New Beginnings

for the members of the community

Express Features Service

For Anup and Manishi Mazumdar,the festival of Poila Boishakh this year has a special meaning. They are ushering in the festival with their one-month-old daughter Anika. “While the new year has always been about sweets and celebrations and new clothes,this time,with our baby daughter,it will be extra special for the family,” says Anup. Poila Boishakh,or the New Year of the Bengali community,is celebrated in different parts of the city and usually involves lengthy pujas during the day.

Subir Sengupta,secretary of the Kali Bari Samiti,Pune,says,“We usually have people coming in to perform pujas for a prosperous year ahead. In addition,the temple committee also distributes sweets to everyone on this day. We also drape the idols of Goddess Maa Kali and Maa Durga in new clothes to signify a prosperous year ahead.”

Muzumdar adds that the festival is all about the sweets too. “Payesh,a sweet dish made with rice,is a staple during the day. We also seek the blessings of our elders,” he says. Another tradition that has become obsolete these days is that of the Tulsi Puja. “People would pray to the Tulsi plant (Holy Basil) in their houses. However now the practice is not followed,” informs Sengupta.

At the Puneshwari Kali Mata Temple in Hadapsar,temple priest Dilip Ghoshal says the New Year is ushered in with Satyanarayan puja,Shanti puja and also a bhog. “The bhog comprises khichuri,bhaja,a mixed vegetable and sweets. The bhog is usually held for those members who inform us in advance. The day is mostly spent in pujas hence we have limited bhog for the people,” he informs.

“There are over five lakh Bengalis in Pune,” says Sengupta adding,“The day is hence of prime importance. Even at our temple,around 1000 devotees come during the day. There used to be a lot of cultural events earlier but now the celebrations are just limited to the pujas and the sweets.”