Some thoughts on Cherry (late) Blossoms

Cherry blossoms are quite beautiful to look at. No wonder the Meghalaya Government readily gravitated towards these little flowers in their bid to distract people from their ineptitude and mismanagement! I am referring, of course, to the recently concluded India International Cherry Blossom Festival which ran from the 8th to the 11th of November 2017. It is quite interesting to note how the state government has sought to make this “international” by suggesting associations with Japan where the cherry blossoms have become an important part of Japanese culture, poetry and painting. In Japan this cherry blossom culture is “natural”, it has been celebrated, in some form or the other, over hundreds of years. It didn’t grow out of a need to impress tourists or to be an “international” PR event. “International” is the new buzz word which hurts my ears! And then I have to ask, why cherry blossoms? Why not ‘sohphoh’ blossoms? (a member of the apple family found widely in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills) Those blossoms are quite beautiful as well. At least the hardy and indigenous ‘sohphoh’ gives you fruits as well. Many locals use it to make jams, preserves and ciders as well so I am for the ‘non-international sohphoh’. Additionally the last fruits of the season make for a durable weapon in self-defense. Yet another benefit.

Even Scoop Whoop participated in the scam festival with the featured image from Japan

In Japan, the sakura or cherry blossom has a mottled history. It has been the favourite symbol of choice for ultra-nationalists and militant right-wingers (are you listening, government?) for quite some time. The Sakurakai were one such group of hard-liners who, in the 1930s, wanted to establish a complete dictatorial monarchy in the country and throw out ‘outsider inventions’ like parliamentary elections. In World War II, Japanese pilots painted sakura onto their kamikaze warplanes before embarking on suicide missions to “die like beautiful falling cherry petals for the emperor”. So the soft, delicate, pink (dare I say effeminate) flower has curried favour with tough soldiers and rough warriors. Quite an irony.

But again perhaps the male-female/tough-weak dichotomy is only a modern lens of bias. This rather strange non-binary veneration is probably something that’s come down from the age of the feudal despotic samurai, a tradition many still long for if we are to go by a sizable portion of Japanese media. If you look at a number of “tough guys” in anime, for instance, you will find an “unusual” blend of male AND female features within them. Flowers often feature prominently alongside these characters. Byakuya Kuchiki from Bleach, for example, is a stoic, serious (also beautiful) soul-reaper (a sort of spirit samurai) who seems to have a very “girly” obsession with cherry blossoms. Another “beautiful” tough-guy who likes flowers (roses in this case) is Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho. Similarly the “beautiful” titular warrior in Nurarihyon no Mago – Nurarihyon – is also associated with cherry blossoms. The list goes on. This then is another dimension to the humble little angiosperm.

Maybe because they are so transient and wilt rapidly, the cherry blossom flowers lend themselves to a lot of poetic meanings related to the temporary nature of human existence. It makes sense then that men facing death would latch onto them as a symbol of hope and purpose. Well now that the serene image is completely ruined for you I would like to conclude by saying that it would all be fine if these sorts of stunts by the Meghalaya government didn’t cost the Public money but sadly they do. The MUA II government is basically just a glorified event-management firm anyway. They are probably doomed in the upcoming 2018 elections but it won’t bother them much. They have been saving up for such a situation the past five years. Now that they are plump, they can go into hibernation. Much like the cherry blossoms they can disappear and re-appear when the storms have abated and the warm sun has deadened peoples’ wrath.

For additional reading on the sakura samurai connection:-

http://gen.lib.rus.ec/book/index.php?md5=1F03F96BCA89B4DBFF4E8EB6FADC1A49

https://www.livescience.com/28424-cherry-blossoms.html

https://jmledwellwrites.com/2014/04/02/cherry-blossom-the-flower-of-a-warrior/

http://notwithoutmypassport.com/cherry-blossom-meaning-in-japan/

 

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Avner Pariat Written by:

Avner Pariat is a poet and chronicler of Khasi Jaintia Hills.

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