The Fall Sense

My friend Poornima Bhilegaonkar , recently posted this photograph of Fall foliage /colors in the North Carolina Mountains, in the US.  She works in IT, and blogs  at The Balancing Act.  She is also a poet .   You can read her poetry  here .

For someone like me , staying in a tropical climate ,  the only change of leaf colors I see, is when new leaves appear on Mango trees and display a wonderful translucent copper shade , before slowly becoming the mainstream green.

In colder climes, winter days are shorter, there isn't enough chlorophyll, because there isn't enough daylight, and when resources are short the population suffers.

But then again, there are some trees that remain green yet.  And I wondered what the veterans of Fall colors would be thinking......

(photo by Poornima Bhilegaonkar)

दोन भारदस्त आजी वृक्ष , वयोपरत्वे थोडं वाकलेले आणि अंगातल्या क्लोरोफ़िल्च्या कमतरतेचे परिणाम भोगत हळहळत… " आयुष्यात ऋतू प्रमाणे चांगले वाईट दिवस असतात , आणि त्यांना तोंड देण्यात शरीर आणि मन खूप काही शिकून जातं . कधी कधी रंग बदलावे लागतात , पण निष्ठा नाही , कधी कधी काही लोकं ऋतू बदलला कि सोडून जातात, पण आपण विश्वास घालवायचा नसतो, आणि क्लोरोफिल वैर्याची रात्र लांब असते , आणि तरी सुधा पान गळीमुळे आपल्याला बाहेरचा सगळं सूर्य किरणात स्वछ दिसतं…. आता तू पिवळी आणि मी लाल , दर वर्षीचा हा खडतर प्रवास , ह्या कायम हिरव्या राहणार्या वृक्षांना आयुष्याच हे गुपित कसं समजणार ?"

Two wise and stately Grandmother Trees a bit bent in age , and conversing, philosophizing, ruing the loss of their chlorophylls..... "You know, there are seasons in life, both Good and Bad. And facing them trains both your Body and Mind. You sometimes need to change color, but never your basic loyalties; Some folks leave you when the season changes, but you learn, never to lose faith. The Chlorophyl-less night is long and difficult, but the fall of leaves, often opens your eyes to the clear world around you basking in the mild sunlight. For us both, in our red and yellow days, this is a routine but tough yearly life event. I just wonder how these perenially green types ever learn  about Life ...? "