A is for Autumn !

I have always associated Autumn with loneliness and a feeling of melancholy. Its actually a joyous time in India because most of the Indian festivals like Diwali and Durga Puja come in Autumn. Autumn is also when the weather gods bestow us with perfect weather. The unbearable heat wave and the sticky humid months of monsoon are gone and the days are pleasant and mild. The air is crisp with just the hint of the coming winter in it.

In Summer the Gulmohars and Amaltas turn North India into a flamboyant red and yellow and that is followed by the lush greenery of the Monsoons. But come Autumn and the trees turn leafless and bare.The brown leaves falling from the branches always remind me of tired souls drifting down at the end of their lives. The sun is not as bright and darkness starts creeping in earlier and earlier. It seems that by Autumn, even Mother Nature becomes a bit tired and slows down !

This is a picture I took a few years back in Autumn. I suppose you can see the desolation of the coming winter in it !

It reminds me of a Haiku by the famous Japanese poet Basho. 

Won't you come

and see loneliness?

Just one leaf on the kiri tree

However Autumn took a whole new meaning for me when I went to Japan and experienced it there for the first time. 

Autumn is a glorious time in Japan. The maple leaves turn the whole country into a medley of colors– rust, orange, red, yellow. The colors of Autumn can be experienced even in big cities like Tokyo and Osaka but the true beauty of it can only be seen in the countryside or in places like Kyoto and Nara. Kyoto and Nara are known for their beautiful shrines. The shrines, specially the Shinto shrines are always surrounded by nature so they are usually an oasis of beauty and tranquility at any time but it is in Autumn that their beauty reaches an altogether new level. The whole countryside turns into a palette of colors making the visit to the shrines truly worthwhile. 

I remember spending all my weekends in November and early December going to various places to see the splendor of Autumn unfold.There is something unmistakably beautiful in seeing the leaves turn first a translucent green, then a flaming red or orange and then fade to a light yellow. 

Here are a few pictures I took about 5 years Back. 

Most of the Haiku poets in Japan celebrate Autumn but their poetry speaks of melancholy and Solitude. 

Here is the translation of one of my favorite Autumn Haiku By Basho.

Along this road

not a single soul 

This autumn night