Celebration of the New Year in one form or other ---in some cases highly colourful and aesthetically refreshing, enriching and enlivening ---is a great occasion for nations and ethnic peoples all across the world. Although the Gregorian calendar has now received almost universal acceptance for official purposes, traditional almanacs developed in ancient times are still followed in all the defining events, rituals and rites of life because of their usefulness in terms of harvesting, sowing seeds and starting various other important family programmes or projects. Thus Bangla sal (year) survives with all its appeal among the majority of rural population of Bangladesh. Before the Tarik-e-Elahi, on which the Bangla year is founded, the people used a solar calendar which was a replica of the one introduced by king Vikramaditya.
In ancient India, a Vedic calendar was prevalent. Called Diwali or Deepavali, also known as the festival of light, it was celebrated after the harvest and before the start of cultivation of new crop. Essentially it symbolised the triumph of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, hope over despair and good over evil. Not surprisingly, Diwali is still celebrated in the Autumn, usually in the month of Kartik. On this occasion, Fiji, Guyana, India, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago observe official holiday.
What is remarkable is that a large number of people in the Indian states of Andhra, Maharashtra, Punjab, Manipur, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Gujarat observe the New Year in different names but on the same date and period. Nepal with its calendar also called Vikram samvat, Indonesia, Cambodia and especially the Balinese Hindus celebrate the New Year under similar names like Baisakh, Vesak, Baisakhi on the same date.
While the Hindu New Year or Vikram Samvat is celebrated on March 22 by the followers of Hinduism in several states of India and many other countries, Bangladesh has got the New Year's day on Pahela Baishakh with no religious strings attached to the occasion since the introduction of a new calendar, where the year came to be known as Bangabda, by Great Mughal Emperor Akbar. The emperor, who tried to introduce a secular religion called Din-i-Ilahi as well, assigned his royal astronomer Fathullah Siraji to come up with a calendar that were to combine the Islamic lunar calendar and the solar Hindu calendar that had been in use. Maybe, the intention behind this was to remove the discrepancy between the shifting lunar months and harvest period and at the same time remove the religious overtones from both calendars so that the Hindus and the Muslims could consider the calendar unreservedly their own. Also, revenue collection became easier as a result of this more or less fixed monthly and seasonal calendar synchronising with harvesting in this part of the world. The year is counted from Akbar's ascension to the throne in 1556.
Thus Bangladesh has got a calendar almost flawless but it required minor adjustments in order to keep up with the Gregorian calendar. West Bengal is yet to adjust its calendar and therefore the Pahela Baishakh does not synchronise with the Gregorian calendar. As a result West Bengal has its Bangla New Year or Pahela Baishakh a day or two later, mostly. Similarly, the beginning or end of a month, according to the two calendars, also may either vary or fall on the same date. Bangladesh's adjustment has made the dates fixed to those of the Gregorian calendar. For example, Pahela Baishakh and April 14 now have a meeting point on the same day.
Following the tradition and spirit of secularism, the Bangla New Year has been evolving into a national celebration of immense significance. Traditionally, it was the Chaitra Sangkranti, the last day of the month of Chaitra, which was observed as the day of Halkhata, settlement of all outstanding dues to wholesalers or shops that retailers or consumers owed to the former two categories of traders. There was no extra exuberance over the observance of the first day of the year apart from wearing of new clothes and arrangement of sumptuous dishes by those who could afford. Even those not quite well off, tried to have better meals on the day in the hope that similar meals would be available in the rest of the year.
Puffed rice (muri, khai), beaten rice (chira), sweetmeat and other delicacies were generously offered to entertain guests and others who just happened to visit unannounced on the Sangkranti and first day of the New Year. In rural Bangla, large fairs called 'Baishakhi Mela' were held in many places on these two days. Such fairs continued with some gaps in other villages throughout the next month. Urban centres were yet to control the entire land's economy. In fact, these fairs gave village artisans the opportunity to present their crafts and skills and farmers in particular procured their tools they needed for agriculture from these fairs and their wives and daughter also bought household utensils along with a handful of articles of toiletries.
It was simple and pure joy that governed the lives of village people. Today's luxury goods and flagrant consumerism were beyond their imagination. Amid this, however, the Chhayanaut appeared in the 60s of the last century to instil sense in the minds of the Bangalees who were taken for a ride, politically and culturally by the Pakistani rulers. The flows of cultural current the leading cultural organisation devoted purely to discovery of the national identity are growing in strength against a still perverse attempt to take the country back to bigotry and radicalism.
Therefore to put the Bangalees' identity in right perspective there is a need for fostering the cultural soul of the nation. Even its influence on society and politics can bring about a sobering change now missing sorely.
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