Basking in the sweet warmth of Sharad
It’s the season on festivities all around. Sharad Poornima is celebrated five days after Dussehra. It is believed that on this day, the moon filters the elixir of life (amrit) on earth. This is the time when nature is at its best, too.
The weather is pleasant, neither hot nor cold. Gone is the sultriness of monsoons, no more damp areas and humidity. Even the flora and fauna are responding beautifully to the advances of nature, spreading out a beautiful treat of colours. The harshness of winter is still weeks away and the severity of summer is already a forgotten entity. Everyone is basking in the sweet warmth of this beautiful season of Sharad.
Our sub-continent has the distinction playing host to many seasons in the year, showcasing the colours of canvas, from the blinding brilliance of summers in May-June to the shades of blue, green and grey of the monsoon to the bone-chilling iciness of December-January but it is the in-between season of spring in February-March and the autumn in October-November that takes all the pain away.
Of the two in-between seasons, my favourite is Sharad because even the celestial bodies are in a good mood. The sun and moon shower their pleasant energy all around which is bountiful and rejuvenating. With the sky clear of clouds, the moonlight on these nights is supposed to be having special healing powers and is soothing, especially on the night of Sharad Poornima. Such is the greatness of this night that it was selected by Lord Krishna himself for the divine dance, Maharaas. The beauty of the moon of this night has been eloquently described by poets of all ages. If you don’t sit quietly for sometime under this moon, you are missing something the planet has to offer.
Ayurveda realises its importance and many aushadhi (herbal medicines) are prepared and administered under this moon. Our family has a tradition of preparing kheer (sweet made of rice and milk) on this night, putting it under the moonlight for the night and consuming it in the morning. Now here comes the catch! It’s so difficult to find a container that would give full exposure to the moonlight and still keep if safe from cats on the prowl.
So every year, new schemes are made to dodge the clever cat and new contraptions are devised to get maximum benefit the moon can bestow! The effort is an adventure and sometimes results in hilarious outcomes!
Another tradition of the family is going to gaze at Sarkanda (reed) flowers in the moonlight. The reed is a tall grass ending in a shower of white flowers with a pink hue at times, often found near water bodies. It’s commonly seen along choes in Chandigarh and its vicinity. The beauty of its flowers is unique and it’s a treat to watch it in the serenity of the moonlight. My mother-in-law always kept this date with nature by taking her children to watch the sight on Sharad Poornima. Now we do the same. Since she is frail to walk about nowadays, we drive her to these beauties, stop the car at the best bouquet of nature and let her eyes enjoy the savoury feast of Sarkanda blooms swaying in the gentle breeze.
Yes, there can’t be a better season to catch the beauty of nature in all its grace except Sharad.
EVEN FLORA & FAUNA ARE RESPONDING BEAUTIFULLY TO THE ADVANCES OF NATURE, SPREADING OUT A BEAUTIFUL TREAT OF COLOURS