DHAKA: The nation celebrated ‘Pahela Baishakh’, the first day of Bangla New Year 1422, with much enthusiasm and traditional gaiety.
As in the previous year’s, Chhayanat Sangeet Vidyatan, a leading institution of Bangla culture, welcomed the new year playing sitar at 6:30am in the day with the slogan ‘Peace Humanitarianism and Right to People’ at Ramna Batamul in city.
Chhayanat artistes presented Rabindranath Tagore’s famous song – ‘Eso hee Baishakh eso eso’, welcoming Baishakh, the first month of Bangla calendar.
Thousands of people including children, women, young and old and foreigners joined the ‘naba barsha’ festivities at Ramna Batamul.
Tight security measures were taken in the area to smooth the programs. Law enforcers said they were in an alert position to thwart any untoward situation.
Meanwhile, different socio-cultural organizations chalked out elaborate programs like musical functions, colourful marches and street-side Baishakhi fairs in the capital as elsewhere across the country to welcome the Bangla New Year.
The business communities especially in the rural areas opened their traditional ‘halkhata’, new account books welcoming the new year.
President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Raushan Ershad and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia issued separate messages greeting the countrymen on the occasion of ‘Pahela Baishakh’.
The day was a public holiday.
Different national dailies and online news portals published colourful supplements while Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar and other private TV Channels aired special programs highlighting the significance of the day.
City people started the day with the traditional breakfast of ‘panta bhat’ (soaked rice), green chilies, onion, and fried hilsha fish at Ramna Park, Suhrawardy Udyan, Dhaka University campus, Rabindra Sarabar and other amusement places.
The fine arts faculty of Dhaka University (DU) brought out a colorful procession at 9.30am from campus with decorative replicas of animals as well as elements of Bangla culture.
Sammilita Sangskritik Jote arranged cultural program at Rabindra Sarabar in Dhanmondi while Bangla Academy, Nazrul Institute, Jatiya Press Club and other institutions celebrated the day with their respective programs.
According to historical records, celebrations of ‘Pahela Baishakh’, the first day of the Bangla calendar year, started from Emperor Akbar’s reign when it was customary to clear up all dues on the last day of the Bengali month of Chaitra with businessmen opening ‘halkhata’ or new book of accounts in their shops.
On the next day, or the first day of the New Year, landlords used to entertain their tenants with sweets. Village fairs and related festivities were other visible features of the day.
In course of time, the occasion became part of domestic and social life, and turned into a day of merriment with distribution of homemade special foods among the guests as well as near and dear ones.
Various agricultural products, traditional handicrafts, toys, cosmetics, as well as different food and sweet items are sold in the Baishakhi fairs.
These fairs also provide entertainment, with singers and dancers staging jatra (traditional plays), pala gan, kabigan, jarigan and gambhira gan. They present folk songs as well as baul, marfati, murshidi and bhatiali songs.
According to history, under the Mughals, agricultural taxes were collected according to the Hijri calendar. However, as the Hijri calendar is a lunar calendar, it does not coincide with the harvest.
As a result, farmers were hard-pressed to pay taxes in off season and to streamline tax collection. Then Emperor Akbar ordered a reform of the calendar that starts with the celebrations of the ‘Pahela Baishakh’.
BDST: 2121 HRS, APR 14, 2015
