Snow in Summer
Even though April, according to T.S.Eliot
is the cruellest month( as it is the month of Jesus’ crucifixion), in India,
April serves as a welcome cusp between Winter and Summer. The woolens are
packed away and the weather is not too hot to venture out both in the morning
and evening hours. Even though this year
has been an exception with temperatures soaring upwards of 40 early in April,
still it is pleasant to stay indoors during the day. What one loves best is the
delightful chirping and cooing of birds in the morning after their long
hibernation in winter months, the riot of colours as a relief from the monotony
of grey winter and the graceful scampering and leaping of squirrels from tree to
tree- a feast for the eye adding to zing in one’s movements.
But Nature reserves her best for April, making it not the cruellest, but the most captivating month of the year. During
winter the ground looks dry and brown bereft of grass. Trees, shrubs and plants
wait for the rains to dust off the brown coat on the leaves and look green to
signal the end of summer. But through the months from May to July(since monsoon
invariably fails to keep its tryst with end June), Delhi looks dusty, parched and baked. But a short
interregnum in April is the most thrilling period as a break between the winter
dryness and summer dryness. This is the season for the fluffy cotton to burst
forth out of cotton balls and fall off its parental plant and spread over the
lawns and ground. Wherever you go in
Delhi, at this time of the year, you can see snowy cotton carpeting the brown
lawn making the lovely tiny flowers on the hedgerows bordering the central lawn
look still more gorgeous. Every time I
walk through the park, my heart leaps up when I see the white lawn covered with
the snowy white fluffs. These fluffs cover the seeds inside and they help in
their dispersal as the fluffs are blown off by the winds. They are almost a
protective covering for the seed and with their airy swiftness they spread the
seed for fresh cotton plants to sprout.
This is nature’s way of celebrating
life- the falling and rising of the cotton fluff carrying the little seed in
its central womb. In nature, there is no death; there is only regeneration. The
fluff minus the seeds is packed into pillows and beds, into cushions and
upholsteries. There is no room for wastage and decay in Nature. That is why
Nature is known to be the receptacle of God’s plenty. It has a lesson for us in
the present times where waste has become a way of life. Human progress is today
measured by the amount that goes into the dust bins and junkyards. While
walking in US, I have seen TV sets and
mobile phones not to speak of innumerable gadgets like laptops and computers that
have been rendered obsolete by new products, abandoned near huge garbage bins
and I used to wonder if one such bin will prove adequate to my domestic needs.
In India marriages and birthday parties including those of our pups and
pets are examples of the huge waste of food and
beverages- the most precious among them, water, besides the colossal waste of
electricity and money. In fact, the day
after the wedding, , it is a uphill task to clear the mess left behind. The
fridges burst with all the leftover sweets and food and the rest that cannot be
accommodated in the king size fridges are thrown away. April snow on the lawn
made me wonder if we ever learn any lesson from Nature! Even if the ground
water levels have dried up, we do not bestow any thought of conserving water.
Then there is the protective nature
of the cotton fluffs which by virtue of their airy lightness are blown away and
they are able to disperse the seeds safely contained within. How much of
concern we have towards our future generation to preserve the planet that is
forever caring for us? The YOLO slogan drives us to live only for today and
live it to the full, unmindful of the needs and sustenance of the next
generation. Today the severe water drought in Maharashtra, Karnataka and in
many states of India is of no concern to the fortunate few who have no water
crisis. What is the purpose of invoking the spirit of BharatMata when there is
no fellow feeling for the parched and the thirsty millions in those drought hit
states? Nature continuously teaches us the wisdom of protecting, preserving and sustaining this marvelous planet where,
as Gandhiji said, there is enough for
everyone’s need and not for everyone’s greed. Are we listening and learning
from Nature? Snow in summer is an annual
feature and Nature is never tired of repeating the first principle of survival-
give and replenish. Nature tells us to take and take from her, as she has her
inner resources to replenish what had been used up. She is generous and does
not wait for us to ask her to give and give. She makes sure her trees are
leaden with mangoes in summer, with oranges in autumn and apples in winter. But
when out of mindlessness about wasting and greed for more
and more consumption, Man denies her the sustenance to yield more, she does not
complain but strains every sinew of her power
for survival to give what she can. She continues with her annual grind
to protect and propagate the seeds, to ensure that her supply however depleted, is still available for the greedy Man. Such
generosity, such altruism, such protective care and concern can only be seen in
Nature .
Snow in summer is not a one time
wonder. For the majority of us who are aam admis who do not have the luxury to
rush to the snow capped mountains of the Himalayas as the temperatures rise,
Nature provides us the exhilaration of snow in summer. Isn’t it our duty to be
grateful to Nature and take a leaf out of her abundant wisdom to preserve God’s
plenty? Snow in summer is not a one-off phenomenon. It is an annual recurrence
with Nature saying
What is here is seen everywhere
What is not here is found nowhere
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