The spirit of Pahela Baishakh
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Ripan Kumar Biswas
"We may be poor, but we are not backward and one of the boons of being a Bangladeshi is our rich culture," Shakhi Basak, a student of department of mass communication and journalism of Dhaka University, was defending her position among her fellow class mates near a book stall inside the Bangla Academy during the last Ekushey Book Fair.
She is right. Though Bangladesh is a worst victim of global climate change, though Bangladesh digests strong dose of cynicism or sarcasm while it receives foreign aid, though Bangladesh is still labeled as backward country on earth, but Bangladeshis are rightfully proud to be Bangladeshi, given the struggle they endured for winning independence, establishment of mother tongue and political instability, removing poverty, or withstanding natural disasters - flood, cyclones etc. Bangladeshis are proud of a rich tradition of intellectual pursuits and cultural appreciation. By nature, they are very courageous.
Their strengths lie on their rich cultural heritage. The country's deep rooted heritage is amply reflected in her architecture, literature, dance, drama, music, painting, and festivals. Among festivals, Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bengali calendar, stands supreme as this day is celebrated with great deal of enthusiasm and gaiety. The most glorious side of this occasion is on this day each and every Bengali, regardless of their religion; creed or clan welcomes the New Year and celebrates the day together. This unity makes the day more significant. On this day, forgetting all dissensions, everyone gets absorbed deeply into the one nationality feeling.
On the Pahela Baishakh, which usually falls on April 14 or April 15 of the Gregorian calendar, people wish each other saying "Shuvo Nabo Barsho (Happy New Year)." It is the time to say adieu to the past year and welcome the New Year by following traditional norms. Pahela Baishakh connects all ethnic Bengalis irrespective of religious and regional differences in both Bangladesh and West Bengal, India, and in Bengali communities in Assam and Tripura in India. In India, in West Bengal and Assam, it is a public holiday and is publicly celebrated on April 15 every year. In Bangladesh, Pahela Baishakh is a national holiday.
Of the major holidays celebrated in Bangladesh, only Pahela Baishakh comes without any preexisting expectations (specific religious identity, culture of gift-giving, etc).
Unlike holidays like Eid ul-Fitr, where dressing up in lavish clothes has become a norm, or Christmas where exchanging gifts has become an integral part of the holiday, Pahela Baishakh is really about celebrating the simpler, rural roots of the Bengal. As a result, more people can participate in the festivities together without the burden of having to reveal one's class, religion, or financial capacity.
Tracing back the history of Bengali New Year, the year was first initiated by the great Mughal emperor, Akbar. Under the Mughals, agricultural taxes were collected according to the Hijri calendar. But the Hijri calendar is a purely lunar calendar and it does not coincide with the harvest season. As a result, farmers were hard-pressed to pay taxes out of season. In order to streamline tax collection, the Mughal Emperor Akbar ordered a reform of the calendar. Accordingly, Fatehullah Shirazi, a renowned scholar and astronomer, formulated the Bengali year on the basis of the Hijri lunar and Hindu solar calendars. The new agricultural year was introduced on 10/11 March 1584, but was dated from Akbar's ascension to the throne in 1556. The New Year subsequently became known as Bônggabdo or Bengali year.
After the introduction of Bengali year, many festivals connected probably with agriculture and seasons have become associated with it. And the first of Boisakh gradually changed in this way to become the New Year. Pahela Baishakh does, however, coincide with the New Years in many other calendars, including those of South India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu), Sri Lanka, Nepal, Eastern India (Assam, Manipur, Orissa), and Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand).
Beginning with harvest time, the festivals are set by the seasons and in any country the principal festival has been organised with respect to the particular season that has gained importance there. The devastating form of nature and the consequent creativity of nature in summer that are basically witnessed in Bangladesh, must have made summer and the summer festivals so important in the ancient culture.
Although a lot of rituals are involved in it, its main characteristic is that it is not a festival of the Hindus or the Buddhists alone. Bangladeshi culture is influenced by three great religions- Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam in successive order, with Islam having the most pervading and lasting impact. But no particular influence of these religions is observed in the New Year celebrations and festival. Festivals not related to faith but secular in character are rare in the world. In that sense, Bengali New Year is not only a secular festival in Bangladesh, but also in the world. In addition, Bengali New Year still adds new dimension to the movements against tyranny whenever national interests are overlooked.
After the Language Movement, people of East Pakistan started to celebrate festivals which were related to the Bengali culture silently defying the anti-Bengali attitude of the then Pakistan government. Celebration of the first day of Boisakh began as a part of the cultural movement and it added a new dimension to the political movements. In the pre-independence period celebration of Pahela Baishakh worked as a way to flaunt Bengali Nationalism.
The day continued to be celebrated in East Pakistan as a symbol of Bengali culture. After 1972, it became a national festival, a symbol of the Bangladesh nationalist movement and an integral part of the people's cultural heritage. Pohela Baishakh is a festival that roots deep into the identity as Bangladeshi.
The writer is a freelance writer based in New York. He can be reached at email: Ripan.biswas@yahoo.com
"We may be poor, but we are not backward and one of the boons of being a Bangladeshi is our rich culture," Shakhi Basak, a student of department of mass communication and journalism of Dhaka University, was defending her position among her fellow class mates near a book stall inside the Bangla Academy during the last Ekushey Book Fair.
She is right. Though Bangladesh is a worst victim of global climate change, though Bangladesh digests strong dose of cynicism or sarcasm while it receives foreign aid, though Bangladesh is still labeled as backward country on earth, but Bangladeshis are rightfully proud to be Bangladeshi, given the struggle they endured for winning independence, establishment of mother tongue and political instability, removing poverty, or withstanding natural disasters - flood, cyclones etc. Bangladeshis are proud of a rich tradition of intellectual pursuits and cultural appreciation. By nature, they are very courageous.
Their strengths lie on their rich cultural heritage. The country's deep rooted heritage is amply reflected in her architecture, literature, dance, drama, music, painting, and festivals. Among festivals, Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bengali calendar, stands supreme as this day is celebrated with great deal of enthusiasm and gaiety. The most glorious side of this occasion is on this day each and every Bengali, regardless of their religion; creed or clan welcomes the New Year and celebrates the day together. This unity makes the day more significant. On this day, forgetting all dissensions, everyone gets absorbed deeply into the one nationality feeling.
On the Pahela Baishakh, which usually falls on April 14 or April 15 of the Gregorian calendar, people wish each other saying "Shuvo Nabo Barsho (Happy New Year)." It is the time to say adieu to the past year and welcome the New Year by following traditional norms. Pahela Baishakh connects all ethnic Bengalis irrespective of religious and regional differences in both Bangladesh and West Bengal, India, and in Bengali communities in Assam and Tripura in India. In India, in West Bengal and Assam, it is a public holiday and is publicly celebrated on April 15 every year. In Bangladesh, Pahela Baishakh is a national holiday.
Of the major holidays celebrated in Bangladesh, only Pahela Baishakh comes without any preexisting expectations (specific religious identity, culture of gift-giving, etc).
Unlike holidays like Eid ul-Fitr, where dressing up in lavish clothes has become a norm, or Christmas where exchanging gifts has become an integral part of the holiday, Pahela Baishakh is really about celebrating the simpler, rural roots of the Bengal. As a result, more people can participate in the festivities together without the burden of having to reveal one's class, religion, or financial capacity.
Tracing back the history of Bengali New Year, the year was first initiated by the great Mughal emperor, Akbar. Under the Mughals, agricultural taxes were collected according to the Hijri calendar. But the Hijri calendar is a purely lunar calendar and it does not coincide with the harvest season. As a result, farmers were hard-pressed to pay taxes out of season. In order to streamline tax collection, the Mughal Emperor Akbar ordered a reform of the calendar. Accordingly, Fatehullah Shirazi, a renowned scholar and astronomer, formulated the Bengali year on the basis of the Hijri lunar and Hindu solar calendars. The new agricultural year was introduced on 10/11 March 1584, but was dated from Akbar's ascension to the throne in 1556. The New Year subsequently became known as Bônggabdo or Bengali year.
After the introduction of Bengali year, many festivals connected probably with agriculture and seasons have become associated with it. And the first of Boisakh gradually changed in this way to become the New Year. Pahela Baishakh does, however, coincide with the New Years in many other calendars, including those of South India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu), Sri Lanka, Nepal, Eastern India (Assam, Manipur, Orissa), and Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand).
Beginning with harvest time, the festivals are set by the seasons and in any country the principal festival has been organised with respect to the particular season that has gained importance there. The devastating form of nature and the consequent creativity of nature in summer that are basically witnessed in Bangladesh, must have made summer and the summer festivals so important in the ancient culture.
Although a lot of rituals are involved in it, its main characteristic is that it is not a festival of the Hindus or the Buddhists alone. Bangladeshi culture is influenced by three great religions- Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam in successive order, with Islam having the most pervading and lasting impact. But no particular influence of these religions is observed in the New Year celebrations and festival. Festivals not related to faith but secular in character are rare in the world. In that sense, Bengali New Year is not only a secular festival in Bangladesh, but also in the world. In addition, Bengali New Year still adds new dimension to the movements against tyranny whenever national interests are overlooked.
After the Language Movement, people of East Pakistan started to celebrate festivals which were related to the Bengali culture silently defying the anti-Bengali attitude of the then Pakistan government. Celebration of the first day of Boisakh began as a part of the cultural movement and it added a new dimension to the political movements. In the pre-independence period celebration of Pahela Baishakh worked as a way to flaunt Bengali Nationalism.
The day continued to be celebrated in East Pakistan as a symbol of Bengali culture. After 1972, it became a national festival, a symbol of the Bangladesh nationalist movement and an integral part of the people's cultural heritage. Pohela Baishakh is a festival that roots deep into the identity as Bangladeshi.
The writer is a freelance writer based in New York. He can be reached at email: Ripan.biswas@yahoo.com