Celebrating the arrival of Hemanta

Hemanta, the fourth of the six seasons on Bangla calendar, has no equal in the northern hemisphere where only four seasons make their presence felt. Although it is identified for convenience's sake as the late Autumn or Fall as the Americans love to call the season in between Summer and Winter because this is the time when deciduous trees completely shed their leaves, there is little similarity between the two. Hemanta is unique and unlike Autumn known for clear sunshine and blue sky with patches of unblemished white clouds sailing leisurely here and there, it has its mystical charm all its own. Hemanta is gloomy, dusky and magical inviting someone to unveil the many-layered mysteries hidden in its bosom.

Autumn in the northern hemisphere stays for a period in between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice, the points when day and night are equal in length usually on September 22 or 23 and the year's shortest day on 21 or 22 respectively. In this part of the world, Hemanta arrives on the first day of Kartik and lingers on for the next month Agrahayan. This is how the seasonal variation has been marked but by no means can seasonal transition take place precisely complying with such a marker, particularly when climate change has caused unprecedented convulsions.

This year has seen the rule of rains which weathermen call late monsoon. Even the first two days of Kartik have been a victim of monsoon's overlapping aggression. It is not that Kartik did not experience showers driven by gale in the past but this is somewhat different. It is more like the pitter patter rains that pass soon enough or linger at times. Then heavy showers are not even uncommon. If rains continue like this, will Hemanta have its mellifluous dew drops coming down from heaven and settle like beads of pearl on the blades of grass, paddy leaves and sheaves?

Fortunately for the people of this blessed land, it does not rain everyday and on those rainless days the surrounding in rural areas gets shrouded by an ethereal haze, a pall of unreal veil. The trees stand still side by side, embracing each other as if they are awe-struck. Or, the motionless posture and accompanying silence give a picture of Nature in meditation. The sun is yet to show and the balmy morning with calm and tranquillity offers a sense of spirituality to absorb into one's soul.

No wonder, Jibananda plunged his entire existence into this season of mellow ripeness. So, he observes the first harvesting of the season and the dew awash sprawling paddy fields. To match the duskiness of Hemanta, the poet names his seminal poetry as Dhusar Pandulipi (grey or obscure manuscript!). Despite dissimilarities, there is one outstanding similarity between Autumn and Hemanta. In European languages, the concept of Autumn is connected with harvesting of crops and so is it in this part of the world. Although, the introduction of high yielding varieties (HYV) of paddies has largely pushed out the traditional Aush and Aman and Jibananda's Agrahayan has been deprived of the gold-laden field of Aman paddy denuding vast expanses of crop fields in many parts of Bangladesh, there are pockets where the old charm still exists. Hemanta is traditionally welcomed by a festival of harvesting in many cultures.

Not only human beings but also animals gather and store food as part of their preparation for the coming winter. In the colder regions, the furry animals grow thicker coats to withstand the minus temperatures. Animals like bears eat voraciously before going into hibernation. Birds are lucky in this respect and they migrate to warmer climates at this time. Such migrations on this planet mark exceptional relations between diverse weather conditions and survival of fauna in the interest of biodiversity.

Hemanta may have lost much of its original charms but there are enduring affairs of the season that cannot be dismissed off-handed. One needs a probing mind and insight like Jibanananda to discover the inner beauty of the season. People with a materialistic attitude miss so much of Nature, only more so when they absentmindedly look at this season hiding its magical appeal under the veil of gloom. One has to dive deep to reach the honeyed heart of an apparently gloomy season.