haikaiTALKS: a saturday gathering! 24th May 2025

Kala Ramesh
7 hours ago
4 min read

haikaiTALKS: Seasonal Words | a saturday gathering under the banyan tree

host: Srinivasa Sambangi

24th May 2025

haikaiTALKS: a saturday gathering under the banyan tree

Your host for haikaiTALKS: Srinivas Sambangi

haikaiTALKS 24th May 2025

Indian saijiki:

For the next few weeks we will focus on haiku based on Indian seasonal words. We often refer to World Kigo Data (WKD) base for the seasonal words. There is a special section on the WKD website on Indian Saijiki, which was mostly contributed by Kala Ramesh. While the focus is on picking typical Indian seasonal words, I will choose three words every week which are not unknown to the rest of the world as prompts. Poets outside India may use their own kigo, similar to what is discussed, to write and post this week.

Unlike many other countries, according to the classical text of Ritusamharam, India has six seasons, each season comprising two months.

Spring - called Vasant（Basant) - in the months of Chaitra and Vaishakh approximately March and April Summer – called Grishma –in the months of Jaishthya and Aashadh approximately May and June Rains – called Varsha - in the months of Shravan and Bhadrapad approximately July and August Autumn called Sharad - in the months of Aashwin and Kartik approximately September and October Frost – called Hemant – in the months of Margshishya and Pousha approximately November and December Winter - called Shishir - in the months of Magh and Phalgunapproximately January and February.

It’s peak summer in India around this time. It’s also holiday season for the Indian students. Indians often seek relief from heat by visiting cooler destinations, enjoying various indoor and outdoor recreational activities. Indians also relish lot of summer dishes and fruits typical of this season.

Kigo chosen for this week are:

1. Jamun fruit/Indian blackberry/Java plum/black plum:

Jamun is a fruit commonly found in India usually in the later part of summer and early days of monsoon season. The ripening period takes about 3 to 5 months after the flowering stage which typically occurs in March. Jamun fruit offers several health benefits, including aiding digestion, managing blood sugar levels, and supporting heart health. It's a good source of fiber and antioxidants, making it beneficial for overall well-being. Jamun found a special mention in the epic Ramayana and is prized as a “Fruit of Gods” as Lord Rama survived eating this berry during his 14 years of exile in the forest.

blackberries . . .

the taste

of last night’s rain

-- Laurie Greer, Kingfisher issue #8, October 2023

2. Watermelon

In India, the watermelon season is generally from May to September. It’s typically a summer fruit though the availability may vary across different regions throughout the year. Watermelon is a warm-season crop requiring warm temperatures and full sun for optimal growth. Its sweet juicy flesh is usually deep red to pink, with many black seeds. It’s a good source of hydration, vitamins and minerals

starry night — biting into a melon full of seeds

--Yu Chang, Frogpond 21:1

3. Lizard

It’s a common scene, lizards crawling on the walls in Indian homes during summer. Lizards seek shelter in homes primarily for food and a cool environment. They are attracted to insects and dark corners where they hide. The best way to remove house lizards is to eliminate their food sources (insects), blocking potential entry points and using natural deterrents like strong scents and repellents. There are a lot of superstitions in India about lizards. Many people believe different events to occur depending on which part of the human body the lizard falls. Apart from house lizards, we see a variety of lizards in the backyards, on trees etc., during summer season

old pine ─

a lizard leaves its tail

in my fingers

-- Ed Bremson

following

a meandering path

a lizard as my guide

--Garry Hotham

Looking forward to see your haiku this week with any of the above summer kigo. I have chosen the above kigo as I could hardly find haiku by Indian writers on these typical Indian kigo. While the above kigo is preferred this week, you (especially poets outside India) may choose any other summer kigo.

Ref:

https://indiasaijikiworlkhaiku.blogspot.com/2006/12/seasonal-words-list.html

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KIGO WORDS

Shall we please try to include a kigo word in all the poems we share here?

Give the season and the word — under your poem.

I'm quoting Lev Hart's request here: "This week’s goal is to compose two verses with toriawase, blending wabi, sabi, karumi, mono no aware, and/or yugen. Tell us which aesthetic concepts you mean to express in a line below the verse. Strive for originality. Avoid stock phrases and shopworn images."

For seasonal references, please check these lists:

“A Dictionary of Haiku Classified by Season Words with Traditional and Modern Methods,” by Jane Reichhold:

https://thehaikufoundation.org/omeka/files/original/7fb6654a1dfd1afef97369da920530f8.pdf

indian subcontinent SAIJIKI:

https://www.trivenihaikai.in/indian-saijiki

The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words:

http://www.2hweb.net/haikai/renku/500ESWd.html

The World Kigo Database:

https://wkdkigodatabase03 .blogspot.com/

The Yuki Teikei Haiku Season Word List:

https://yths.org/season-word -list/

Thank you for this post, Srinivas.