October has always heralded change
It brings a respite from the hot and sultry monotony of the Indian summer; is a gateway to festivities and the onset of a vibrant winter.
The nip in the air, the late dawn and early dusk announce a general feeling of calm, colour and celebration.
October was what I missed in my days in Bangalore, where the change in season is less dramatic than it is in the northern part of the country.
October was what I always looked forward to after a packed schedule and hectic few months. A brief vacation and a shopping spree, the neighbourhood mela, the many lined up family get-togethers and birthdays. all these would unfold with the onset of October.
In many ways, October, and the change it brings, reinforces that nothing is constant; and drives home the cycles of life, love and living that we find everywhere around us.
This year hopefully, October will be do a little more than thatWill it be a reminder , that a tiny microorganism can humble humanity but not nature, or the order of the world itself? We find ourselves scared, vulnerable , searching for safety, worrying about our existence; yet the sun rises every morning. Spring, summer, autumneach of the seasons will bring what they have been bringing for centuries. The world goes on; as it always has. Can it be a reminder of our humility, of how small we are; and a mirror to the arrogance that mankind shows to the planet? A realization of how miniscule we are, how tiny inflated egos can be, and how big we believe our little selves to be? Maybe, just maybe, those realizations will translate into empathy, kindness and sensitivity that the world needs so so much?
On a personal note, it has been a sober September, with struggles that made it almost somber.
Merely, a change in dates does not mean that a magic wand has been waved; this I am well aware of
The long haul, which the current circumstances promise to be, will take the efforts and time that they will. It will be what will be. Some things will change; others wont. Almost nothing may remain the way it was supposed to, at least in my scheme of things. Yet, each day will bring a morning. October will come, and then come again
Perhaps thats why as October beckons, I allow myself a twinge of optimism.
This year, more than any other, I find myself yearning for the opal month, the month of changing colours, and as belief goes, of protection from disease and purity.
May all of us be blessed by Octobers and the hope they bring.