Changing Colors of the Fall...

Change is the only thing permanent in life ! This is the quote, that most of us must have read or heard at some point in our lives.But not everyone is observant enough to notice the everyday changes around them. I have been fortunate enough to belong to the category of the observant people. These days, I am busy noticing the changing colors of the Fall..the leaves on the trees are drying up and for the first time in all these years, I have realized that even decaying things can also be beautiful.This time of the season here is perfect for those who had gone crazy after seeing the scattered Maple Leaves all around the ground in Yash Raj Films

"Mohabbatein". Its the same scenic beauty around here, the only difference is that university students do not pick up and save these leaves in their books or write I Love You behind them to give to their beloveds'; instead they throw them away to clean off the garbage near their houses.

I had come to US in August(2007) when my university campus was lush green. I had seen the trees adorned with soft green leaves which exuded immense pride to be a part of the highest branch of that tree. Here is one of those beautiful trees, which I couldn't resist marveling at -

Three months passed pretty quickly here...but in this quick process, somewhere the leaves had started changing colors slowly. I saw a gamut of them - dark green, lighter shades of green, dark yellow, pale yellow, brown, red, purple and gray. Some of them were so spectacular that even the artists and painters would crave for these colors to be on their palette.

The sad part is that these beautiful and colorful leaves have started withering away. You can visualize disloyalty at its best ! The tree which provides protection to its leaves against strong winds by holding them close to its trunk, is now mercilessly being abandoned by the same leaves. The leaves are now swaying their way away from the same tree with the wind, only to discover that after a while, they are buried on the ground or are cramped in garbage bags. The hidden philosopher inside me shows up at such events automatically, without being called for. And then wonders and forces me to wonder as well, that aren't these changing forms of a tree - mere symbols of human life? Each one of us experience the same greenery in our youth, we come across the same color variations through changes in our relationships with family & friends,even we betray or are betrayed by our loved ones; either they leave us or we leave them and go away; we too get decayed as the leaves...**sigh** The only difference being that the leaves depart with a promise to be back again in Spring...