Then, as the effigies of the Goddess are immersed in the Hooghly River, a quieter, more reflective mood takes over. This leads to the other great autumn festival: , the festival of lights.
It begins in late September, just after the last, languid monsoon showers have blessed the earth. The rain clouds, those swollen, grey elephants of the sky, finally lumber away to the east. One morning, you step outside, and something is different. The air is no longer heavy with humidity. It feels light, almost buoyant. autumn season in india
And then, one morning, the dew is a little too heavy. The sun rises a little too late. The white light fades into a pale gold. Winter is at the door. But India, having tasted its perfect autumn, smiles and wraps itself in a shawl, carrying the memory of those luminous days like a secret treasure until the rains end again. Then, as the effigies of the Goddess are
In the south, especially in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, autumn heralds the rice season. The Cauvery River, replenished by the rains, flows full and lazy. The fields are a patchwork quilt of emerald and gold. The women draw fresh kolams (rice flour rangoli) at their doorsteps every morning—not for any festival, but just because the dry, crisp air allows the intricate patterns to stay un-smudged for hours. The rain clouds, those swollen, grey elephants of
In India, nature’s seasons are inseparable from the human heart. Autumn is the canvas for the country’s most luminous festival: and Diwali .