Whenever I think of autumn, a beautiful quote from Oscar Wilde comes to my mind, “And all at once summer collapsed into fall.” Indeed, it’s getting difficult to remember time passing. We are so engrossed in experiencing things as quickly as possible and rush to the next source of dopamine hit that we tend to forget about the beauty of observing seasonal transitions.

October, as a month, evokes varied emotions, ranging from nostalgia for a past life, excitement for the near future and sometimes melancholy for lost memories. This season sheds light and colors upon our emotional landscape as much as it does in nature. Fall marks a shift in our body and psyche. It oozes growth and possibilities and even smells good. Fall is depicted in pop culture as the beginning of something special, where humans can expect self discovery and pleasure of cherishing fleeting moments.

The New York Times describes “Gilmore Girls” as a fall tradition. The show debuted on October 5, 2000, on the now defunct WB network, and signs of its 25th anniversary abound. Every year, many fans make their way visually to the small town of Stars Hollow as the leaves begin to change their colors. Perhaps it’s the coziness the show embodies and the languid atmosphere that make it so charming. If we talk about Bollywood, “Mohabbatein”, again a 2000 Indian romantic drama, written and directed by Aditya Chopra, expresses the fall symbolism vividly. Principally photographed in the UK, the film’s setting, music, costume and plenty of fall imagery, even in the opening credits make it synonymous to the Autumn season.

Our country, however, doesn’t really experience the classic fall of the temperate climate regions. Except for the fringes of Kashmir or Himachal Pradesh, most of India misses out on the makeover. Being in a tropical location, IMD even calls it the season of retreating or post-monsoon, not autumn.

A uniform set of traditions and in that sense, wardrobe for fall aren’t practical across India. That said, fashion experts, however, zero in on the fact that festive-wear is essentially the fall fashion for us Indians. September to November is the time when we embark on the festive fervour and celebrate everything from Ganesh Chaturth to Navratri, Diwali, Bhai Dooj and Chhath Puja.

Fashion designer and founder of the label 431-88 Shweta Kapur, who believes there is no distinct fall fashion anywhere because of climate change, says, “It feels like the boundaries between seasons are really blurred now. For me, what we loosely refer to as fall fashion in India is more about festive-wear. Since we don’t have a distinct fall season here, our fashion tends to revolve around summer, winter, and the various festive occasions.”

Fall is for families to come together and no wonder we celebrate so many festivals during this time. It’s a reminder to prioritise relationships, to recognise the warmth that can only be offered by love and not material possessions. I remember spending this time of the year as a kid at my village house with cousins - we’d go on random walks, explore the village, sing songs together and return with seasonal fruits offered by other friends and families along the way.

Since we are no longer kids anymore and life has its own way of getting things done, we need to start thinking about how we can bring back the essence of it all. The romanticisation of fall is not novelty but a shared responsibility. In Japan, there is a tradition called “momijigari”, which is to visit scenic areas where leaves have turned red in the autumn.

Autumn is full of yellows, reds, oranges and this painting tries to embody its spirit in beautiful hues and warm tones. This painting captures a couple having their quiet moments in a cottage, with the trees forming a beautiful view in front of them. Carrying the earthy aroma of fallen leaves, the warm watercolour hues are attempting to provide a space for the couple amidst the tranquil beauty of the season as they savour their favorite reads.

With increasing importance to productivity, we’ve grown prone to falling into a trap where people don’t have the time to be creative. The death of empathy in an era of digital outrage is another alarming sign of what happens when we don’t focus on our mental well being. With all the kinetic conflicts going on in the world, we are privileged to even enjoy the crisp air of seasons and acknowledge that. Let us not miss out on it.