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Autumn Reflections . . .

11/9/2017

16 Comments

 
Autumn is spectacular. Long ago in my student days I had read Sarojini Naidu’s eloquent description of it:
A golden storm of glittering sheaves,
Of fair and frail and fluttering leaves…

Fall marks a time of magnificent landscape changes in many parts of North America and I was keen to partake of its beauty during a recent visit there. The drive along upstate New York was magical with trees lining the roads wrapped in golden hues. Along the way, we spent some time at the Lake Taghkanic State Park and Bowdain Park.

Albert Camus described autumn as “a second spring when every leaf is a flower”. What opulent bouquets the leaves of autumn do create, from brown and red to orange and yellow!
This vibrant cluster of leaves constantly changes hue through the different colors of the autumn season, from brown and red to orange and yellow. It’s a gorgeous palette of every of color that nature can think of.

The trees were wrapped in golden hues with a backdrop that’s so perfect, as if the landscape was posing for a picture. It is tempting to think of autumn in static frames captured through the lens of the camera. But it is only a passing phase..
With winter around the corner the trees will face punishingly cold temperatures and frigid winds, conditions that would damage the leaves. Hence the trees have to pare themselves to their toughest parts; stems, trunks and branches. Leaves must fall.
 
As I watch leaves fluttering to the ground, I wonder whether these cycles of nature are mirrored in our lives.

Our lives also have cycles. There are times we hold on to, and there are the times that we have to learn to let go. When we do let go of the things, we also make room for new things to enter our lives.

But, while it seems beautiful for the trees to let go of all those lovely leaves, we rarely think of the letting go in our own lives as being beautiful. Often, we simply view it through the lens of loss. It hurts to let go, so we hold on, even if all we have left to hold onto are our memories of those feelings.

Autumn reminds us of the impermanence of everything. We have experienced the budding of life in spring and the flowerings and profusions of summer. Now the leaves fall and bare branches remain.

Thoreau said it eloquently: “Nature now, like an athlete, begins to strip herself in earnest for her contest with her great antagonist winter. In the bare trees and twigs what a display of muscle.”

The trees will stand erect, ready for a renewal.

There is a wonderful story of spiritual masters in Tibet who used to set their teacups upside down before they went to bed each night as a reminder that all life was impermanent. And then, when they awoke each morning, they turned their teacups right side up again with the happy thought, 'I'm still here!'
 
This simple gesture was a wonderful reminder to celebrate every moment of the day.

Autumn leaves are a sight to see,
Adorning every tree
In hues of orange and gold
Falling gently on the ground
Forming elegant iridescent carpets. . .


Take a minute to appreciate the beauty of fall foliage by scrolling through these photos at: 
photos.app.goo.gl/kfWYToY1ImW5zlbR2
16 Comments
Lakshmi
11/9/2017 08:42:42 pm

Beautiful sir. All of life is about letting go....just like nature....we too must make that process as colourful and pleasant as possible! Thank you for the pics sir!

Reply
Tagu
11/9/2017 10:25:58 pm

Thanks Lakshmi!

Reply
Malathi Swaminathan
11/9/2017 10:11:20 pm

वाह! वाह! क्या बात है सर! कितनी खूबसूरत! मुझे तो वो पेड़ के नीचे बेंच, बहुत आकर्षक थी। जल और रास्ता, हर एक मे बहुत सुंदर हैं।
आपके लिखाई मे कितनी गहराई है।

Reply
Ragu
11/9/2017 10:26:48 pm

Thanks. Amazing prowess in Hindi Malathi!

Reply
rajat
11/10/2017 03:30:38 am

Its a beautiful place. so peaceful!
surrounded by the nature.

Reply
Dr Venkat Iyer
11/10/2017 08:58:13 am

Lovely Ragu Ram Sir. Nice decription of Autumn

Reply
Ragu
11/10/2017 11:03:00 am

Thanks Venkat!

Reply
Soudhamini
11/10/2017 01:24:24 pm

Mother nature's exquisite taste is reflected in her autumn leaves. I particularly enjoyed your narration with the fitting metaphors sir: every brush with nature can be a teachable moment!

Reply
Rekha
11/11/2017 06:58:51 pm

Lovely soliloquy, Raghu in word and visuals. All the colours of the flaming sunset from yellow gold peach orange russet and sienna painted tenderly on the dying leaves... like the sun and all of Nature,to be renewed again as the cycle continues. Change is the only certainty. Thanks

Reply
Ragu
11/11/2017 08:08:08 pm

Thanks Rekha!

Reply
Girish Moorthy
11/11/2017 09:20:51 pm

Apt words and photographs to match them, thanks a lot Ragu! (Dad would have been proud if he were alive today to see this.) The connection to letting go and the cycle of life is very apropos.

This reminds me of something I wrote on October 21, 1993. I called it "Fleeting Fall".

One crisp October autumn morning,
As I went on my daily run,
I saw a crimson crest adorning
A maple tree which stood like one
Proud sentinel guarding an office
Building. But further down a coppice
Appeared anon upon the scene
In serried swaths of evergreen.
This now gave way to woods with tender
Leaves of yellow and orange hue,
Each one essaying to outdo
The other in brief bursts of splendour
Before the next cold, rainy spell
Pronounced their sad, untimely knell.

Reply
Ragu
11/15/2017 06:43:17 pm

Thanks Girish. Mama is always in our thoughts...Your verse is quite evocative!

Reply
Ravi Shankar Rao
11/13/2017 08:25:05 am

Dear Ragu
The photographs are sheer poetry. In the autumn of it's life the tree seem to go out in a blaze of gloriously colourful glory in preparation to face the harsh winter ahead. Surviving with it's bare essentials the tree seems to be preparing in winter to burst forth in spring. Adversity seems to bring out the genius in it. All of us are natural beings and we thrive when we merge into and follow the rhythm of nature. Man somewhere has fallen out of step!

Reply
Ragu
11/15/2017 06:43:41 pm

Thanks Ravi!

Reply
Saranya Devanathan
11/13/2017 11:44:09 pm

The trees let go off their beautiful colourful leaves. We let go off only withered, torn, faded things.

Reply
Ragu
11/15/2017 06:44:51 pm

There are beautiful memories tucked among the withered, torn, faded things too Saranya!

Reply



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    Dr Raguram

    Someone who keeps exploring beyond the boundaries of everyday life to savor and share those unforgettable moments....

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