On, 21st Sept. 2018, Tarumitra(Friends of tress) celebrated the “autumn festival”. The celebration was held to educate about the “autumn season”, known as “शरद ऋतु” in Hindi. It was an initiative of the “Tarumitra” ashram located besides the college campus.

The event was witnessed by the  media personalities, faculty members and students of various schools and colleges including St. Xavier’s and Notre Dame Academy.

The first speaker of the event “Deo Priya Dutta” started her speech by pointing out the 6 seasons which Indians used to encounter a while ago. She said with a sad tone that today we are able to encounter only 3 seasons; summer, winter and monsoon.Earlier in six seasons, autumn(शरद) was one among them.

Dutta said, In those times one knew that autumn is at the door, when they would feel that the days are getting shorter and nights are getting longer; when people started to take their woolens out of closet, that was autumn. She described the season by an example, which said that a cup of tea which in summer tasted sour, will  taste sweeter in autumn.

Dutta then shared the opinion of Father “Robert Athickal” Director of Tarumitra,that now it’s time for rice to get harvested and talked about the festivals that joins the season later like Durga Puja, Eid, Diwali to mark the season as an epitome of celebration. She marked the event by saying, that today’s youth doesn’t know what autumn exactly is, so we were celebrating this day to understand this season better.

Later, 67 years old Father Robert shared his experience of the season. He said that certain plant starts flowering in this season like Malti (flower). He said that the whole purpose is to the “encounter the joy of living”.

He said that we have 6 seasons in India. He said that we should pay attention to the slow changes in nature which takes place in every two months in India, while the basic three seasons of the year come and go. He further added that the southern part of India, like Tamil people(Tamil Nadu basically) also witnesses the six seasons; ila-venil(vasanta), mutu-venil,(grishma), kaar(varsha), kulir(autumn), mun-pani(winter) and pin pani(sishira). He then discussed about the first season, rainy season, when everything is dry. He quoted that “this season brings something we all look forward to, the monsoon magic, the rain”. And talking of monsoon he expressed it’s most beautiful gift, the colorful rainbow.

Further ,one of the lady speaker said, the season teach us the lesson of preparedness. She said that “when we see autumn, it says winter is going to knock at our door, so prepare for winter”. She added that we should embrace change and let go off things we have and quoted “John Dunk” who said, ” I have not seen in summer or in spring, such grace as I have seen in one autumnal phase.”

Then the evening brought a performance, staged by one of the guests from Patna,”Pallavi Viswas”, who was accompanied by her better half “Avinay sir”. The duo performed with “tabla and harmonium”.

After the performance, St. Xaveir’s College’s students also performed. The event also spotted the college dignitaries; Father T. Nishaant(Principal), Professor Joel D’ Cruz and Professor Marie D’ Cruz  were present at the moment.

Also Ecomitra club students presented a nukkad natak which emphasized on the topic that “how we can revive all the seasons” to give a ecological message.

Also, 25 brothers from various parts of the country acknowledged the event with their traditional vadya yantra, tribal dance and song.

Pallavi said that she feels fortunate to enjoy one of the wonders in the lap of mother Earth and was grateful to father Robert for this. She said  that this “sharad-utsav”, which we are celebrating today is that feeling and festival which we have always wanted to celebrate but we have been ignoring it because we didn’t knew how to celebrate it and the one who could have guided us in it was left a while ago.

She said that still she is happy because  the festival has taken our memories to that extent from where we would always remember to celebrate autumn. She added if we have got this gift from our mother nature, it is not less than an achievement for us.

Pallavi with the permission of Rat Lal sahab and other gurjans presented the thumri. She was accompanied by her husband Shree Avinay Kaashi Lal ji on harmonium and her son Ayur Manias on tabla. Also Pallavi presented keda, a part of kathak dance form where one expresses by sitting and the dancer sings those word themselves. Kashika Pandey, her daughter also danced on a song choreographed by herself, “Bundan Bundan Barse Megha”.

Madhukar Anand

Intern

  Patna, St. Xavier’s College Patna, Tarumitra Friends of trees