Pohela Boishakh: A Non-Communal Festival of Bengali Nationalism

Today is the first day of Bengali New Year 1429. The name of the month is 'Baishakh' which is celebrated all over the country by organizing various festivals. The Bengali nation has been embracing the first day of the year since time immemorial. It is said that the celebration of Bengali New Year is the first step in the practice of Bengali culture. Due to this, one day great gathering of Bengalis takes place every year. So this is the day to express the unity of Bengalis. And through its celebration the search for Bengali identity and roots is found which is rarely observed among other nations of the world. Be that as it may almost all the nations of the world have their own cultural heritage. In the atmosphere of cultural heritage, they, regardless of religion, caste, rich or poor, ethnicity, come to their New Year celebrations with new life and new promises. The Bengali nation also has a rich tradition of thousands of years of Bengali literature and culture. Bengalis are the bearers of this tradition.

The traditional, lively and bright form of this Bengali culture is revealed every year on the day of celebration of Bengali New Year with due enthusiasm, festivity and dignity. Bengali New Year is a part of Bengali nationalism. A day that comes only once a year in the life of a Bengali. It is said that the first day of Boishakh is the day of harmony of Bengalis, the day of great reunion of Bengalis. Forgetting all the sorrows, filth, failures and mutual animosities of the year, the whole nation woke up in a completely non-communal consciousness on this day with new enthusiasm, songs and poems, various folklore, joy and excitement. Again, many nations do not have their own calendar year or year in keeping with the name of the nation. But Bengalis have their own year and that is 'Bangabda'. There was a time when there was no such thing as 'Bangabda' or Bengali year. However, 'Banga' is an ancient settlement which has Mahabharata and Ramayana in the context of 'Banga'. Come what may, there were various festivals in ancient Bengal and it was highly respected at all levels of society which can be seen in contemporary literature and various scripts. Scholars say that theology had a strong influence on the daily life of Bengalis. In the old days, in the month of Bengali 'Kartik', a special festival was held where dice were played by placing bets in the morning. It was believed that the results indicated a happy future.

Then people would dress up and put on perfume and all would join in the singing and eat with their friends. Exclusively from the worship of gods and goddesses, many folk rituals of the religion were also performed in the ancient festivals Apart from what food and activities are forbidden on a certain date, fasting on a certain date, study, foreign travel, pilgrimage, any time, good or bad, etc., there would be thirteen festivals in twelve months and various festivities would be held on the occasion of these puja-festivals. Men and women used to join it, but no historical account is available. As in West Bengal, the Bengali New Year is celebrated as a part of the holy bath, religious worship festival. In many parts of our country, on the last day of the Bengali month of Chaitra, a religious ceremony called 'Charak Puja' is performed. However, there is no accurate historical documentary evidence as to how the Bengali New Year began. It is believed that the Bengali year was started by changing the current Hijri year to the solar year during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar. It is pertinent to mention that Emperor Akbar thought of introducing something new in order to eliminate the complication of seasonal rent collection of crops in the past due to the Hijri year.The celebration of Bengali New Year or Pahela Baishakh is the oldest tradition of Bengalis. One of the few Bengali festivals is the first Baishakh New Year celebrations. People of all classes and ages irrespective of race, religion and caste participate in this festival spontaneously.

However, living in this country are different religious people do not observe as much participation in all the traditional festivals as they do in the Bengali New Year. For the last four decades, this New Year celebration has become a universal festival in Bangladesh. Note that the Hijri year of Akbar's accession to the kingdom was 963 (1556 AD). If the first Baishakh of that year, i.e. 963 AH, was taken as the first day of the 963 Bengali year, then the reckoning is complete. From the year of Akbar's accession to the throne (1556 AD) the present 2022 (2022-1556 = 466) solar year has been deducted. That is why many people think that 963  Anno Hegirae(AH) is introduced as 963 Bengali year and Bengali year is introduced. Since the Hijri year is a pure lunar year, the lunar month is one year of Hijri, so in any year 354 days, and in any year 10 or 11 days go by.

However, according to the lunar calendar of the Islamic Hijri of that period, the festival which started with the revision of rent or imposition of rent on new crops in the agrarian rural society of Bengal has gradually turned into New Year celebration which is now Bengali New Year. More than five hundred years have passed and in the game of change of power of many rulers, the festival of Baishakhi has also become an everlasting festival in the heart of every Bengali. For this reason, the people of Bengal, ignoring the bloodshot eyes of the then Pakistani ruler, had to fight for national liberation through strong resistance and strength of their own culture. Since then, the Bengali New Year has gained a new dimension in the life of Bengalis which has become a national festival today. And this is not the end; today the first Baishakh of rural life has affected the urban life in a completely different way. Boishakh in rural Bengal is now peeking at the doorsteps of urban life with its colorful costumes and food habits.  At one time, men and women of the village, young and old, used to go shopping at the Baishakhi Mela with great joy.

The fair was also a fair of life for the people involved in cottage industries. They have a life and livelihood relationship with this fair. Besides, weavers, blacksmiths, potters, carpenters and handicrafts used to sell their handicrafts at the Baishakhi Mela. At present this system has spread more widely. Therefore, Baishakhi Mela is now not only a fair of tradition; it can also be called a kind of ladder of economic prosperity of the country. The 'Mangal Shobhayatra' of Pahela Baishakh has been recognized as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO for its unique and aesthetic features of the rich culture of Bengalis. The 'Mangal Shobhayatra' of Pahela Baishakh has been recognized as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO for its unique and aesthetic features of the rich culture of Bengalis.

This international recognition of the New Year is undoubtedly a matter of pride that in the near future Bengalis will become the best nation in the world in their own glory. However it may be, it is a festival that blends seamlessly with the thinking consciousness of Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and other ethnic minorities in the country. Finally yet importantly, it is hoped that Bengali New Year is the only festival of Bengalis which is a product of thousands of years of cultural heritage. To keep this cultural heritage immortal on the world map, we need to strengthen and elevate our non-communal position. To end with I would like to say that the New Year 1429 will bring happiness, peace and prosperity to the people of the country by tearing apart the abominable snares of militancy, extremism and all evil forces. This is the expectation of all of us. Welcome 1429.


Md Azgar Ali is a Researcher and Columnist