Spring has ushered in full splendour in Kolkata,the furious Nor'westers are also toning down like a manageable child to spread the cool warmth with the April breeze.We at banglanatak have been welcoming the seasons by matching steps with its colours,vibrancy and fragnance.
The autumn months are the onset of the festive spirit and all around is that added zing and anticipation for fun and gaiety. Rupasi bangla too decks up in pristine beauty with its "Siuli" or "Kash" flowers amidst the vast expanse of the blue,white and orange sky.The gypsy heart sings aloud and the carefree soul wants to mingle with the unknown,undestined and unpredictable.There is this joyous feeling of breaking away from the mundane and finding oneself amidst the unknown.
We wrap this 'Baul mon' in our intricate bindings of everyday living and set forth to paint a Panchali(song of the road) with Pot Maya.
The once unknown to now famous village of Pingla, in West Midnapore decks in all finery and takes one to the fantastic world of Patachitra were every emotions sings in colours.This ingenuity gets reflected in the sky as it becomes one canvas to reflect the colours of the earth.The flight to fantasy had begun....
The bohemian spirit has just began to soar high when winter stooped to shroud with its mysterious veil..the shadows become longer and the sunshine is craved for.While the city cozies up in the bosom of the woolens,the yellow mustard fields beckon to reap gold in Gorbhanga,a tiny hamlet of the Bauls of Nadia.The treasure to be unearthed is nature,its spendour and its vastness, and search starts for its unending magnanimity in the bylanes of the human heart through the "sahajiya sadhana".One returns rich by walking the sacred path towards an inner quest to find the eternal freedom and discover the divinity in all creations.The Murshid or messenger to lead into this inquest are the Baul-Fakirs..they carry our souls into the whiff called wind and blow it into rhythms of enrapturing tunes.The treasure unearths and we begin to see the sublime.. enlightenment..the beacon can be sighted in the horizon......
Not to be left aside,Kallolini Kolkata meanwhile is gearing up for chanting sutras of the wintry kind.While the city joints are spilling over we create space both in body and mind in some lush green expanse of the city,where roses still bloom where bees still gather around the marigolds.We create space for the lonely hearts as well as for the bonded twos to speak and believe in Love.Its love in the air during Sufi Sutra where minds merge,thoughts copulate,bodies sway in trance as one reaches a crescendo through Sufi music of different genres.Its rendezvous of a special kind where the world becomes one stage and hands either fold or go up in reverence for the chance to feel human again and again and again..Humanity is in celebration..
The soul now is reborn in Basanta or spring..which speaks of birth...the sparkle of green in the dry twigs is an interesting contrast for the advent of new hopes and new dreams.The Utsav of colours at Purulia is a revelation for the caged mind which breaks free to spontaneity and shouts aloud Holi Hai! We start humming
Rangiye diye jao, jao ,jao go ebar jabar age..rangiye diye jao..
tomar apon rage,tomar gopon rage
tomar tarun hansir arun rage...
rong jeno mor morme lage,amar shokol korme lage
sandhya diper agai lage gobhir rater jagae lage..
jabar age jao go amaye jagiye diye..rokte tomar chorn dola lagiye diye
andhar nishar bokkhe jemon tara jage
pashan guhar bokkhe nijhar dhara jage
megher buke megher jemon nondro lage
biswa nacher kendre jemon chondo jage
jabar pothe agiye diye
kandon badhon bhagiye diye..
jao jao jao go ebar...rangiye diye jao..
An ode to spring..to leave us with its colours of youth, energy ,vivacity and passion so that each day is anew like a fresh dawn and we face the hurdles and sorrows with equal elan..
We start with new promises..and renewed vigour and look forward towards the new year..
"Eso hey boisakh esho esho..."
Summer ,we know thy name is Baisakh..but we don the colours of spring...we can brave all!
Piali Bose
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