When Solilo published a post to welcome Autumn in her life,she made us all reminisce about its significance in our own lives.The post made me nostalgic,for sure,but it also left me envious because all I was getting to see in my part of the world,was slight breeze in the evenings and early sunsets to signal a departure from the scorching summer.
So to cheer myself up,I decide to go on a nostalgic trip of my own and bring out a post about what I associate the season with.Hence a ‘Part2’! Thank you,Sols,for the suggestion.
Autumn, to me, is about:
1.Listening to the sounds of migratory birds and rushing out to see them fly high up in the sky signalling the arrival of winter.
2.Father and I announcing the arrival with a new-found fervor,to mother & brother who would be sulking at the thought of having to wait for 6 whole months for summer.
3.Taking Razais(quilts),Sweaters,Stockings,Mufflers & Shawls out of divans and putting them out in the sun.
4.Gorging on boiled kappas(tapioca) with spicy,finger-licking green chilly chutney prepared by Amma,over a cup of hot tea on a chilly evening!
5.Achan waking me and brother to get ready for school/college with a loud call out from his room,while he stayed in bed snuggling up cosily inside the quilt to catch up on that last 5 minutes sleep…God,how annoyed we would be that Amma allowed such injustice to prevail in the house!!
6.Waiting for the school-bus on a sleepy-foggy day with zero-visibility and feeling wee-bit disappointed at sighting the bus’ bumper light suddenly glaring out of the fog…it meant another ‘chutti’ went down the drain!
7.Greeting friends with puffs of fog-smoke!The more fierce you could let out the smoke on each other’s face,the tougher you were considered!!
8.Rushing to the terrace,when the sun is out,spreading out the cane mat and enjoying the season with my favourite book in hand.
9.Walking from Mandi House to Canning Road or from Chanakyapuri to Dhaula Kuan with soft,cool breeze brushing my face all through making me feel fresh as ever.
10.Last,but never the least,its pure bliss.Its about feeling happy,gay,romantic,going on long drives with my beloved sitting right beside me and beautiful soulful music playing in the car.
Namnam is yet to experience autumn and winter in the true sense of the word.Although winter,here,is not as intense as it is in India,Europe or the Americas,it,still,is enjoyable.
Heres hoping she gets to enjoy and savour the season in her own way this year.
That’s it from me,people.How about you?What does Autumn mean to you?Lets have a Part3,Part4,shall we?
Perceptions 
Hey which part of our country are you describing ??
D: You’re my virtual son and you dont even know where I am from??
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I checked again you havent mentioned that…
D: Its about my city Dilli,ghanchakkarrrr 😀
beautiful… those last 5 minutes of sleep… the quilts in the sun.. the foggy mornings… !!!! fog smoke.. !! soaking the sun… !!! Wonderful description and that brought back so many memories… !!!!
the 10th aha…!!
p.s. Hey please delete the upar wala comment..
D: Done! 🙂
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sigh… !!!!!! I didnt know you lived there as a child too… 😦
D: Yes,Hitchy,I was born and brought up there.I’ve mentioned it in my intro page here.Do check it out as and when time permits 🙂
saaddi dilli… !!!! 😀 😀 😀 😀
beautiful description deeps… !!!
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Deeps he only knows what all you eat and cook 😈
D: evidently so,Saksh 😀
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and i sent u a challenge for scrabble in fb accept it
D: You have?Let me go and check 🙂
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Lovely description Deeps!
And I’m second! 😛
*Pixie pats herself on the back for getting back into action!!*
😆
D: Bravo,Pix 😀
LOL@ the injustice!!
D: 😆 You know my brother and I to this day,joke with my father and have a hearty laugh talking about those days.
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Me too love winter but don’t like to get up early in the morning.
D: Me neither,Sari.I hate waking up early in the morning.Even while in school/college,I could stay up late in the night and study,but if asked to wake up in the morning I used to get really nasty 😀
Nice read deeps. 🙂
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Deepu kuttoose, nice you took this as a tag. I hope someone continues this journey of nostalgia.
Now let me read about saaadi Dilli.
1. Beautiful! I pray for birds to make nest in our garden. I provide them spaces here and there. I wanted to have a bird bath in our garden but our gardener told us that it might encourage snakes (garden snakes but still) so now nests are the only option.
D: Do post some images of the birds,na Sols.
2. He he he he…so cute. Poor auntie and bhai. I am not a fan of winter esp. snow. But Autumn is so lovely esp. for those turtlenecks that suited skinny me.
3. So much fun. All excitement. You took me to the days when Ma and Pa took out our winter clothes.
4. 8 in the morning..me sipping tea and still drooled all over my laptop at the mere mention of kappa.
You know Deeps..there was a time when I hated it. I could never understand why my parents were in a nostalgic mood when they got kappa. Now I am a fan too and jumps on any occasion I get to eat it. My brother still hates it. He doesn’t know what he is missing.
D:I know! I remember how my tongue used to burn even more,each time I sipped hot tea right after taking a bite from the chutney-dipped kappa,and I would still keep gorging on further amidst all the ‘inward-outward blowing’!
5. Nostalgia again. Papa is an early lark. So he would go out for a morning jog/exercise and came and woke us up always. Of course I was never the morning person but sigh! they didn’t have night schools. 😦
D: Me too.Even while in school/college I could stay up late in the night and study but I could never get myself to waking up early in the morning.
6. This is more of winter. Once I remember, we had exams and it was so foggy in Jammu that we couldn’t spot even the person standing next to us. Finally, state announced holiday to avoid accidents.
7. Ha..ha..ha.. again winter. We use to call it Cig smoke. Like hey! pass a Cig to light and then we did hand gesture of cig and let out smoke.
D: Ha ha ha!those were days!
8. Aah! so lovely. Sitting in the Sun eating a butta.
D: there was something special about the masala that the bhutta-vendors used,nahi?They would be lip-smacking 🙂
9. Those days walking was so much fun. We used to have a huge gang walking and going for Diwali shopping back then. Never got tired.
D: thats the beauty!we could walk in that breeze endlessly and not feel wee-bit tired 🙂
10. Romance in Autumn/winter.. 😉 cozy cozy.
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Going to make Kappa and Prawn theeyal.
I am drooling since yesterday but couldn’t cook because we were out entire time. Today yum yum Kerala food at home. 😀
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Wow did I hear Dilli? *cool: 😛 😆 🙂 Wasn’t it so much fun there Deeps? All the women sitting on the terrace on a Khatiya knitting sweaters. I never learnt to knit but I played the role of chaiwali and entertained the ladies with my non stop commentary. In return they would pack me delicious stuff coz that was the time I hardly knew to make any decent edible stuff. I did act for a few more months that I can’t cook even after learning it so that those delicious hot stuff could keep coming.
D: Oh yes,Saksh.It was so much fun.The knitting,the gossiping,the snacks being shared! what days they were!
I used to love walking down the campus of JNU and IIT…wahh how beautiful it looked during Autumn and Winters…sobs…missing it more than ever now.
D: Me too 😦 .Anyway,we have an agreement,na,to settle back in Delhi and do all the gossiping and munching while your bahu slogs it out in the kitchen making pakoras and hot chai for the two of us! There we go! we have something to keep our hopes high 😀
Hey, you asked google for a photo of Fall when I had a treasure trove of them in my blog? Che did you think I will sue you if you use them?? Kya re I want a person like Hitchy who would advertise my blog…sobs.
D: Ayyooo! whyever did it not occur to me?Its like ‘bagal mei
chorachori,gaaon mei dhindora’! how dumb of me!Next time I’ll be more alert,pacca 😀LikeLike
A NEW job in the offing for me ??
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wow mols! u took me down memory lane to those younger days! so very nostalgic! if only those days would return and we all would be together enjoying every bit of seasonal changes. now me too with achan and u eager to welcome winter and this autumn is vey much to my liking. if only the autumn and winter would be longer!
D: I know,ma the summer in Delhi is getting unbearable with each passing year!I hope winter is longer this time 🙂
indeed a well written post(as usual of course)
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And just like I wrote in Solilo’s post…..it was a pleasure reading it Deeps.
The Gulmohar tree laden with red flowers lining the streets of Bangalore in Autumn can never be forgotten 🙂
D: Why dont you take this forward,Nance!I’ve never lived in Bangalore so would love to know about the season from a Bangalorean’s point of view 🙂
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There was a Gulmohar tree in front of my grandparents’ home (mom’s parents). Aah! another nostalgia.
BTW whenever I hear Gulmohar and B’lore, I am reminded of this song. I LOVE it. 😀
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Reminded be of those Delhi days!
One thing that used to provide lot pf warmth was the hot steamed momo and the chilli sauce (almost needed a fire truck to put down the fire) at the Tibetian market and later in Chanakya puri…..
D: Oh yes,Suman,the momos!My friends and I used to head off to Chanakya theater at every given opportunity and we used to treat ourselves to the momos served in the shops outside the theater.They used to be lip-smacking!From what I heard last their sales had dwindled after the theater shut shop 😦
And offcourse having icecream in the cold was another unforgettable Delhi experience. Be it at the India Gate of on top of MoolChand flyover….
Great memories!
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Great memories Deeps. Very nice to read.
I do not have autumn from childhood. Growing up in kerala, my fondest memories are the june rains. And summer vacations.
D: You’re getting to enjoy every season to the hilt now,na,Laks! And I’m yearning for some breeze here.Although,after doing this post,I’m feeling quite positive and charged up 🙂
Here now, we enjoy Fall colors, fall festivals, halloween with kids, thanksgiving etc…
D: How wonderful! 🙂
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Aa ha ha .. what an awesome post Deepu .. lovey-dovey, cosy cosy 😛
I hd a brilliant start to the season with ARR’s music sday 😉
Taking Razais(quilts),Sweaters,Stockings,Mufflers & Shawls out of divans and putting them out in the sun – Wow what fun to show off the new sweaters we bought 😛 I used to love this part when in school 😉
Achan waking me and brother to get ready for school/college with a loud call out from his room,while he stayed in bed snuggling up cosily inside the quilt to catch up on that last 5 minutes sleep…God,how annoyed we would be that Amma allowed such injustice to prevail in the house!! Ha ha ha ! gud one 😉
Waiting for the school-bus on a sleepy-foggy day with zero-visibility and feeling wee-bit disappointed at sighting the bus’ bumper light suddenly glaring out of the fog…it meant another ‘chutti’ went down the drain! – This ws the best! It ws so nice to run bk home and sleep cosily catching up with a wonderful book 😉
D: It used to be bliss,Swaru 🙂
Loved 7 n 8 🙂
soft,cool breeze brushing my face all through making me feel fresh as ever – Aww blisss!
10 – Nothing cn beat that 🙂
D: trust you to say that 😉
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wowo…I loved the 7th one….
5 minutes more sleep is super cool….
D: Strangely those 5minutes of extra sleep is the most sound of all 😀
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Hi Deeps, That fog and the sight of school bus.. yes.. ys… I identify it with so much… pure nostalgia. take care.
D: You too,Rekha.Glad you could identify with it 🙂
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Is there Autumn in Doha? 😉
Oh wait…lets read the post before being a smart-ass!
D: here comes another sample! 😀 😛
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Love the season!
Here’s me wishing you a happy and flamboyant October!!!! 😀
D: To you too 😀
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Oh winter.how i miss them..seems to me along time since I hid myself under Rajai. Used to love the wimnters in delhi, where in the evening lots of hawkers will be selling Peanuts, gajak , gajar ka halwa etc..all these are favourites of my family..but later on too much of fog made day to day life very difficult..if children are going to school I am worried and my H used to reach his office in 2 hours.,
D: Yes,excessive fog could play spoiler to the season,but I still preferred it to the sweltering summer.
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December is one of my favourate month for so many reasons …like cool misty morning ,tight sweaters, christmas ,christmas vacation,christmas feast,family get togethers,year end (or newyear),carols,X’mas trees,leafless rubber trees etc etc etc.Main thing i love about the nov-dec is those cool lazy foggy mornings 😀
@ 10 ….so sweet 🙂
D: Oh yes!we used to look forward to the carol singers visiting us during Christmas.My mother would prepare appams,murukku and black coffee for all of them.
ahha u mentioned kappa too……my fav dish– kappa fish curry\beef curry 😀
Seriously i really don’t know what to write…i’m in a very nostalgic mood now 🙂
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I’ve got nothing to write since Autumn for me in Dubai??? What Autumn? There’s only Heavy Summer and Light Summer! 😦
D: I understand…same is the case here in Doha 😦 . Precisely why I chose to reminisce about my Delhi days and feel better 🙂
But ya, it feels good to be drinking beer in under the sky settings 🙂
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I love the onset of winter, the cool breeze, the warm colours of shawls and sweaters, the kids in coats and mufflers, the fog, everything about this season is warm apart from the weather!! lovely post, made me miss my delhi and bhopal days a lot, i remember we used to act as if we were smoking and laugh silly over the fog that came out of our mouths.
D: It was so much fun!Hows it turning out in Muscat?Any respite from the heat?
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Absolutely beautiful… both the picture and your memories. Where I come from (Chennai), we have no autumn whatsoever. We only have summer, less summer, more summer, and deadly summer. Thanks to global warming, we are now slowly experiencing the ramifications of that thing called winter. Over the last few years however, I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy spring and autumn too, and each season is so beautiful in its own special way! I might just end up picking the tag myself 🙂
D: Please do,Pal.would love to hear what you have to say 🙂
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Donno what to comment !!! Sigh !!
……………..
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Ohhh, not because Im speechless reading a wonderful post. Its that I really havnt experienced Autumn, so donno what to say 😉 😉
and you are starting this like a tag ? 😀 😀 can I do it on summers ? 😀
D: You’re associating summers with pleasure??? Gosh,Vimmuuuu!!!
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Never thought of any weather in so much detail! 🙂
D: I can go on an on about autumn & winter..they are my favorite seasons 🙂
Thanks for leaving comment on my blog 🙂
Welcome here,Sakhi,thank you for dropping by my page 🙂
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Did you take this pic? Its gorgeous! Simply breathtaking 🙂
D: Nahi,re..the image has been taken from Google Images,have mentioned it as a caption 🙂
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Hey Deeps – i missed this post! and saw it now when I am hard pressed for time – will be back to comment properly.
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Deeps, Those memories are so amazing!
What I remember most about autumn/winters is how the weather would turn beautiful.. When the sun would actually be welcomed 🙂 And everyday when we returned from school, all the neighbourhood aunties would be out, knitting sweaters. All us friends would dawdle for hours chatting and delaying the going home – it used to be much more fun in winter/autumn thanks to the lovely weather.. The mild sun, the nip in the air.. The smell of sweaters, razai! Oh bliss! And then getting into the razais and getting warm! I loved that!
D: Oh yes,Smits!And my friends & I used to love going for long walks munching moongfalis 🙂 !
These days of course, we need a duvet all through the year – so the charm has totally gone 😦
‘Rushing to the terrace,when the sun is out,spreading out the cane mat and enjoying the season with my favourite book in hand.’ – pure bliss!!!!!!
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Nice..well written post!! I love autumn …..n i hate summers!!
Things look more beautiful then!!
D: Totally agree!
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it was pleasure readin this…brought back lot of memories…
winter is my fav season too..splly coz i luv packing myself under lot of clothes… 🙂
D: Oh yes,you can make your own style statments 😀
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yahan to saara saal razaai baahar hi rehta hai..lol..but very refreshing reading thru..:) hey ek baat boloon..pls put spaces after punctuation marks..;) rule of editing copies.. i too learnt while being with journalist friends..:)
D: Thanks a ton,re 🙂 !
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You sure had us also take a cool and pleasant ride with you …
Your imagination has vividly etched the panorama from your memory in words here ….
D: Thank you,deeps 🙂
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So well said..autumns in Delhi still retain their charm, the precursor of winter and woollens
D: Thank you! And Welcome here 🙂
I miss being in Delhi this time of the year.
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yeah ..living in banglore I too had forgotten those cold days ..
Best was going for exam but because of freezing cold hands not able to write ..or worse grip a pen
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Beautiful memories Deeps!! I have similar memories of rajais being sunned (aired) and woolens being taken out and summer clothes packed away, of soft evening sunshine being such a favorite for showing off freshly washed shiny hair 😉 Soon that soft, sunshine continues all day long!
D: “of soft evening sunshine being such a favorite for showing off freshly washed shiny hair”..oh yes,you feel so about about yourself in the lovely climate 🙂
Autumn is my fav and other fav is monsoons 🙂
I am still trying to find some domain name for that site that copied all my content, but couldn’t resist commenting here – this is a lovley post!!!!!!!!!!!
Also this is the beginning of the fun filled festive season 🙂
D: I remember the festive mood used to set in from September and went on till the end of the year.The climate would just add zeal to the whole festivities. Bliss!
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Dont mean to nitpick here, but I am a bit of a weatherology buff,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Delhi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doha#Climate
Seems like the climate is pretty similar. Is there some other reason Doha does not have autumn ? Proximity to the sea, perhaps ?
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Welcome here,Vikram 🙂 .
Yes,proximity to the sea could be one of the reasons. Having lived in both Delhi & Doha, I have experienced far from similar climate though. While Delhi has always had extreme summer & winter,Doha’s summer is more intense with the temps reaching as high as 48-50degrees and winter has never touched below 7degrees.
Also Delhi’s monsoon period, as mentioned in wikipedia, falls between june and september(although with the rapid change in climate,that period is shrinking) and one can witness some heavy downpours this time of the year,whereas I’m yet to experience a monsoon here in Doha. June-September too is a period of intense heat here.
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