Page 44 - GOTIL (ENG) Sample

12 Glimpses of Traditional Indian Life

Climate and Seasons

A difficult climate is intrinsic to the ethos of life in Bengal.
The year is divided into six seasons, each of which is
supposed to begin on the first day of a two-month period;
and amazingly, the weather is so regular that the seasons
correspond almost exactly to the months. The Bengali
calendar is still the most widely used. Its months begin
and end in the middle of the months of the Gregorian
calendar. Gregorian and Muslim calendars are also
followed, but the Bengali calendar is the most suitable for
farmers. Its months are divided into two phases, according
to the moon’s waxing and waning. By necessity, villagers
are aware of these phases.

With each night of the waxing moon, fields and pathways
gradually become more and more bathed in soft radiance.
On nights during the full-moon period, fields are clearly
illuminated and a country boat can be plied in a narrow
canal without using a lamp. But as the moon wanes, the
deepness of night gradually thickens, revealing God’s
greatness in the fantastic cosmography of stars. On windy
monsoon nights the moon appears to dance in and out
of the clouds. But on new-moon nights when the clouds
are thick, the blackness becomes so dense that it can be
difficult to see even one’s own hand held before his eyes.
Each of the seasons has its own mood and flavor. There
is a sense of achievement at merely having survived the
summer and rains, whereas the pleasantness of winter
days tends to breed a feeling of contentment.