B L Saraf
To club with the rainy season a word of depressing connotations is not a pleasant job to discharge. Besides, it poses a serious challenge to the poets and litterateurs of other genre, who miss no occasion to wax eloquent in praise of the season. For them it is the fascinating time to live good in high spirits. But for a person who is not blessed with that sense and lumbers on to pass the days it has an opposite meaning. He is concerned with the woes and troubles rains bring along with and feels no inclination to be in the high spirits.
That brings us to the most important question mankind has faced since the dawn of the civilization: how to live genuinely a good life ? Many answers to the question have been tried out but hardly a one could hold good for long. The rise of science in 17th century and significant innovations achieved in the field in 21st Century has totally changed the concept of ‘ good life.’ In olden days while making due provision for the physical being, people took great care to look after the aesthetic aspect of the life also. Now a days we witness growth of different ways of understanding the nature of a good life, and find sources of value often competing with each other. Of the two materialistic one has gained ground, inflicting a severe blow to the aesthetic sensitivities of a person. Everything is evaluated in materialistic terms. The pursuit whereof has, among other things, denuded us of the sense to enjoy the beautifully colored mosaic laid before us by ever revolving cycle of the seasons.
We no longer enjoy sweetness of summer morning or fragrance of Amaltaz; winter eve no longer fascinates us and lovelier atmosphere of rains does not set our minds at ease. We have lost sense to smell fragrance which earth spreads on the first monsoon bath. May be times have changed so much that our mental tuning has under gone a realignment which has forced us look and feel like a Robot.
Well it has to happen. The complexities that confront our lives have made us oblivious to the bounties of nature. In the wasteful competition and a mad rush to have more and burn most, the aesthete in us has surrendered to the practical which leaves no room for the real enjoyment .
And thanks to the callous and inefficient civic authorities, whatever little spirit remains that gets ebbed out by the torturous road blocks, landsides, water logging and spread of deadly diseases, that accompany the rainy season .
Then, for a citizen sense of bare physical survival takes precedence over everything else.
Faiz Ahmad Faiz would lament thus;
Ab bhi dilkash hein tera hussan maghar kya kejea
Aur bhi ghum hein zamane mein mohabat kea siva
This is the tragedy that the changing scenario pattern that should raise our spirits and make us hilarious turns nightmarish. Come, summer, rains, autumn and the winter the same story unfolds. Seasonal woes come to the fore. Then, instead of having a feel good factor we give in to the omnipresent trait and start complaining. True to the bard who would say:
Hai Aadmi kea fitrat shikayat karna
Garmi mein hai garmi sardi mein hai sardi
But at times one can’t do without complaining. It really hurts that a season which is embellished with so many fascinating traits and full of rejuvenating qualities should be viewed a dreadful and depressing one. For that its capacity to inflict pain and hardship to the people must be managed and controlled. Only then glory of the season will be restored and made enjoyable. In order to ensure that the officials manning civic bodies and the agencies concerned have to reinvent themselves.
(The author is Former Principal District & Sessions Judge)
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