We visited the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) last week. As in years past this is an outing we look forward to with great eagerness, a day spent roaming through endless lines of arcades of gaming fun where the prize inevitably is a stuffed animal, trying out new foods at the food building, stopping by sales people present live demonstrations of new and interesting products, and my favourite – watching the figure skating programme led by one of Canada’s champion figure skaters.

It is like an end-of summer ritual.

Before I go further it is only appropriate I touch on the history of this great event.  It was founded in 1879 as Toronto Industrial Exhibition then to morph into the current Canadian National Exhibition in 1912, a name that fittingly represents the whole nation.

Fast forward to August 4, 1914. Canada enters the Second World War. Now the CNE grounds would be turned into a huge military training and housing Centre and will be known as Exhibition Camp. Interestingly enough, even those longs years of war would not stop the annual fair from taking place, just plain stubbornness I think mixed with a great dose of stoicism. At this time visitors would be taken on tours of the trenches that the soldiers had dug, watch their daily drills and so on and so forth.  By remaining open at this time the fair made an important point. People could still have their fill of a traditional fun fair. And here lies the soul of this type of fair. It is the very essence of tradition, the passing down of this custom from generation to generation, a culture that has been preserved over the years.

At this point I am reminded of the very first RamLila Mela I went to with my father. I must have been all of five or six at that time. My eyes almost popped out when I saw the massive images, gorgeously arrayed, of Lord Rama and the demon Ravana.  We sat through an enactment of the final battle where Lord Rama triumphs over the demon. This is also a very traditional, community oriented fair or mela where one found numerous stalls selling food and toys (I loved the clay ones of miniature kitchen utensils), clothes and knickknacks; the ground throbbed with the beat of music coming from various sources chief of which was, as I remember, gaming arcades, the merry-go-round, and the giant wheel. Visiting peddlers selling their wares shouted in voices so distinct as to not mix them up with the others. My young eyes were dazzled by the coloured lights, my senses lapped up the delicious smells, sights and the general feeling of great happiness emanating from the people having a grand time.

Just like at our CNE, here in Toronto.

Also, like the CNE we know its end after Labour Day (first week of September) will presage the beginning of autumn and the start of a fresh school year.

In my home town, the end of the Dusherra holidays, Durga Puja for us, meant we had stepped into autumn. In this part of India we were fortunate to experience the four seasons and we also knew once autumn arrived we were approaching the end of our own school year. The three months preceding December became crunch time, teachers rolled up their sleeves and began to finish the year’s curriculum, we the students began to study in earnest. General feeling around the school was – better smarten up, and stop fooling around. A full year’s worth of knowledge needed to be absorbed from books we may have ignored previously, even Moral Science having a stake in this final shakedown, sleepy heads reluctantly left the all-enveloping comfort of a warm bed to sluice cold water shaking off the last vestiges of sleep before preparing to depart for school.

I like autumn for I know with certainty the heat and humidity of summer will soon dissipate in cooler temperatures, I will not continue to put off doing even simple things like dishes and laundry for during summer even the slightest movement produces rivulets of sweat, not pretty; and best of all, I can spend more time outdoors walking at all hours of the day.

I realize winter awaits but I am glad we do get to experience the various seasons here just as I did in my hometown in Bihar. As the poet John Keats says, “……..where are the songs of spring? Ay, where are they? Think not of them, thou hast thy music too…….”

Thus, we come full circle and like the smaller creatures who are busy right now looking for nuts to squirrel away for winter even we will prepare ourselves in our own way, and will have to get used to shorter days and longer nights, very soon.

Keep Well…..Keep Smiling

Purabi Das