Can Money Buy Spring

Bengal is the land of 6 seasons unlike other parts of the world with only four. Spring is the last season in the Bengali calendar and the most pleasant time of the year when the winter is on the way out while summer is yet to set in. Be it east or west, spring has inspired the poets generations after generations and they have generously adored it with prose and poems.

Festivals bring people together and the more inclusive a festival is the more popular it is. There is no better time to celebrate than when the climate is good or rather the spring is in the year. Holi, the festival of colors beats all other hands down in its variety, rendering and inclusiveness. It is simply breathtaking and comparable only to the festival of lights.

But this nice weather that we love so much is also conducive to the growth of micro organisms and spread of diseases. In the earlier days these colors were made out of various natural elements were believed to have properties that enhance our immunity system. What better ways to could you imagine immunizing the entire community? But it was then. Now everything has changed in our personal, communal and social life. The number of bad and not so good people are growing fast and taking over and spoiling the celebrations.

But our winter is devoid of ice and things are different for those who wait for the ice to melt and bring some reprieve. They wait for the foliage to return to the trees, they wait for the flowers to bloom, they wait for the cherry to blossom, and they wait for the sign of life and the sign of youth...... they wait for the spring.

Money can change our life in lot of ways. HVAC system for example has detached us from the nature. We do not wait for the spring so eagerly any more. We have pleasant and controlled climate at home, at work, in our cars or wherever we are. We have the fruits of all seasons all around the year. But what does the youth of yesterdays do? The spring of the life has visited quite a few years back and there are no signs of its return. They try to justify the situation with statements like “life begins after forty”.  Is there a way they can get back the spring? Can money buy spring for them.....