Having grown up in the tropical regions of the world which has abundant sunshine throughout the year has always made me take the Sun and its benefits for granted. This was not until I reached the temperate climes of the United States - first time during the "summer" of 2008. And if you are wondering why the double quotes for summer, it is just because that is pretty much the kind of weather I have seen all around the year back in my home town in the Indian subcontinent.
The first season that endured after the "summer" was the most enchanting one and is probably the one time of the year I would look forward to if I were ever traveling to / staying in the temperate climes - yes, it would be the "fall".
The first "introduction" that I have ever had to the fall was through a short story called "The Last Leaf". That was school time. All I ever saw anywhere around in the otherwise hot town of Vellore, which even earned a sobriquet வெயிலூர் (veyyiloor) amongst the large populace (meaning, the town where the sun always keeps shining bright and the temperature keeps a steady 30s or 40s on the centigrade scale), were green bushes enjoying the photons or parched and dried grasses and palms which had given up on their fight with the Sun. This ensured that relating to this story very hard at that point in time. I mean, how or why would leaves start falling off from most of the trees (by the way, my knowledge in botany or geography was nothing to speak home about then!) ? Why is this lonely girl so deeply entrenched with the thought that the fall of the last leaf is also going to signal her demise?
Well, these thoughts were running abound then in my mind. And it did keep running around in some corner of my mind even as late as 2008 - some solid 10 to 12 years since I had read that story for the first time. But experiencing the fall season changed all of that. I went to re-read the story one more time, the difference being, this time, I got some newer insights and truly appreciated the experience, the pain and the hope being depicted in it.
Did the Green Days choose to sing that they should be woken up when September ends so that they can relish the beautiful fall? I wonder!! Alright - now, that was some incoherent rambling, I agree. So, what is the deal about the "rising thoughts" and "falling leaves" anyway? Here is what it is - as I look around the umpteen trees that are throwing up their cover and doing it so with a colourful glee, it looks to me as if they are the only ones who are ready to savour the flavours of the upcoming winter, when every other fauna goes about trying to add more and more layers of additional protection to keep themselves warm. Is this a lesson in equanimity - to treat and enjoy the flavours of all seasons that is something of a larger message being passed by the flora to mankind? Ah, there goes another red one... falling near my window. Catch you folks later!
