Whiteness above and whiteness below that is what Sharat or Autumn is all about. In popular perception the floating clouds like scattered clusters of snowy cotton in the sky and sheuli (night-flowering jasmine) together with undulating catkins below stand out to make the season special. Whiteness represents purity and innocence and because of the colour's predominance, the season turns out to be enchanting in a unique way.
Much as the dominance of the colour white may be, red and pink also reign supreme in some designated spots. If white takes over the land and the sky above, red and pink settle for colonies in the water. The blossoming of red water lily and lotus in profusion in many marshes or wetlands certainly make a scene cut out of the heaven. Of course, the white water lilies ---not purely white but dappled with light yellow --- when blossom in a vast water body, creates a magical wonderland of its own under the moonlit sky.
The pink lotuses have made some of the beels (marshes or wetlands) their permanent abodes. In profusion the blossoms are not shy of the sun and they present a paradise of soothing splendour in many of the wetlands called simply Padma Beel. There are many but the one at Bhutia under Terakhada Upazila in Khulna seems to have received most publicity. Singrail Beel of Kishoreganj has of late drawn the attention of Nature lovers. Visitors are rushing to the spot in droves to enjoy the exquisite beauty of lotus. Another such water body in Karpara of Gopalganj has made a water garden of lotuses. In fact a kingdom of the queen of water flowers, as lotus is called, is there. Then another such marshy marvel is in Ghaghutia at a unique location in between two villages of India and Bangladesh, just at a distance of 35 kilometre from Brahmanbaria town.
However, all such destinations of lotus lure have one exception in the Burichang Padma Beel where a rare variety of yellow lotuses have found their home. Yellow lotus is hardly found anywhere else in Asia. But then there are more welcome surprises because the wetland also harbours blue and white lotuses as well. This is unique by any standard. No wonder, visitors rush to this wetland to make it a once-in-a-life experience.
Even a vastness of natural pink exhibition of lotuses can please any soul. How would a poet like Wordsworth react to such a sight that is heavenly by all means? Moved by the daffodils while he saw them tossing their heads in the gentle breeze, he wrote The Daffodils, in praise of the beautiful flowers. The lotuses with their pink colours also create a world away from the world people are familiar with. Their appeal is irresistible. When blue, white and yellow lotuses make a bond of living together side by side, their friendship and understanding add to their own special beauty well beyond the mundane. True, lotuses also grow on lands but those are not as gorgeous and majestic as the ones growing in water.
If lotus is known for its soothing beauty, the red water lilies are colour incarnate. If that colour is red, the spectacle millions of those together present can be something out of the world. Indeed, colour red runs riot in a marsh full of red lilies. Several beels of red lilies have of late made headlines for the enchantment visitors can hardly resist. One such beel is located in Kurigram which naturally has a large following by this time. The other highly enchanting wetland with a lush growth of red water lily is in Barishal. In a two square kilometre area of both Agailjhara and Uzirpur upazilas, the red velvety carpet of water lilies have its special appeal because no other wetlands are marked by a contrast between red and green. Last but not least, there is one called Chechua Shaplar Rajyo (realm of lilies) in Mymensingh. This beel also presents a mesmerising sight for people in love with Nature.
So, Sharat is not all whiteness. Blue and yellow also try to make an exposition of their attraction. But it is pink and red that can well compete with whiteness. Lotus and lily have carved a niche world that is magical and mesmerising. Their appeals are universal and as long as aesthetics remains a fountainhead of bliss and joy, they will continue to unfold their magnificence for mortals of this mundane world.
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