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In her new book, “Patterns of India,” photographer Christine Chitnis investigates how colors are woven into almost every aspect of daily life and culture throughout the country’s northwestern region.

This New Hotel is Redefining Luxury Travel in India

So long as you don’t mind a little bit of sand in your knickers, a night in the Thar Desert under a star lit sky is an experience unlike anything you’ve experienced in your entire life. We rode out into the desert on ill-tempered camels, bouncing and bopping so hard I thought I would crash back to earth at any moment. Our guides tossed a few bedrolls and pillows onto the sand and told us to enjoy ourselves - and watch out for scorpions (though I well and truly believe that they were only kidding). We wrapped ourselves in blankets and marveled at the constellations overhead - The Stooges, Mel Gibson, and the Flying Camel being my favorites - and marveled at the quiet of the night. Though India is home to well over a billion people, it felt as if we were alone out there in the desert. And then our camel farted, and we knew we were not alone. Just about every taxi driver or hotel operator in Delhi or nearby Jaisalmer can put together a camel tour for you - and I suggest you do it. At roughly $20, it’s a steal of an experience. Photo Note: I put my camera on a tripod for this frame, opened the shutter for about a minute and a half, and popped off a few quick flashes with a handheld speedlight to illuminate the cart and our guide. A large aperture helped expose the stars, while a shutter speed of roughly 30 seconds helped keep them in place.

Known as The Blue City for its many homes painted to denote them as Brahmin residences, Jodhpur is a chaotic hodgepodge of blue blocks at the foot of mighty Mehrangarh Fort. Interspersed with the sacred color associated with Lord Shiva, the city projects a galaxy of shades ranging from the jewel-toned saris of traditional Rajasthani women to muted tones of the 16th-century wall that protected Jodhpur in medieval times. Long before Mark Zuckerberg used blue for its soothing effect on Facebook users, Jodhpur’s citizens apparently knew of its psychological impact on a city.