Spotlight

An Opportunity To Come To The Root!

Sajeda Tamanna Hussain

'Muche jak glani ghuche jak jora'- isn't that a beautiful resolution to start one's year with? No, it is not the 1st of January I am talking about! It is Pohela Boishakh, the first day of the Bengali New year, which makes me feel such ecstasy. Before I start sharing my views with all of you though, I wish you all a Shubho Noboborsho!

Bangladesh is a nation adorned with festivals and celebrations all around the year. Starting from Independence Day to Durga Puja, from Nobanno Utshob to Eid, from International Mother Language Day to Christmas, every festival comes with a bundle of new colors, new emotions and fresh new hopes! But no year truly seems complete without having worn that laal paarer shada Shari, embellishing that bun with beli phool or a few sticks of dolonchapa! In fact, had there been no Pohela Boishakh, it often seems to me, Bengalis would have lost their 'bangaliana' long ago! This day made its way into our lives due to our very need to hold onto our cultural heritage. This particular day of the year not only unites Bangladeshis but also fuses all 'Bangalis' together. It is more a matter of culture than of nation. It is a celebration all Bangalis participate in!

The very young man who prefers his denims and T-shirts throughout the year, never forgets to dress up in a punjabi or kurta as soon as the sight of the aamer mukul on the mango tree outside his bedroom window catches his attention and he checks his calendar to realize it's the fourteenth of April! Oops, I forgot… calendars are backdated now right? This particular character should definitely be checking his cell phone! Anyway, whether it's a cell phone, a calendar or a wristwatch, its significance is the same- it's time to celebrate!

Dhaka University, Ramna Botomul, Chayanaut, Charukala or Banani Road 13 (yes my friends, it is the road occupied by our very own North South, Primeasia, and so many other universities) - wherever you end up being, there is the smell of panta bhaat and ilish bhaja (yum, slurp slurp) in the air, the sweet fragrances of flowers, the tunes of 'Esho He Boishakh' at every corner. To top off all this festivity are our very own traditional sweets like rosh kodom, rosho golla, nadu, shondesh, batasha and so many others. One aspect of Pohela Boishakh is a thousand smiling faces decorated according to one's personal taste! Some cheeks are painted in beautiful designs of red, orange and yellow. Some foreheads are titivated by the presence of the prettiest of bindis! Some hairs are going to be let open while others will be neatly tied up in a braid, bun or probably just a clip! No matter how one dresses up, it's ultimately the sight of joy, conquering every inch of a person's appearance, which gives me the feeling of utter elation. It always fills my eyes with tears to see people break political, racial, religious and so many other barriers in order to unite as one. It makes me feel part of a culture that dates back to the times of the Mughals. Those were times in which literature, music and art flourished beyond academic institutions. They lived in the air like the oxygen we breathe. Pohela Boishakh is in fact an opportunity for many like myself to exercise optimism; to tell oneself we still belong to a world where there still are opportunities for everyone to forget all differences and be one!

Boishakh never comes without Proloyonkari Kalboishakhi! It comes with the power of destroying the evil and unwanted, as if with a resolution to uproot all that is bad and leave behind a calm, tranquil atmosphere, where everyone is looking forward to a prosperous new year!

Student of North South University