Nababarsha Special

Photo: Mumit M.

Back to Nostalgia

Rashid Askari

The great ancient epic poet Homer found "no sweeter sight for a man's eyes than his own country". The famous 19th century American actor, poet and playwright, John Howard Payne shared the same view in the creation of his widely popular song "Home! Sweet Home".

Living in one's own country itself is a great pleasure. Seeing the faces of one's nearest and dearest, talking face to face to them, or even having quarrel with them are also sort of rewarding which may not be precisely felt at home but, they must be felt abroad. Nearly same is the case of celebrating one's own cultural festivals of food, music, theatre, dance, and the like. To observe the Baishakhi carnival at home and to observe it abroad or to see it being observed may spring from a cognate nationalist feeling, even if the difference of places matters.

Pahela Baishakh is the first day of the Bengali calendar celebrated by the peoples of Bangladesh and West Bengal, and the Bengali communities of Assam, Tripura, and the rest of the world. The legacy of this celebration dates back from Akbar's days. It was customary to pay off the dues on the last day of the last month (Chaitra) of the Bengali calendar. On the following day, i.e. the first day of the New Year, the landlords used to entertain their tenants with sweets. The main event of the day was to open a halkhata (a new account book) which is still prevalent among the Bengalis. In keeping with this, fairs and festivals used to be held. It is said that on two such occasions, two Mughal princes stumbled upon their fiancés (Selim met Meherunnisa and Khurram met Mumtaz) who later became pivots of the dynasty. The Baishakh celebrations subsequently assumed wider magnitude, and became part of the social and cultural life of the Bengali folks.

It is a matter of great pride on the part of the Bengalis that they have their own complete calendar, and many of their festivals are associated with its dates and months. Among the few calendars actively in use, Bengali calendar is self-asserting. Although the West was the source of the world's civic calendar, the thread cast lines outward to Egypt, Arabia, Mesopotamia, China and India. The Bengalis (a section of the then Indian people) are among the few fortunate ones who have a calendar to use for administrative, commercial, social and religious purposes.

Celebrating the Baishakh festivals abroad conveys a mixed feeling. It is true that the expatriate minds hanker to go back to their homelands on such festive occasions in order to get a first-hand taste of them. But to miss this also gives some sort of pleasure through pains. When we watch on satellite channels the countrymen regardless of age and social stratification celebrating the occasions with considerable mirth and merriment, we fall back on our sweet memories of the past. All modes of Baishakhi celebrations -- the rendering of Tagore songs by Chhayanaut at Ramna Batamul, the mouth-watering display of panta-ilish with onion and green chilli are simply unforgettable. The Baishakhi fairs, the jatra, jari-shari and pala gan, the baul, marfati, murshidi and bhatiali songs, the sensational puppet shows and the thrilling merry-go-rounds now seem to be mind-blowing experiences. People putting traditional Bengali attire on -- men in pajama-punjabi or dhoti-kurta, and women in white sari with red borders wearing bangles around wrists, flowers around locks and tip on forehead are the poignant reminder of the ceremony.

A 'had I the wings of a dove' like feeling seizes the overseas Bengalis, and when it falls, they try to take recourse to Keats' 'unheard melodies' which seem sweeter than those heard. The unheard (or formerly heard) melodies extracted from these sorts of social and cultural festivals appear to be sweeter to them. It is a unique kind of feeling! Something like Tagore's "constantly seeing the beauty of the beloved against the background of her departure." And a whole lot of Bengalis across the globe are trying to get the taste of milk out of buttermilk in regard to the celebration of Baishakh.

Everyone wants their country to be prosperous and successful. This feeling is far more intense to the expatriates than to the natives. The people of Bangladeshi Diaspora want all Bangladeshi to remain united on question of the national interest. What frustrates them most is the current state of our society split by trifling disagreements which amount to serious damage to the country's economy and sometimes cause social and political casualties. The situation has worsened so gravely that even our liberation war history has been fractured. Numerous inter-party and intra-party splits have crippled our national integrity. But we still do have room for unification through the cultural interaction. The people of Bangladesh are by birth and by choice lovers of Baishakhi culture. This could be the vast melting pot of the wide diversity of our population. The new generations should try to unify the country from this common platform. This is felt more intensely from abroad than from home especially on such occasions. Pahela Baishakh can connect all Bengalis all over the world irrespective of castes, creeds, and religions.

There are, however, some avowed anti-Baishakh people who dream of a 'Banglastan'. Despite being born in the alluvial soil of Bangladesh, and raised in its lush green vegetation, these religious fanatics dream of Kabul or Kandahar in their wild flights of fancy. They always pose a threat to the observers to the Baishakhi festivities. The observance of such secular programmes seems to form blisters on their bodies. The cultural activities like those of the Baishakhi could ward off these evil spirits.

There is a growing realisation among the expatriate Bengalis that our nation should be culturally empowered in this age of post-colonial awareness. The once-colonised countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America are bringing about social and cultural revival. We should join the rally. We, too, have a deep-rooted cultural legacy which was frequently being held hostage by the colonial and neo-colonial powers. It is time for us to resurrect our long-borne tradition, and to celebrate our culture in our own ways completely free from any hegemonic on extremist control. No matter where we are, Bengalis are Bengalis.

Dr. Rashid Askari (now abroad) writes fiction and columns and teaches English literature at Kushtia Islamic University.