Kalidasa’s Ritusamhara or Gathering of the seasons’s celebrates the fulfilment of love with hardly a trace of the loneliness of the human heart.
India has always believed in the harmonious relation between man and forces of nature and the importance of each season has been beautifully brought into light by the great poet Kalidasa in Ritu Samhaara, a poem written by him. It can be called the ”Medley of Seasons” or “Garland of Seasons”. The Ritusamharan has been divided into six main chapters, each chapter describing vividly, the season of India. The six seasons that have been described by Kalidasa are Summer, Spring, Monsoons, Autumn, Frost and Winters. This poem is much shorter when compared with his other works.
Ritusamharam Kalidasa is delightful read and a short summary is given below. Each of these seasons is described as a pair of lovers who experience changes in their relation like the changing seasons of India. The poem starts with the description of summer. The dry weather and the extreme heat conditions make the lands extremely parched. Everyone yearns for a few drops of rain to soak the soil. But even in this time of extreme heat, one gets joy through mangoes and the cool moonlit nights. Then come the much awaited monsoons and the whole of India gets drenched and clean in the fresh monsoon rains.
Everything looks spic and span and not a speck of dust is seen anywhere. The black clouds and the rombling thunder add to the magic of the monsoons. Then comes the season of autumn where people look forward to celebrating festivals and spread cheer and joy. Though the weather remains pleasant, the afternoons can be hot and it is almost like a second summer.
However, the weather changes and one can feel the nip in the air. This is when the frost season arrives. The sudden nip in the air, the chilly winds in the morning and nights and the biting cold all signify the season of frost. Then comes the more severe form of frost in the form of winter season. The temperatures drop really low and people are seen wearing layers of clothes. However, he severity of winters is not as much as in Western countries. It only snows in the hilly regions and the south of India hardly experiences any winters.
After winter, the weather starts to warm a bit and then comes spring season. This season is popular for the harvest festivals that take place and one can see blooming flowers all around. Thus, the variety of seasons in India is used to signify the changes that take place in the minds of lovers and how they change. Every change has some good and some bad effects, but in totality it is a pleasant feeling.
