SPRING HAS ARRIVED IN JHARKHAND

 Subhashis Das

Plate 1. The woods in Jharkhand deck up in  myriad of colours in spring time.

Plate 2.Saal trees bloom in spring time beckoning the fertility of Mother Earth.

Now with the coming of the spring season, bouquets of cream-coloured saal flowers have bloomed on the tall saal trees in its full glory gesturing the fertility of the Mother Earth (Plate 2). The mahua too has flowered and so have the mango trees. The woods have decked up with the fiery orange colour “Flame of the Forests”; palashes and simuls (Plate 3, 4 & 5).

Plate 3. The Palash flowers bloom in spring

Plate 4. The Palash

Plate 5. The Simul also blooms in spring in Jharkhand

The budding manjars of the fruits in mango trees have let out a fascinating sweet scent in the air, the intoxicating aroma of the ripe mahua flowers fill up the air and the women have gone to the woods to collect the fallen mahua flowers under the mahua trees (Plate 6).

Plate 7. Village women gather to collect fallen mahua flowers.

The exotic aroma of these flowers is ubiquitous in the air while the small shinning yellow-green leaves that peep out of the dark branches of the various deciduous trees complement with the newly budded orange and the off-white flowers create a magical colourful ambiance in the forest in the spring (Plate 1).

While you take a walk in the thick woods in the full moon night during this hot spring season with the curious yet the magical fragrance all around you, and the wild you may coerced to sing Tagore’s , “Aaj jyotsna raatey sobai gechey bone...”(in the full moon to-night every one has gone to the forest)