Uttam Kumar Ghosh
The Autumn Maiden and Her Farewell Song
Hemanta, the season-maiden of late autumn, now hums her soft but inevitable farewell. Like a sorceress of folklore, she weaves her final spell upon the earth. In her brief yet wondrous reign, she touches nature with a craftsman’s finesse, adorning it with quiet, incomparable beauty before taking her leave. Hemanta does not depart unnoticed—she stirs the human spirit deeply, leaving poets, writers, and nature-lovers breathless under her charm.
The mornings arrive drenched in mist; the fields shimmer with beads of dew, delicate as pearls scattered by an unseen hand. Hemanta, the radiant daughter of beauty, stands revealed in these fleeting moments. In the homes and daily life of Bengal, she is both a poem of joy and an elegy of sorrow.
Poet Jibanananda Das, lost in the contemplative grace of Hemanta, captures her intimate presence—her mist-laden tenderness, her quiet whisper across the fields. In his verse, he promises:
“I shall return again
to the rivers and fields of Bengal,
to these tear-soaked green lands
bathed in the ripples of the Jalangi.”
— Jibanananda Das
Hemanta arrives tenderly each dawn, laying out her ornaments of dew with careful affection. Her presence leaves a mark upon the pastoral world: pearl-drops on the tips of ripening rice, the soft golden warmth of afternoon sun, and evenings that descend gently, almost shyly. The northern breeze carries a fine chill, and nature wraps itself in a shawl of mist as winter’s touch draws near. Slowly, silently, Hemanta prepares for her departure.
There is a form of beauty that summer cannot claim, a grace absent in monsoon, autumn, winter, or spring. A beauty that belongs to Hemanta alone—unparalleled, delicate, and soul-stirring.
Even amidst climate change and the unease of a shifting world, one may still wake before the dawn call to prayer, walk barefoot along the field’s edge, and touch the very wall of mist. The flutter of paddy birds, the sweep of white herons, the cold kiss of dew—each brings with it the memory and message of Hemanta.
Her true charm lingers only for a short while. With the full radiance of a maiden in the bloom of youth, she stirs every heart. Nature-lit, nature-born—Hemanta departs once more, leaving behind the echo of her quiet splendour.
16 November 2025
“Moments of Hemanta captured through the lens of my mobile.”
