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Nandita De

Romance

3  

Nandita De

Romance

The Ballad Of Spring

The Ballad Of Spring

2 mins
208


Full moon night - 'Dol Purnima'

A spectacular show of the Full Moon

On a cloudless 'Falgun' night

The scents of Spring evoking a certain nostalgia

Romance brewing in youthful hearts

Oh to smear the auspicious 'Abir'

The colours of the season

Made from crushed petals

On one's beloved…


The dawn breaks in Santiniketan

Unlike any other day of the year.

Beautiful belles in yellow and gold

Their hair adorned with floral garlands…

The scents of fresh tuberoses and marigolds

Melodies regaling the last month of the Bengali year…


Basanta Utsav - a sacred celebration

An extravaganza of songs, dances and dance dramas.

The 'Sal Bithi', the green haven

An auspicious grove of Sal trees

Resounds to the bare voices 

Students of Patha Bhavan and Visva Bharati

And 'Bauls' strumming their 'Ektaras' mystically

Yesterday and today blending in a seamless serenade.


The colour fest follows

'Rong Khela'

A jovial spray of sacred colours

Red, yellow, green...

Wishes of bountiful health, happiness and hope.

Today Holi with flowers

It's 2021

A year plus a century

A festival began by Bengal's cultural czar…


A harsh, cruel year now.

No signs of abating.

Holi in lockdown mode.

Perhaps this tradition of floral Holi will gain ground.

Less of local brews

Less of rampaging troublemakers.

Fewer women in peril.


The serene glade of Palash and Shimul

The trees bursting with vivacious scarlet, orange and ochre blossoms

A precedent of peaceful celebrations

Set amidst a rowdy tradition…


Perhaps the invocations to the Spring Deity 

Will win favour

Perhaps the sacred Ashoka trees

Will imbue healthy blessings

And medicinal virtues

On the hapless human.

Perhaps this Spring will herald 

A return to safe living

Free-breathing

Amour sans masks

When arms will be outstretched

And love not sheathed in iron gloves.


The Full Moon tells not

What's in store.

It shines from afar

Steadily, as in yore.

Ambiguous destiny prevails.

Yet the heart rejoices.

Nature bedecked itself

With nary a care.

Hearts leap…

Maybe it's propitious

Of a reversal of the misfortune 

Of 2020.


28.3.2021

12:34


Glossary of Bengali terms:


Dol Purnima - The Full Moon on Dol Jatra, the Holi festival in Bengal.

Falgun - Last month in the Hindu calendar

Abir - Gulaal or festive colour powders originally made from plant sources. Now made commercially.

Palash - Butea monosperma

Shimul - Bombax ceiba or cotton tree

Sal trees -Shorea Robusta

Sal Bithi - Shade of Sal trees

Baul - Mystic minstrels with a musical tradition

Ektara - Single stringed musical instrument

Rong Khela - the Festival of Colours


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