Autumn in the city: The romance of kashful

The season of Durga Puja is upon us. Within weeks, the Hindu community of Bangladesh will be celebrating their biggest religious festival. For me, white kans grass or kashful ushers the homecoming of Goddess Durga and her colourful entourage.

Kashful is synonymous to the beautiful short spell of sharat or autumn in Dhaka.

There is a definite romance to this season and you know it because of dazzling white clouds with a shiny golden edge hanging low in the sapphire-blue sky. The air has a mild chill and lets you know that there is a shift in the weather. Yet, the beautiful, rolling fields of kashful make you wistful and dreamy. The sunsets in sharat are the most heavenly phenomenon, it is a work of art with splashes of pink, orange and gold and a brush of lavender; one of the perfect places to appreciate these seasonal enchants is Diabari, Uttara.

Diabari, which is in reality the third phase extension of Uttara Model Town. For a few years now, Diabari has gained popularity among Dhaka residents as a quick getaway and with kashful taking over the vacant fields, makes for a pleasant sight.

Uttara Model Town (2nd phase) is not so much of a model project now because of its cagey, high-rise apartment buildings. I have been witnessing its transformation for the last two decades. Uttara, the once serene, green locale has now become a victim of rapid urbanisation. For us Uttara residents, the yet-to-fall-prey to development third phase area of Uttara and Diabari gives us a chance to breathe.

Surrounded by idyllic lakes and bridges, plant nurseries, and a farmer's market, this quaint suburban locality has a lot of touristy offers. The open plots are now turned into fields of the kashful, their gentle swaying in the autumn breeze against the orange marmalade sky makes it the most picture-perfect place in the city now and Dhakaiites are flocking the place to capture the beauty to put up on their social media handles. The place for the next couple of weeks will take a joyful look, as if in preparation for Durga to descend on these dreamy kans fields.

Nature photography has now taken flight as more and more amateurs flock to scenic locations to take photos. The rising popularity of Instagram has only added to that. Thanks to the close proximity of the place to downtown Dhaka, Diabari is now one of the most frequently visited places for Dhakaiites.

Now with the full blossoming of kashful season, the place indeed looks inviting. The only problem is the off-season, incessant rain; might be a damper unless you hurry for that charming shot.