paint in a brush and splatter it on a paper. To pour coffee on a paper and let it form weird quirky shapes. To use an old toothbrush and dip it in paint and use your thumb to create a spray effect.
It’s not easy to look perfect. It takes a lot to be well put together from head to toe. One should always prioritize themselves but that does not mean only looking outwardly perfect to the world. Prioritizing yourself mentally & emotionally is extremely important too.
The new rage is all about playing Mahjong which helps one in strategizing and improving problem solving skills. It’s also about socialising and networking and that’s great. Why not try the opposite sometimes. Relax your mind, focus on something that is akin to meditating, put your hair up in a bun, wear something comfortable and get a friend or a partner to come along or try it alone.
Take that paintbrush in your hand & splatter some colour on a white sheet. Draw some random circles with alcohol ink and line it with a micro tip pen or sip on some coffee and pour the remaining bit on your paper.
Pen might be mightier than the sword but a paint brush is definitely mighty when it comes to Mental Health.
So go ahead, bring out that child in you that you have suppressed for so long, and get all messy with colours. Let the inks and crayon smudge those clothes. Laugh out loud and let that sparkle of happiness consume you. Let the colours wipe out all the greys.
After all Daag Acche Hai.