Colours of Spring

Yellows in my Garden

Spilling over from Makar Sankranti (which was on Jan. 14) toBasant Panchami which just passed on Jan. 28th, these festivals in India mark the change of season, the withdrawal of winter and the beginning of spring. It is harvest time, yellow mustard fields in full sway with the colour of the season.  Happiness everywhere, yellow clothing pulled out and worn, pujas performed, kite festivals organized, and much, much more.

But some of us living in cities or abroad may be oblivious to or not celebrate these festivals, or even feel the relevance of such auspicious periods in our busy lives.

Here in Dubai where the winter season is itself like spring, hardly a winter, where day temperatures normally come down to a very pleasant 20 degrees, these festivals seem not so relevant.  Yet there is a good deal of buzz everywhere, it’s the tourist season with the shopping festival, etc.  The International Kite Festival organized in Dubai had colourful kites in various shapes and sizes soaring into the sky.  It was only many days later I realised this coincided with the Indian harvest festival of Sankranti.

I do believe that such celestial and seasonal changes influence us in some way, and my lovely flowers reminded me of this by presenting me their bouquet.  The yellow of the marigolds in my garden are symbolic, a joyous reminder of Basant, with the other flowers pitching in with their colour.

We enjoyed some real cool weather in Dubai this time (16 degrees C), but with the ‘winter’ at an end, can the summer be far behind? One tries to make the most of the cooler months, one more road-trip squeezed in here, a quick BBQ evening there …

Kite festival at Outlet Mall, Dubai