Rains fail to quench thirst for Ashar poetry
Today is the first day of Ashar, the Bangla month when the flower of the Kadombo tree (Neolamarckia cadamba) blooms, heralding the season of rains and of love. Its glories were sung by the ancient poet Kalidas, who celebrated it in his verse. Though those days are now long gone, with climate change upsetting the delicate rhythm of the blossoming of the Kadombo, in the concrete jungles of the city. The rainy season has set in already, on June 11, bringing in charcoal-black clouds on the wings of the southwest monsoon, from the Bay of Bengal. Heavy rains have also washed away the romanticism linked to the rainy season from olden days, with floods sweeping across a swathe of territory in the countrys six northern districts, from the north-east to the north-west. Thousands of people have been trapped in misery, with their croplands and homes inundated under sheets of water.
Nevertheless, lovers of Kalidass poetry have found the flavour of the lost romanticism, with the arrival of the rains, welcoming the season with songs and poetry at a number of functions in the city.
Meanwhile, rains heralding Pahela Ashar totalled 44mm in the 36 hours till 6pm yesterday, all over the city. As usual, some of the streets were left water-logged, and the traffic slowed downthe capitals old woes of traffic snarls resurfaced, and gridlocked the roads well into the evening.
The rains, however, are expected to slow down after June 17, sources in the meteorological department said. After that, it would be mixture of light to heavy showers, they added.
Meanwhile, a few stray Kadambo trees are blooming in the citys parks, their fragrance reminiscent of the sweetness of Kalidass verse
