加尔各答要让城市全面蓝化

人口一千四百万的印度大城加尔各答，要让城市全面蓝化。从政府到民间建筑、市内出租车到名胜古迹，全部都要换穿天蓝色的衣服。

Calcutta's chief minister has ordered the city of 14 million residents to be painted sky blue, taking inspiration from the new Indian government's motto, "the sky is the limit." The BBC reports the mandatory¹（强制的） changes will affect everything from government and private buildings to local taxis and even historic landmarks².

"From now on, all government buildings, whenever they are re-painted, will be done in sky blue," Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim told The Indian Express newspaper. "The owners of private buildings will also be requested to follow the same colour pattern. The necessary government orders will be issued soon."

While the compulsory³ color changes are meant to invoke⁴（调用，祈求） national spirits, they are just as likely to anger some people, since owners of private buildings are being asked to foot the bill（负担费用） to pay for the cosmetic⁵ changes to their property.

Of course, officials undoubtably will be wary⁶ of（提防，当心） stirring up too much controversy⁷, lest residents gather arms and set out to paint the town red.

"Blue is a beautiful colour and is also soothing⁸（抚慰的） for the eyes," Calcutta mayor Sobhan Chatterjee told the Indian Express, referring to the color change.

Calcutta won't be the only blue-streaked area in India. Tourist haven⁹ Jodhpur is sometimes referred to as the "Blue City" due to the bright blue-painted houses surrounding the Mehrangarh Fort. Likewise, other Indian cities have made monochromatic（单色的） changes to buildings and landmarks. The BBC reports that in 2006, authorities in Bihar had the entire city painted pink to improve spirits in the crime-infested region. The Indian city of Jaipur, often referred to as the "Pink City," is also known for its pink dominated hues¹¹（色调） .

And just a few years ago, rumors¹² were circulating that the Chinese government was converting one of its provinces into a "green suburb"--as in the color green, not environmentally-friendly green. That story turned out to be a hoax¹³.

There are also less intrusive¹⁴ and more benign¹⁵ efforts being made to re-paint large swaths of the urban landscape, such as painting roofs white to reduce greenhouse gas emissions¹⁶.