To be fair, we don’t have much of an autumn. There is a confused gap of 15 days before winter sets in and the Indian monsoon has waved goodbye. That is indeed a beautiful time, though. Winter hasn’t started yet, and monsoon has left unwittingly. So, even the weather doesn’t know what to feel.

Monsoon is a big deal in India. It is also a noisy affair. You get lots of thunder and rainstorms and dust-storms. There is always damage associated with monsoon. Having said that, rains never truly leave India. There is always a subtle silence before the next downpour.

Though that is not what I am talking about. The equinox jump is real. The moment sun passes through September third week, even vegetation and crawling creatures decide its time to settle in. There is a general silence hanging in the air. You can almost feel things beginning to quiet down.

Now, winters are again the other end of the extremity of weather. But sometime, between September last week and mid of October, there are these three weeks of beautiful silence which I like to call as the Indian Autumn. You can see the sultry clouds pass by without raining. You can see the evenings closing in earlier than usual.

What also is that the usual cacophony of traffic, human noise, animal noise and everything else begins to settle down. People seem to relax as the sun and the rains are not wreaking havoc. Work happens with double energy though there is a moment of quiet rest as well. Autumns have that effect on all life-forms. Silence is such an underrated attribute. Yet, the might of seasons that ravage also teach us to calm down. Nature in all forms is glorious and that is the beauty of autumn – slowly, steadily & silkily as it blends into winter and frosty nights.