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Shubho Nobabarsho or how the Bengalees got their Hallmark day ...

Keya Dutt

Baisakhi across the country in Punjab and the Paila Baisakh of Eastern India celebrate the same thing – that is, the New Year. The New Year falls approximately on the 14th or 15th of April in the Gregorian calendar.

While researching for this article I met a number of persons who are in their Nineties (and are optimistic on turning One Hundred Years soon). Their memories of the Noboborsho were ambiguous, to begin with. At first I thought it was the Ninety years old minds that had dimmed and memories harder to dredge up. But after meeting more such persons I realized that the shrug and the ‘what’s the big deal’ expressions were really speaking volumes on not exactly a non-event, but not a momentous festival, either.

‘At least till twenty years back, Noboborsho seemed to be an excuse to spend money on clothes one did not particularly want. Or to be forced to politely eat a meal that sat heavily in the stomach for at least forty eight hours, ‘said Jharna Bose looking a little bemused at being asked how Noboborsho was celebrated in her younger days.

Eighty Nine years old Dhruba Kumar Dutt gradually warmed up to the subject and began describing a nostalgic day that draw parallels with what we witness these days on Noboborsho.

‘Paila Baisakh was always what we looked forward to when Dol (Holi) was over.’ Late March in Bengal is the time of blossoming. The Gulmohur, the Radhachura and the Krishnachura, Agni Palash trees suddenly blossom in red, orange, mauve/violet and soft yellow flowers that although with no fragrance; seemed to ‘make the air redolent with subtle scents’ said Dhruba Kumar Dutt. ‘In the morning of Noboborsho, we the children would be dragged from bed and straight into the bath, scolded by the elders in the family for protesting an early bath in the New Year!’

The early morning bath would be followed by a Puja to Lord Ganesh, dressed in new clothes and eating the offering of sweets to the God on an empty stomach, ‘to keep our speech sweet through the year.’ Then came the visits to the older relations in the city and a ‘royal feast’. But unlike Baisakhi the Bengalees in the city nearly a hundred years ago, were already much too influenced by the English to let go with the exuberance of the Punjabis in ridding the old and welcoming the new. According to Dhruba Kumar Dutt, ‘Noboborsho meant new clothes, pujas and feasts –absolutely no bhangras for us, Bengalees. Some soulful singing may be…’ He said with a twinkle in his eyes.

The most important and significant feature of the New Year or Noboborsho is the opening of the new book of accounts from April of a year. The current accounting year ends in March. But as per rules, all business enterprise, including musicians and actors, dancers and of course writers and publishers, ritualistically ended the current year on Paila Baisakh. The new book of accounts is called Hal Khata or quite simply, the current book of accounts. This is the reason why Lord Ganesh is germane to Noboborsho. All the students of the performing arts were entered afresh in the new book of accounts, just as the new accounts were started in the business enterprises. The new book swathed in red silk, swathed in garlands of flowers and sandal powder; would be offered to Lord Ganesh, the God with the elephant head. After that offering was done, it was the turn of a ritualistic offering to Goddess Kali, the patron Goddess of Bengal. That was the tradition then, and strangely, the tradition now, as well.

Tarun Babu said to be the oldest man on the Boi Para of College Street was enthusiastic about his recollections of the old times. ‘We were on fast from the moment we opened our eyes till the puja ended. Once the Hal Khata is brought back, placed, the feast began, but not a moment before.’ The tradition is still maintained in the book lane of College Street. If anything, it has become that much more pronounced with the passage of time. Perhaps the reason is that the publishers on College Street are the only business enterprise to maintain the Hal Khata – despite the contemporary accounting systems. And even now, many a ‘starving poet in the garret’ fasts for the evening feast that is laid out in every shop, every publishing office on College Street on Noboborsho. This is also the time when the Bengali publishing fraternity announces the new books and the new authors are welcomed with much drinking of sweet tea and fried foods – everyone, Hindu, Muslim or Christian Bengali publisher maintains their loyalty to the language and celebrates the New Year, the same way.

No one can quite identify exactly when a tradition that was frankly falling to tired disuse among the ordinary folk; became the new catchy event it now is. Besides publishing, although not as pervading, is the music industry. For this industry, the big buying season after the Durga Pujas is gradually becoming the Noboborsho.

Similarly, the sale in cards has in the past few years gained a new precedence during the Noboborsho. This is truly the Hallmark mark – from cloyingly sweet verses, to oft quoted Tagore lines are the cards printed for the Noboborsho. Years ago Noboborsho was marked by dutiful letters written on postcards to relations living away – now the Noboborsho cards are similar to the Christmas cards and really, just as useful.

About fifteen years ago, restaurants did not specialize in Bengali food, with the solitary exceptions that one could count on one hand. About fifteen years ago Noboborsho was when ordinary restaurants dressed up some of their staff in Bengali sartorial best and began serving some apologetic easy cross over traditional dishes. All that changed within a year or two. All city restaurants were hunting for traditional dishes and traditional costumes and advertising their Bengali New Year fare. What about the cross over dishes? No chance – it is the traditional dishes all the way…

Obviously there was a demand for the traditional foods. The restaurant owners were themselves taken aback by the popularity of the Noboborsho meals. Mandira Mukherjee of the Charnock’s restaurant in Salt Lake says, ‘it was great fun to search through the recipe files maintained by elderly female relations and rediscover dishes from yester years. And how popular these turned out, when served in the restaurant.’ As always the city dwellers were won over through their stomachs. Bibi Sarkar of ‘Bibi of Taaja’s’ admits it is a challenge to hunt out the most traditional of Bengali dishes for Noboborsho. ‘The funny thing is the more traditional a dish, the more the non-Bengali palate is satiated. Truly, now it is the non-Bengali who eats the traditional Bengali food at Noboborsho.’ Restaurants advertise days ahead and take bookings from early to avoid disappointing.

When the Chaitra sales (the month preceding Baisakh or the English month of March) began grabbing the attention of buyers in the street bazaars of Gariahat and Hathibagan; other shoppers’ hub began following their act. Some shops in malls are also adding Chaitra to their sales announcements. New clothes shopping is not as yet on par with Puja, Eid or Christmas sales, but the Noboborsho hype for new clothes has not escaped the canny store managers. Hallmark can and does sell Christmas to all consumers, therefore, no reason why the Hallmark moment cannot cut across cultures and reach our shores. So it is that the Bengali Noboborsho has not passed the notice of domestic workers, the female of which species, after all is always hard to keep contented. The Puja bonus notwithstanding, a new sari is the demand of these women. Jharna Bose bitterly complained, ‘who knows when this new phase of gifting during Noboborsho came about. In our younger days we never gave two sets of gifts to our workers.’ She says, grandly.

As they say, the more time that lapses, the more things remain the same. Noboborsho is more traditional, more faux Bengali than ever before.

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