Sharad Ritu (end September, October, early November) ushers in the festival season, pleasant weather and a riot of colours. The unprecedented heavy monsoon has receded, leaving a clear blue sky but for a few wispy cotton clouds drifting. The swollen rivers threatening floods are settling down, showcasing clear, sparkling water. The Kharif crop harvest is at hand. The landscape in northern India is turning a stunning golden-orange with vibrant, colourful autumn leaves. It is a feel-good season. The weather is pleasant, a respite from the scorching summer heat and the winter bite is far away. An ideal time to venture outdoors, to plan a holiday and explore nature.
The text I teach in my literature class seems to have come alive nowadays. John Keats celebrates the beauty of Autumn, nature’s grace and elegance through sensuous imagery, depicting the transition from Summer to Fall and the effects on nature in ‘Ode to Autumn’.
The celestial canvas offers breathtaking views. God sprays varied colours from His palette as the majestic Sun rises. The sunrays are no more scalding. Rather, the molten golden languid spread is soothing. The wispy clouds are like suspended sequins across the evening sky. As the Sun dips in the West, the sky is drenched in warm orange and majestic red. You loathe staying indoors in the evening.
As I commute to my college in the morning, the vast fields on either side of the highway are a sight to behold. A few patches of rust and yellow of ripe paddy waiting for the harvester’s scythe, vast patches of brown dotted with stubble and huge piles of dry paddy husk. Pretty soon, the farmer will cover them with paddy straw and save them for fodder for livestock. Yellow flowers are bursting from vines. Marigold buds are bursting open in shades of yellow to crimson.
The leaves of tall poplar trees are changing colour too. A few yellow ones are precariously perched while the dried browns fall one after the other, creating a russet carpet on the ground. With a rustle and a crackle, all the fallen leaves huddle together, nudged by the gentle breeze. Many times, I am tempted to stomp on them and enjoy the scrunch and crackle.
Chirping birds–the little brown sparrow, the yellow beak mynah, the spotted dove– flock the courtyard. Watch as birds flock the sky in murmuration and echelon. Beetles, crickets, moths and tiny insects swarm across as the evening descends.
The garish drone of the air conditioners and the monochrome swirling of ceiling fans has stopped. Suddenly, quietness has descended in the environment. Doors and windows have been opened to let the fresh air in. Morning and evening prayers from the neighbouring temples are distinctly heard. You join in of your own accord.
Autumn is the time to express gratitude for the changing season, offer thanks for the beauty of the changing leaves, the coolness of the air, the abundance of the harvest, the flourishing flora and fauna, while also encouraging introspection on personal growth, resilience and surrender to His will.
Suruchi Kalra Choudhary
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