If Durga Puja is the roar of autumn, Diwali is its whisper. By late October, the air is at its purest. The monsoon dust has settled. There is no fog yet. On the night of the new moon, millions of diyas (oil lamps) are lit. From the palaces of Rajasthan to the humble homes of Bihar, autumn becomes a river of flickering flames.
In India, nature’s seasons are inseparable from the human heart. Autumn is the canvas for the country’s most luminous festival: and Diwali . autumn season in india
But autumn in India is fleeting. It is a brief, perfect interlude that lasts barely six weeks. By mid-November, the mornings will carry a hint of mist. By December, the fog will roll in, and the north will shiver. But for those six weeks, India experiences its true “golden hour.” If Durga Puja is the roar of autumn, Diwali is its whisper
Then, as the effigies of the Goddess are immersed in the Hooghly River, a quieter, more reflective mood takes over. This leads to the other great autumn festival: , the festival of lights. There is no fog yet
Drive down a rural highway in Maharashtra or Gujarat in October. The land is still wet from the rains, but the sun is gentle. The cotton plants are bursting into white fluff. The sugarcane fields sway like green waves. Peacocks, their mating season long over, still dance occasionally, just for the joy of the dry ground under their feet.
