This letter from Rithihi is a meditation on how colours carry meaning and healing, and what it means to wear them with intention
At Rithihi, we see colour beyond just something we wear—it’s something we feel, bring into our body, mind, being and, in a sense, something we become. In South Asia—a subcontinent notoriously unafraid of colour—hues are not chosen for mere aesthetic preference; they carry memory, meaning, and cultural significance. The ochre-saffron of a monk’s robe evokes reverence to some, while to others, the same hue may trigger memories of curries richly flavoured with turmeric. Even our worship bears this chromatic consciousness—red for St. Sebastian, blue for Vishnu, white for purity at the temple, and green for Jannah. And on a different kind of sacred ground, the masses at Galle Face during Sri Lanka’s Aragalaya showed us how black becomes a unifying agent in dissent, resistance, and solidarity.
Within traditional healing spaces in Sri Lanka and India, the practice of healing through colour—known as Warna Chikitsa or Ranga Chikitsa—aligns elements, planets, minds, and bodies by consciously integrating specific hues into clothing, food, and surroundings to restore balance. These aren’t arbitrary associations—they are centuries of collective know-how, distilled into our perception of colour. And, it isn’t only in tradition; the influence of colour on the human mind and body is backed by science, confirming what ancient cultures intuited. Certain hues can influence mood, spark emotion, and trigger the release of hormones. In this Rithihi story, we explore how wearing colour with awareness becomes not just an aesthetic act, but a conscious gesture of alignment—emotional, cultural, and personal.
Colour as energy, memory, and meaning
Colour is energy made visible; vibration slowed down just enough for the eye to witness. Yogic practice aligns colours with chakras—violet at the crown, blue at the throat, green at the heart—each one resonating with emotional and energetic states. Even our cultural rituals carry this intuitive knowing; turmeric yellow to sanctify, sindoor red to bind in matrimony, funeral whites to transcend into spirit. Such colour practices are more than visual—they are inheritances, passed on.
Ayurveda offers another way to consider colour intentionally. If you are predominantly Kapha in constitution—calm, fluid, and grounded—warm and energizing colours like crimson or coral may uplift you. If you are Pitta—driven, fiery, intense, cool blues and greens may soothe. If you are Vata—airy, creative, restless, earth tones and muted hues may bring balance.
Science backs colour psychology: studies suggest that red can increase heart rate and stimulate energy, while blue can slow breathing and promote a sense of calm. Colour, in this sense, is a form of medicine.
Sometimes, intention is simpler still: wearing a colour because it reminds you of someone you love, or who you are trying to become, is an equally powerful move. To wear colour, then, is to carry meaning. To wear it consciously is to make that meaning your own.
A Rithihi approach to colour
In our shifting, global, interconnected present day, wearing colour with intention has taken on new layers. It can be about emotional alignment; it can be cultural or political. The Rithihi woman may live in Colombo, Paris, or Pondicherry. She might wear a saree every day, or only once a year. But what connects her is a particular way of seeing—a reverence for beauty, for wisdom, for the emotional and cultural intelligence carried within textiles and their colour properties. She may wear yellow because it reminds her of her childhood garden, or indigo because it honours the dyers who once painted the fabric of her heritage. She may wear green when she needs to heal, red when she wants to celebrate, and grey when she simply wishes to be quiet.
The Rithihi collection exists to hold space for this. Every colour is chosen not only for beauty, but for the meaning it holds, the emotion it stirs, the memory it may awaken.
We work closely with textile artisans, natural dye practitioners, and weavers whose methods reflect not just craft, but cosmology. The colours in our store are not trends—they are transmissions. From land. From lineage. From lived experience.
Bringing colour into your life, with conscious intention
To wear colour intentionally is not to follow rules, but to tune in. What colour do you long for right now—not just to see, but to feel? What memory, what need, what resonance calls to you? What does your life need more of right now? Whether it is for healing, remembrance, protest, grounding, joy, or simply beauty, there is a colour that holds space for it.
At Rithihi, we invite you to explore this with us. Visit our store. Take your time. Let your senses lead. Whether you are seeking a single saree or an entire colour story for a wedding, a new season of your life, or a return to yourself, there is something here for you.
Rithihi is a space of mindful making, and even more mindful choosing. Come, and bring colour into your life—slowly, lovingly, with conscious intention.
