Tome And Plume: Fragrance Of Love And War Flower Into March’s Bosom
· Free Press Journal
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Fragrance of love and war flower into March’s bosom
All around Kimsuka (flame of the forest) groves blaze fiery red, trees swaying in the breeze bend low flower-laden; instantly transformed by Spring, the earth glows like a radiant young bride in her robe of red silk, (who seems to raise a battle cry) – Kalidas, Kumarasambhava, (Birth of Ward God, translated by Ralph T H Griffith)
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West Asia is bleeding. The US and Israeli forces are pounding Iran, which is responding to those attacks with equal ferocity. History would decide who had emerged victorious.But March, the current month in the Gregorian calendar, is historically stained with blood because of wars.
The month is also tinged with the fragrance of flowers and echoed with the cooing of cuckoos. Countless poems, plays, and stories have been composed about the beauty of this month. So, it is the month of love.
On the other hand, several wars, political assassinations, attempts to kill politicians, and violent deaths of important people in India and abroad happened this month.
Nobody should, however, blame the month for such tragedies. They might happen on any day or in any month.
History says Julius Caesar defeated the forces of Gnaeus Pompey on March 17, 45 BC. It was his final victory in the Roman Civil War.
The Battle of Badr, fought between the Quraysh army and Prophet Muhammad’s forces, took place on March 13, 624 CE, during the month of Ramadan. The forces of the Prophet won the battle. It is considered one of the most important events in the history of Islam. The Emperor Julian’s Persian expedition took place in March 363 CE.
Indian history does not provide the exact dates of various important events, including wars. The historians count on the seasons mentioned by the court poets of the kings and in the treatises of ministers. Alexander invaded India between March and May in 326 BCE. So, say historians.
Chandragupta Vikramaditya II fought with the Sakas in 380-85 CE. The exact date of the incident is not available. But it may have taken place in the spring season.
Kalidasa, who belonged to the era of Vikramaditya II, spoke about the kings’ preference for the spring season for launching battles. In the Kumarasambhava, Kalidasa describes the Kimsuka flower grove (the flame of the forest) as battle imagery. This flower grows in the spring.
The Western Chalukya king Someshvara I and the Kalachuri king Gangeya-Deva invaded the kingdom of the Parmars in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, in 1055 CE. The season may have been Vasant (spring). So is the belief among some historians.
The ancient world saw many wars begin and escalate in March, which heralds the end of harsh winter, allowing easy movement of troops.
This is the reason that March is sometimes called ‘campaigning season.' This is the time when there are not icy winds and frozen terrain from winter.
The primeval kings preferred this season for invasion. The soldiers either walked or moved on horseback then. Besides, there was enough stock of food grains in this season. Another season that the kings preferred for launching an invasion was October. The earth experiences the autumn season, or Hemant in India.
The uprising against the Ottoman Empire began in March 1821. But because the Maniots declared war on March 17, the people commemorate the day on March 25.
March is christened after Mars, the Roman god of war. The Roman kings would resume military campaigns during the spring.
But modern warfare has changed. Manpower has given way to technology, which has reduced the impact of weather on warfare.
Still, the Iraq war took place on March 20, 2003. It was, of course, a battle fought with modern technology.
The political chaos, which led to the fall of the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh, happened on March 20, 2020. This was the time when the Covid-19 pandemic was also knocking at the door of Bhopal.
Similarly, the ongoing war between the US and Israeli armed forces and Iran also began on February 28 on the eve of March.
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