Enchanting Autumn

The autumn season in India, traditionally known as Sharad Ritu – Sarat Ritu in Assamese – spans from September to November and aligns with the Hindu lunar calendar months of Ashwin and Kartik. Meteorologically, the India Meteorological Department has classified October and November as the post-monsoon or retreating monsoon period. Serving as a graceful bridge between the heavy rains of the monsoon and the crisp chill of winter, Sarat Ritu brings a welcome transformation in weather, nature, and cultural life across the subcontinent. After months of heavy downpours and humid winds, Sarat Ritu clears the skies. The atmosphere becomes refreshingly crisp, humidity drops, and days transition into pleasantly warm sunshine followed by cool, breezy nights. Rivers and lakes—swollen and muddy during the monsoon—begin to settle into clear, calm currents. Across the countryside, fields of green crops sway gently in the breeze as nature readies itself for the first major harvest cycles of the year. For India’s farming communities, Sarat Ritu is a time of immense hope and hard work. This period marks the ripening and harvesting of kharif crops, such as rice, maize, and millets, which were planted during the rainy season. The golden fields reflect months of dependence on the monsoons, and farmers gather to reap the fruits of their labour just as the weather turns mild and forgiving. More than any other time of year, Sarat Ritu is synonymous with celebration. It ushers in India’s grandest festive season, binding communities together in joy and devotion. The list of festivals includes Durga Puja, Navaratri, Lakshmi Puja and Deepawali, with communities in Assam also observing Kati Bihu. While Durga Puja and Navaratri are celebrated with immense fervour in honour of the divine feminine by worshipping the Mother Goddess in her Shakti form, Diwali is the Festival of Lights, in which, apart from lighting lamps and firecrackers to mark the return of Lord Ram from exile, people also worship the Goddess Kali. Sarad Ritu is much more than a mere shift in temperature or a line on a meteorological chart. It is a soulful pause in the rhythm of the Indian year — a moment when the earth heals from the deluge of rain and sparkles under golden lights and clear blue skies. It reminds people of the beauty of transition, the bounty of the harvest, and the warmth of shared traditions. Numerous poems have been written about Sarat Ritu; Bhupen Hazarika had, in one of his songs, described this season as Saradi Rani.