Yes, this author is angry to have noticed deliberate attempts to dispirit the first day of the Bengali calendar - Pahela Baishakh. The day's traditional character is fast changing and what are also changing - are the patterns in its observance. In a conventional manner, it is the Hilsa fish, locally designed trendy clothing and indigenous cuisines which have been defining the day. It is increasingly becoming one of those consumer oriented party festivals where the consumption of Panta-Ilish is being marked with reverence, as if a cultural obligation to be fulfilled at any cost on this particular day.
Given the money making surrounding the Hilsa , i wonder what would be its cost in the coming days? It's not only the artificial price hike of a fish or attending Bengali concerts and poetry recital sessions but the dynamics of Pahela Baishakh which is somewhat leaning fast towards a consumer-orientated carnival.
Over the years this writer has noticed that though celebrations and countrywide programmes of the day reflects our passion for culture, traditions and customs of our inherent rural life , but somehow that reverence is now purely restricted within a time capsule.
People shop, celebrate, gather and party the Bangla way but how far do they go to mark it a day of cultural unity without prejudicing between class and religious affiliations? And this is perhaps the most significant philosophy of the Bengali New Year's Day - stitching a bond of unity. Ironically, this is lost in the midst of TK 16,000 worth pairs of huge sized Hilsas and TK 10,000 worth home-spun designer brand cotton saris.
Like any other consumer based festivals the price ceiling of Baishakhi commodities have shot up high and their phony appeal and promotion have spread like a killing virus contaminating the electronic , print to social media. This sudden shift has occurred primarily in the last decade.
However, against the backdrop of today's bitter political divisions, plights of ethnic minorities, enforced disappearances, and an ongoing pandemonium about the quota issue - our celebrations should have been focused on the values of ethical Bengali teachings and values - that is hugely missed. We have learnt to become a superficial rustic Bengali for a day only and for the sake of observing this one day we don't hesitate to spend any amount of money. Even the shocking prices of festive foods indicate that the Bengali cultural delicacies are fast becoming restricted among the wealthy elites.
Nevertheless, this disgruntled writer is in the habit of comparing a year with a new book and we are about to start writing a book beginning of 14 April and Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. I don't know what's yours, but my resolution for the upcoming Bengali New Year is rather simple but meaningful in today's Bangladesh: my written Bengali will be grammatically correct, accurately spelled, and on the topic of the spoken form, the pronunciation would be much better than what it was before.
When this angry citizen commute along the roads, look at the billboards, read the pithy sayings written behind the vehicles , he is horrified - ashamed to live in a country of such innumerable spelling and pronounced errors - that too in a country where the mother tongue and the national lingo is Bengali. It is an affirmation that i am committed in living a life in the years to come.
Pahela Baishakh came and went for many years. It was observed and celebrated but then what happened? Apart from greeting one another, partying over sumptuous meals could we move forward in line with a resolution? It just keeps reminding of the old saying - what's in a day. The reality of any day is - either you run the day or the day runs you. So far, it apparently seems, it's the day which is running us following shooting-up prices of festive commodities.
Not reform in celebrating, we need to come under a single platform while making the most of Pahela Baishakh. Many of us have turned into outward Bengali with an inward alien mind; pretending to safeguard the Bengali traditions by spending thousands; gobbling down local cuisines for the sake of showing respect to Bengali food habitat without even knowing if he-she will remain a Bengali the next day.
The message, however, the strong-minded nation which can turn 21st February into the International Mother Language Day - also possesses tremendous potentials to convert Pohela Baishakh to the day of 'How to best serve the motherland', thus, give birth to a patriotic morale.
To finish it a little sporty, the unique characteristic of the Bengali year is that, instead of being a lunar calendar, it was based on an amalgamation of the solar and lunar year. It is going to be even more unique, if we, the followers (though most of us follow the Gregorian calendar) attempt to revive and popularise some of our lost Baishakhi colourful events such as - kite flying , horse races, bullfights, cockfights and flying pigeons. So who are the ones to put money in restoring Baishakh's lost sport heritage instead of competing for the biggest Hilsa in the market?
This writer's anger is however calmed.
Happy New Year, but it's not happy or sad, it's exactly the same as last year except much colder.
The writer is Assistant Editor, The Daily Observer
