Ugadi-sprouting with newness again!

Few days back, I began my day on a low note. All the expectations seemed to be shattered. All the plans ruined. I looked back, trying to replay all the scenes of life and fantasized bringing in changes in the plot of life. Life being a child was worry less. I admit, we did worry when our home work was incomplete and the scary looking Math teacher entered the class with the freshly plucked cane for the nearby bushes. Yet it was better than worrying about greater things of life. It isn't practically possible to get lost time back. I wish I had it back.

I looked at the withered tree. I sat below it. Arching my back on to the mighty trunk! I shed my tears and it shed its dry leaves! I had a monologue with it. “We are alike. You too might want to have your glorious time back. Don't you? You too might wonder if you had the times back in which the birds took the shelter under you. They built nests and had their families on you. I did see you back then standing tall, green and handsome. Today you are accompanying me and recalling the old sweet times.

I did get some kind of relaxation talking to the tree. I happened to visit my lonely friend again and was surprised to see it starting to bloom again. Looked like a hunk which was bald before, advertising for the after effect of the Hair gaining oil! It had started to bloom again.

Our Kashmiri people celebrate Navreh in middle of March. It is the time of Ugadi in Karnataka and Andra Pradesh. It is celebrated as Gudi Padwa among our Maharashtrian folk and Cheti Chand among the Sindis.

Ugadi is celebrated on the first day of the month of Chaitra also called as the “The New year of the Hindus” just like “Muharram is called as the New year of the Islamic calendar”. It is believed that Lord Brahma started the creation of the world on this auspicious day.

The festival is the celebration of newness. People start cleaning their houses and surroundings and wear new dresses. Women wear silk fabrics, prepare sweets at home. Also visit the temples to listen to the yearly calendar - "Panchangasravanam" as priests make predictions for the coming year. Ugadi is also an auspicious day to embark on any new endeavor. Women get to demand new gold ornaments leaving the men folk less argumentative on this lucky day.

Thus it is the "springtime" referring to the season, and also to ideas of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection and regrowth. Thus is very much noticed on the tree friend of mine who bloomed so beautifully at this time.

I wonder, will it not it be good if we human beings could get out lost times back? How awesome that would be to experience youth after the old age? Experiencing the Wrinkled skin wither and slowly rejuvenate into the baby soft one? All of us have surely sat thinking at least once, if we were kids again? We would have had lesser worries and more fun!

If a part of our body happens to get damaged, it can't be fixed back to perfectly normal. Yes, the medical science has prospered today but not all could afford to fix up a completely lost part of the body like my tree friend. It lost its branch few months back and has one better than the previous one!

It looked sad with the lost beauty and now it stands back to being handsomely green, pumping out loads of oxygen for our survival. We all know the benefits of planting trees. Yet we mercilessly cut it down. I wish it also gave us free Wi-Fi connection. Maybe then the man would have saved it. Alas! It only gives the Oxygen for us to breath.

Arpita Chipkar is a student of Journalism and a regular contributor to Coastaldigest.com

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