Basant Moods – Lahore and Beyond

Lahore skies must be covered with kites today.  Basant is the most loved public event. A newspaper report said:

 you’re either here or you’re a square – Lahore to host biggest ever Basant celebrations today..

Tonight, So there will be fun and frolic all day long and shall continue into the early hours of the morning. There have been efforts to ban the event due to the dangers it poses to human life. But the Courts and the government relented.

            

This image from the DAWN shows a woman and a child carry kites and pass in front of a police station in old Lahore.

And the image below – an ancient miniature painting represents the Basant mood. Spring colours, joy and Man and Nature’s interaction is presented in striking hues.

 

Image credit

Basant festivity will soon resonate at the dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya with Qawwals wearing yellow (image below) and playing spiritual strings for fifteen days. Amir Khusrau mentions Basant as an internal awakening – the change of inner season.

Let us not forget that this all spells out the change of season. Spring is around the corner..

 As I post these images, I remember Ghalib and his complaint:  

“Ham dasht mein hain aur ghar mein bahaar aayee hai..”