Celebration of colours

Bashanta is the season of love. It sends emotions whirling through the air in search of acceptance. It is as if nature itself transforms to herald the beginning of this new season. You could say spring itself is the beginning.

Spring is the precursor to change. The mind goes wandering off to places in search of variety. Why is it termed as the season of love? Well, many Bengalis believe that it's a great time for marriages to take place.

Its not just that the weather is amazing but also that the time simply has a magical quality to it.

The beginning of falgun is a joyous occasion for most. The young generation indulges in the new festivities while the older generation is reminded of the times when they would do the same.

Women dressed in red and yellow pretty much scatter the landscape. It is like a field of attractive flowers wafting in the breeze.

A girl who has never worn a sari tries one on this day. People try to spend the whole day with the person closest to the heart. Those who don't have anyone befitting that status look out for someone to fill the vacant spot. Still others sit with their loved ones and go through the days past. For a moment, a romantic spell covers the households of the Bengalis.

It is not known exactly when Bengali people started celebrating the first of falgun with such zeal. From the clues scoured from the pages of literature, we can see that in the early nineteenth century Rabindranath Tagore eulogized these months with many lyrical songs and poetry.It is festivities unlike anything seen in the cities.

By Sultana Yasmin
Translated by Ehsanur Raza Ronny
Photo: Raffat and Shiplu