Al Nahian Avro :
The advent of winter brings an emptiness in our nature as soil loses its moisture, waterbodies lose their cherished water and trees start losing their lovely green leaves. However, at the same time, it also brings some great opportunities and gifts for us which satiate our hearts and make us forget that feeling of emptiness. All of its amazing features make it lot more unique than other seasons, which you can never ever deny.
The morning of winter is itself a time of mesmerizing beauty and observing this picturesque is enough to compensate your feeling of missing a craving sleep buckling with a warm blanket. The beauty in the rural areas is more enjoyable than that of urban areas. Dew falling on the leaves through the entire night turns it into water droplets which create an immaculate pattering of sound oozing to the fallen brown leaves scattering on the ground under the trees. The charms start with the very beginning of the sun rising. Getting scarlet beams of slanting sun, the dewdrops on the blades of grass seem like glittering pearls, and seeing this beauty can make your day brighter.
One of the most charming sceneries is that the dewdrops sticking with the spider web especially in the crop fields where the sun rays pass through those webs creating a shimmering multicolour complexion of radiation. Walking barefooted on the moist grass along with basking in the sweet sunlight with having a cool and fresh morning breeze at the same time can give you a pleasing tingle in your body and mind.
Migratory birds add scenic beauty to every winter in Bangladesh and they are, in most cases, conspicuous in water bodies like Haor, Baor, Beels, and lakes. Those water bodies, especially larger are turned into extraordinary places of a natural concert where birds are the singers. You can enjoy an amazing harmonious performance when hundreds or thousands of migratory birds chirp and tweet in a choir. At the same time, you also can enjoy the mind-blowing spectacle when a swarm of birds flies in the sky.
If you are a true lover of flowers, then winter is the perfect season to double your love. A wide variety of indigenous as well as exotic flowers, especially Marigold, Dalia, Cosmos, Sunflower, Mustard flower, Petunia, Gladiolus, Daisy bloom in Winter. The main attraction is mustard fields-of different regions, usually the northern part of our country-full of flowers which seem like yellow chuddar covering a massive area. Besides, honey bees and colorful butterflies flying randomly over these fields and roaming from flower to flower add a bonus beauty which is ample to satisfy your eyes.
One of the peerless gifts of winter is the palm tree juice that you would not relish in any other season. One glass of fresh date palm juice in the morning is completely refreshing. The concentrated form of this juice is locally called Khejur Gur or Jaggery-one kind of molasses-which is produced by boiling fresh date palm juice by village people. Date palm juice, as well as its molasses, is used as an ingredient of Payesh and various types of Pithas.
Pitha is one of the most emblematic dishes of winter. Making pitha or cake in winter is engrained with the Bengali custom and culture, and obviously, BhapaPitha (A steamed cake) is the most desiring cake during this time. Pithas are usually remained in the center point of family reunion and gathering in the rural areas. In city areas, pitha-stalls often become conspicuous along the roadsides and also pitha-festivals are held in different places offering a huge collection of various pithas. Thus a tempting smell hung here and there in the air, what a pleasure!
Winter is a very season to be healthier by maintaining a balanced and salubrious diet since it offers us a smorgasbord of different vegetables which are the ideal sources of vitamins and minerals. During the winter season, markets remain flooded with cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, radish, turnips, beans, tomatoes, onion leaves, cloves, broccoli, beans, carrots, coriander leaves, and suchlike vegetables. According to nutritionists, winter vegetables and fruits contain lots of potassium, beta-carotene, magnesium, iron, folic acid, antioxidants, fats, and vitamins.
Winter is a season of the party and get together. Picnics and BBQ parties are often arranged by young people. It is a highly selected season for wedding ceremonies rather than other seasons. Music concerts and various kinds of fairs are commonly held in city areas. Thus a hullabaloo festive environment takes place everywhere in this season.
By the way, it is the best season for exercising and body workout since sweating would not make your cloth wetter and sticky which is sheer disgusting in other seasons. Besides, you would not get fatigued quickly. Perhaps the most conspicuous game in winter in our country is Badminton. People of all ages – who are able to play it – like to play this game with friends and family members usually at night with lighting up electric lamps.
In the concrete, it is indisputably a perfect game to refresh your mind as well as to keep your body in shape. It is indeed amazing to see the multicolor kites flying in the sky mostly in city areas in the afternoon, since playing kites in the sky is a favourite past time of teens and youngsters in this season. In a word, if you know how to find charms from things and beauty, then undoubtedly, winter will be the best season for you.
(Al Nahian Avro, Graduate Student, Noakhali Science & Technology University.
