Seasons and Flowers

India has six seasons- two more than the four( spring, summer, autumn and winter) observed in the West. The additional two seasons are Varsha(Monsoon) and Hemanta(Fall Winter). Varsha gives us relief from the scorching Summer months and Hemanta heralds the onset of Winter. This seasonal classification is truer of the North than the South that has neither Spring nor Autumn nor Winter.  The seasons in the South are broadly Summer, Monsoon and Fall Winter, bringing in the weather changes from hot to hotter to hottest  all through the year.

The hot summer months and the cold winter months of Delhi are tough seasons and that too specially for the aged, despite the capital city enjoying the privilege of uninterrupted power supply to keep the ACs and heaters running and  protecting us from the climatic rigour. Delhi is full of neighbourhood parks - a boon for walkers to stretch themselves in the early mornings of the Summer months and in the late afternoons of the Winter months.

Delhi is relatively green in spite of the concrete jungles that have dotted the landscape of the city. Even in dry summer, the trees provide the shade though the green leaves look brown with the hot winds blowing the dust from Rajasthan. The trees wait for the rains to wash away the dust and add green luster to the leaves. The dry heat of the summer months from May to July vanishes with the first droplets of rain. The walk around the open park in the scalding Summer months provides great relief after being cooped up in the heated walls of the house. The coming of the rains during the Monsoon months from July to September puts an end to the  scorching heat of the previous three months (May to July) though the weather continues to be hot and humid. It is amazing to see the arrival of seasons with a clock-like precision(marginally delayed by a week or two) despite all the human meddling with the environment. The change in seasons is well matched by the change in the colours of Nature. For the Delhi-ites, this is an additional bonus as colorful flowers of myriad shades bloom at different seasons. The hibiscus that remains dormant during the winter months loves warm weather and blooms from mid to late summer.  Hibiscus gladdens our minds with its lovely red colour symbolic of courage, life and growth. But as summer grinds to a halt allowing autumn to take its place, we see geranium, gardenia and little white flowers sprinkled over small green shrubs that resemble jasmine but without its scent. Roses bloom from Fall winter (November) to Spring (March). There are about 150 varieties of roses. Whatever be their colour, size and  fragrance , a rose is a rose is a rose. The white rose is symbolic of purity while the red rose stands for love. The red and white striped rose stands for togetherness or unity, the pink with elegance, the yellow with friendship and so on and so forth.

What is astonishing is different flowers bloom at different times of the year and they follow a cyclical pattern in keeping with the seasons. There is no rivalry among the flowers , there is no attempt by any species to prolong its pride of place in the park and on the shrubs . With systematic precision, one group of flowers disappears to be replaced by another. Nature has many lessons to teach and the most significant of them is to know when to arrive and when to depart. Nature’s life is marked by punctuality, discipline, order and justness. It gives every species its right to appear, but appear only at the assigned time. The species also band together as a unit and bloom together and retreat after its work is over. While we keep talking about human rights- the rights of individuals to liberty and justice, we never realize the wonderful rights that Nature has bestowed on the flowers.

India has no drastic seasonal variation as is seen in the West. In UK, not a single flower is seen during winter months and the arrival of spring is heralded by tiny flowers emerging out of the grass. In India flowers are for all seasons and this is indeed a great blessing. We have to learn from Nature about equal rights- not to try one-upmanship and attempt to hold on to our positions without yielding them to others in waiting. The Government has fixed 60 years as the age of retirement and many senior bureaucrats and senior military personnel wait for positions of power as Governors, ministers and -if nothing else – as Rajya Sabha members (members of the Upper House). There is a highly competitive edge to every human activity even after enjoying a long innings of being in the limelight. We have forgotten the ancient Hindu philosophy that has given us the guidance to go through an orderly four stages of life. The strict discipline of the first stage with a focus on learning has considerably been diluted  to yield to more pleasurable and sensual activities. Learning and storing the knowledge for the future is no longer in vogue as it calls for a strict discipline that the young people resent. The second stage of enjoying family life and carrying out one’s duties by the family and society is becoming increasingly stressed and difficult due to a high degree of competition and rivalry. Enjoyment is on the decline and work has become tedious. The Third relates to gradual withdrawal from the world in preparation for the total renunciation in the next and final stage of life. As stated above, we are finding it difficult to accept retirement from jobs and withdraw from family life. We cling to the family and seek the position of an elder to advise and direct family affairs. There is a constant clash as the youngsters  now desire to occupy the space that the elders had held while the elders resent being relegated to asubsidiary role in the family. The last stage is no longer evident as in this material world the pursuit of the spiritual is more in theory than in practice.

Thank God, Nature has her schedule intact and has put in place the rights of every flower not in any hierarchical and vertical order but on a equal and horizontal plane. As Professor Higgins despaired in My Fair Lady “ why can’t the woman be like a  man” , we may have to ask ourselves “why cant humans be like Nature?”.