The Rites of Spring Spring is in the air. You can hear it in the melodious chirping of the birds, the laughter of the kids out in the park. You can see it in the vibrant daffodils and tulips; feel it in the strong, gusty winds. After almost five months of dreary, cold, cruelly long nights, Spring brings in longer days, soft sunlight and gentle rain. Spring is a sign that fresh, open air and blue skies are round the corner, especially for kids forcibly home-bound by a hostile winter. They stream into the open, bursting with an energy that has been kept under wraps by video games and television. Spring is not just a season, a March day when spirits are rejuvenated and Nature comes alive with sounds that are sweet music to ears deafened by the silence of the past months. It is a state of mind, a promise of fresh beginnings and tentative hopes. A reminder of the timeless cycle of Life, a boost to spirits depressed by the winter's languor. A sweet but forceful lesson that, for every end there is a beginning. That the only thing permanent in life is impermanence. That bleak days don't last forever. Spring means different things to different people. For me, it means I can throw open up the windows of my home and let in the cool breeze. I can put away those heavy sweaters and jackets, which weighed me down in more ways than one. I can slip into my light, cotton salwar-kameezes and pretend I'm back in cool Bangalore! I can prance about in sandals, instead of having to don complete winter attire -- including socks and boots -- each time I needed to dump garbage or do something equally trivial. I can feel the wind rustle my hair as I drive to work and forget all about the heat in the car drying my already chapped skin and lips. Spring means a welcome, 10 day hiatus from my job at school. It gives me the time to recharge my batteries, away from the nerve-wracking banter of kids. I can catch up on my Yoga and get more iron on my arms. You see, I need strong arms to separate my charges at school -- at the slightest provocation, they tend to jump on each other like wild animals. Spring is also when I indulge in small, sadistic pleasures. Like sleeping like a log as my husband leaves for work at his usual unearthly hour, opening one eye to say "Bye, drive safe" even as I cuddle deeper into bed! I can, even in that dreamy state, feel the envious looks he flings at me! Spring brings to mind long-postponed chores... like cleaning out the refrigerator, the clutter from closets, drawers and my life. Spring gifts me the simple joys of life. Like getting to play that long-promised game of Scrabble with my son or finally making those masala dosas he has been hankering after for the last six months! Ah! Spring brings with it the quiet reminder that it is time to apply the brakes and put your life on cruise. Spring is the season of indulgence. My son can now come home caked with mud as he explores the nearby ravines with his friends. He can harness the wind as he flies kites with the kind of exuberance only children possess. He can zip away on his bike to imaginary lands. He can walk through forest reserves, wide-eyed with wonder at the tender growth on once-bare-as-skeleton trees. I'm free of the worry that he will break my precious curios during his football, golf (played with my late father-in-law's walking stick, a tennis ball and a cardboard box) or basketball sessions in my living room. Now, he can do what he wants in the blessed outdoors. My husband can indulge in his favorite hobby -- gardening -- and beam with joy as the flowers he plants along our windows bloom into a riot of colour. Every morning, he spends a few moments admiring their beauty even as they magically relax him in this adrenaline-charged, fast-paced world. Spring is when I wax nostalgic about summer vacations in India. What wouldn't I do for a bite of those succulent mangoes? Or a taste of those tantalizing pickles and vathals which filled our kitchen during this season? I long for those sweaty holidays spent with my cousins in Madras, sleeping on open terraces and racing down Marina beach... For the Americans, it is time for garage sales, lawn mowers, spring-cleaning, barbecues, short-sleeved shirts and floral skirts. Skateboards, rollerblades, riders preening on their Harley Davidsons, seed catalogues, gardening, Easter eggs, daylight saving time! So cherish every minute of this beautiful season, even as it caresses you with the gentleness of a baby's touch. US-based Shanthi Shankarkumar has a bad case of spring fever. Illustration: Lynette Menezes Do tell us what you think of this diary

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