Pahela Baisakh - Bengal's Heritage of Flok songs

Baishakh

Imagine you wake up from your sleep hearing the sweet and melodious voice of soulful singers welcoming Bengali New Year, rendering the heart-touching Rabindra Sangeet “Esho Hey Baishakh Esho Esho”…how would you feel? I know, it sounds like a dream for most of the people but I am one of the luckiest persons to be residing in an area just 2 minutes walk from DC Hill in Chittagong. So I don't miss out anything, starting from sunrise till the programme ends!

The Dhakaites might think that they are the luckiest persons to have “Ramna Botomul”, to be able to join the “Mongol Shobhajatra”. Well, there are not so many theme parks or food courts in Chittagong like Dhaka has, neither Chittagong gets that extra-special attention from the sprouting electronic and print medias of the country, but we have naturally one of the most beautiful cities of Bangladesh which has produced famous artists/artistes for the nation, which has deep-rooted culture in its origin and which knows to celebrate in its own style.

In Chittagong, the largest programme on Pahela Baishakh is held on DC Hill premises, which has a spectacular view of hills and mountains overlooking the stage. All day long the performers of almost all the cultural organizations of Chittagong welcome the New Year with songs, poetry recitation, drama, and many more. Women and young girls like to be ornamented in beautiful red and white sari, with flowers tucked in the hair and bindi in the forehead, and men in colorful Panjabi .

As the host of the largest celebrations to welcome the Bangla Noboborsho in Chittagong, DC Hill gets its best facelift of the year, completely geared up to host the largest festival of the Bengali ethnicity. With all the cultural programmes, the place turns vibrant with people enjoying every bit of Bengali Noboborsho. Exploring the fair, one gets to walk around Baishakhi tradition, heritage and culture. This fair showcases the rich diversity of local handicraft items of our country. And of course, there are our very own Panta-Ilish, besides many other traditional Pithas and other food items for the foodies. This event is so full of diversities, that I sometimes find it quite interesting when I go through some traditional toys, handicrafts and different dry foods, the name of which I don't even know! If you like diversity, then this celebration is the one to make you happy. Moreover, to add even more colour to the celebrations, you can get your face painted by the artists while entering this venue, which is the chance one will not want to and should not miss!

For the school-going young girls and boys, Pahela Baishakh seems to be the festival when they can actually get dressed up like the elders and for them, nothing can beat their desire to be in their school for Baishakhi programmes. With almost all the schools organizing Meena Bazaar, cultural shows, fairs and many more, schools in Chittagong become more colourful on the eve of Pahela Baishakh. Dances, dramas, songs, poetry recitation by the kids show how these youngsters feel about Baishakh. I personally will miss my school as I am going to start college this year, because every year I hosted the colourful cultural programme of Pahela Baishakh of my school. We used to have the ever beautiful poetry recitals, the perfectly choreographed dance, the rendering of soulful songs. And last but not least the food… Ah! The mouth-watering delicacies of our country!

Those of you who don't want to get intimidated by this sweltering heat, you can celebrate the day in popular clubs, hotels or where Panta Bhat and Padmar Ilish along with many other deshi delicacies are available. Besides DC hill, there is Shilpakala Academy, Shishu Academy, Art College and many other places where people from different walks of life enjoy the festival with the same spirit and enthusiasm. Besides, for the last couple of years University of Chittagong also welcomes the Bengali New Year in its own way.

In Chittagong, on the last day of Chaitra, in all the vegetable markets one will get Bioscope, a mixture of at least 30 vegetables from all over Bangladesh which is really complicated to cook but great to eat! Well, I don't really know why on earth this bucket full of mixture of different vegetables are called Bioscope, but trust me, it tastes really good. After all, what's the harm in welcoming a brand new year with some fresh vegetables dishes?

The recent trend in Chittagong is the craze of concerts during Pahela Baishakh! So concerts are a must in Chittagong. Popular bands perform mostly in Foy's lake. And joining the race is popular underground bands, which generally perform in Muslim hall, Shilpakala Academy and Well food centre etc.

The business houses open new accounts on Pahela Baishakh. This account book, popularly known as Halkhata, is used by almost every business house in Chittagong. And if you are one of the luckiest people to visit the shops on Pahela Baishakh, then get ready to be showered with gifts and having great sweets! Some also send beautifully designed cards to their clients.

The fashion houses and boutique shops in Chittagong are not behind in the race! From the 1st of April, these stores introduce new line for Baishakh. Designed exquisitely, with splash of flamboyant colours, the clothes include saris, panjabis, kameeze, fotua, t-shirt, shirt and matching accessories.

With the grace of satellite channels, one can easily sit back at home and relax while watching the TV. Though one is able to watch programmes of different part of our country with just a mere press in the remote control, but who can beat the fun and joy of watching the whole programme live? With friends and family, munching the jhalmuri and chinabadam and singing at the top of your lungs, the delight is somewhat special.

These are the ways we Chittagonians welcome Pahela Baishakh. If you have never been to Chittagong, then come on this very special day and enjoy the hospitality of us, the Chittagonians, where celebration touches millions of hearts, where celebration touches the souls.

A day not to be missed

These days we celebrate a very glossy, multihued and extravagant Pahela Baishakh. We arrange everything meticulously and the least mistake makes us terribly upset. We need exclusive saree and panjabi matching jewelry, food, transport, concert everything according to individual choice. And it has no other way to be anything but fulfilling our utmost satisfaction. Although Pahela Baishakh is supposed to be an occasion for all classes of people, still the lower class can't enjoy it with full relish. However, it is encouraging to note that there are a lot of arrangements like open air concert, Baishakhi mela and so on which can be enjoyed without any cost (if only you can avoid the luxury of buying anything from mela). Dhaka residents never miss the celebration of Pahela Baishakh. Their not leaving Dhaka during the occasion no doubt contributes to more traffic jam but we face it with the true spirit of Baishakh.

Some religious fundamentalists define the celebration of Baishakh as a part of Hinduism with which Islam has no connection at all. But culture is something which cannot be hemmed in any bondage. Culture is the existence of a nation itself on which its own national tradition is established. Those who are continuously active in creating a conflict between religion and culture are in fact behind all sorts of unlawful activities in the name of religion.

When I was a student there was no fear of such extremist elements. The places of Baishakh celebration were also limited. Dhaka University campus, Charukola Institute and Ramna Botomul were the only places for me. But now even with the terror of fundamentalists, Baishakhi programmes take place in a number of places like Rabindra Shorobor, Boshundhara Shopping Mall, different academic institutions, different clubs, different cultural academy premises, different theme parks, different restaurants and so on. The increasing rate of participation is also apparently a manifestation of Bangali's cultured mentality. For enjoying this day they buy clothes, decorate homes, cook special food and join cultural programmes. Many of them are seen to indulge into a lot of extravagance that they never had before. However, I am not here to preach to people that a penny saved is a penny earned. The question which bothers me is that should we keep the flow of capitalism in the name of promoting Bangali fashion on some special occasions only? Aren't we playing games with our own cultural self-respect? How many of us think of promoting a local product all through the year? How many of us know the significance of celebrating Pahela Baishakh itself? It seems, to have Panta for one day in 365 days is better than not to have tasted Panta ever. It is good that at least people have the taste of Panta putting on traditional dress for the sake of Baishakh celebration, wouldn't it be better if they did something for the regular Panta eaters so that they could also have the flavor of enjoying Panta on the first day of Baishakh?

I have no intention to hamper the enjoyment and merrymaking to the least pondering over the significance but I think it is our national duty to notify our new generation that Pahela Baishakh is something to feel with your heart, something to be absorbed and infused in, something to be proud of, something which will give you courage to dream and revolt against all sorts of ugliness. Whenever I hear my students saying that they do not know what is Mongol Shovajatra, or what is the significance of 'Esho hey Baishakh esho esho', I just feel dejected. Still I can't blame them as it is our responsibility to enlighten them about it. It is positive that we are heading for internationalism but at the same time we not only have to protect but also have to promote our own cultural, our own traditional dedication. When I join a Baishakhi Mela with someone from the new generation, I am sorry to say, although I find everything here as like as a super-shop, I miss the tenderness, the profundity, and the hospitality-the very basics on which my Bangali identity hinges.

I would like to end my write-up with an anecdote: the day I first wanted to join Mongol Shovajatra launched by Charukola Institute on Pahela Baishakh, I did not have a white saree with a red border which I was supposed to wear. As my mother was a sincere government service holder, she could not manage time to buy a saree for me. It is tough to express in words how upset I was. Just the day before the big occasion she however managed to fetch a sareewala from whom she bought a saree for me. But unfortunately there was no blouse to wear with it. My heart was broken. I could not sleep. After a lot of trying, I don't remember when I slept but I do still remember the interruption of my sleep caused by a terrible (?) sound of an old sewing machine with which my mother was sewing my blouse in the middle of the night.

Akash bhora shurjo tara...

Since childhood the first of Baishakh (Pahela Baishakh), April 14, always felt so festive, more than our religious festivals or haats or any fairs. For me, any festival regardless of religion, race, colour, caste, age etc., never made my brain so cluttered in terms of any celebration. So I celebrate everyday, every moment, as life comes with various colours and tunes.

It feels good when I have this "josh" as our youngsters label to live my life to the fullest....so everyday is Pahela Baishakh, Valentine's Day...just name any special dates from the global calendar and our local culture....it's the same. We just need a reason to enjoy a bit more on that very day.....and why not? We are such romantic people with such romantic culture. Foreigners whoever visits our country always remembers Bangladesh for her PEOPLE....the shower of warmth and affection...and the art and culture revolving around....and the bright colours of our nature.

Yet, somehow, when it comes to Pahela Baishakh, the heart feels some unusual, enthralling rhythm....juggling tunes....beating drums in the midst of our crazy go go life.... in this JUNGLE ....the city !! Aah! The first rain....the new life to the green, to go more aesthetically romantic, to let us indulge into the profoundness.... gazing at the galaxy. Oh Allaah, God, Bhagwan, Ishwar, Khuda....what a beautiful world YOU have created for us to cherish every second !!

Tagore poetry always influenced me in creating graphical prints in my humble "fashion" work ....quite a constant inspiration....can't call it "fashion" but “Wearable Traditional Art With Modernity.” I could never master singing Tagore without any training other than Indian Classical, Urdu Ghazals and Old Bangla songs....the reason is I applied Tagore poetry without the vocal part but with much romanticism and art giving my own "aneela' tune to Tagore creations. My sarees, shirts, scarfs, traditional old style kameeze, blouses, chonga kurta, churidar and uttorios...didn't leave any of Tagore's desired attires with much respect towards Mahatma Gandhi's khadi, Rajshahi silk, village cotton and tribal arty work!!

I had applied Tagore scripts on fabric 8 years back with much doubt how my Bangladeshi audience would react other than Internationals....guess the result became quite complementary facing much ditto copies at many design houses, shops, super markets, big craft brands over 2 years in Dhaka now...with much media publicity....calling their own aesthetics sometimes without any thought process....just like any new idea gets copied in any sector.

In 2004, my first bridal creations in Khadi was quite a stir in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh....do we really appreciate as a part of our strong heritage? It took me a while, yet my bold approach didn't fail....so I am such a proud global deshi that I simply can't let go my culture as “gone with the wind” !! Thanks to my audience who still kept it alive.

As Tagore says his creation is so "katha prodhan" that is 'word oriented' that you just have to give enough suited tune to make his words more empowering and healing to feel every move...it should create much ripple in your heart to get carried away into his world creating your own...since I couldn't sing I created Tagore music on fashion...guess that is how I celebrated each and everyday with such vision...though I have preferences....the romantic poetry moves me the most......guess I live out of my dreams....and Tagore helps me to go romantic to think better....a little fancy, a little paradise in my own techy system to do better and stronger creation in straight colours......in a graphical manner being a professional graphic designer it helps the most.

According to tradition, Pahela Baishakh colours are straight red border white saree. I guess the white absorbs all the heat of the Baishakh and every soul dressed up from early morning appear to be some live doves everywhere...much peace everywhere...what a beauty...what aesthetics we Bangladeshis inherited as a culture....that we rock our world with Baul, Lalon, Marphoti, Bhatiyali, Jari, Jatra and more.....besides Tagore and Nazrul shongeet. The ethnicity of the tribal colourful culture is my other inspiration over years from my nationwide adventurous travels besides globe trotting...my biggest hobby...it is always a part of Pahela Baishakh creations for me.

The folk motifs of flower, fish, elephant, leaf, garden, bird, peacock on art and craft; pot chitra, painted pitchers, block designs, painted clay and wooden dolls, kula as winnowing fan, shitol paati, various baskets, coconut shell buttons/jewelry, maduli, hand fans with embroidery, lakshmi's sara (earthen pot) with motifs of elephant, bird, Lakshmi and Krishna, handkerchief, bags, glass bangles, shotoronji, shawls, madur (straw rugs), terracotta plaques, influenced by various religions....our heritage...all fused in one on this very day. Then there are Mughal Sonargaon muslin, Dhakai jamdani, Tangail taant, Komilla Gandhi khaadi, Rajshahi silk, North Bengal kanthas, gumcha, Grameen check, village cotton...with all traditional folk ritual art as alpana painting, ghazi's pot with village adventure stories depicted in symbols, earthen pot, sand pitchers, decorated with symbols of lily, duck, fish, flowers and geometric shapes.....all these derived from nature and get presented in such festive form on this very Pahela Baishakh....wish we had these as reminders of our rich heritage in our daily life...in fact, can’t we?

Besides all forms of art of our Bengali tradition we can't ignore our aesthetics on architectural heritage from which these motifs are derived as well as inspired by various religions. Daas are much influenced by the PUTHI scribes on banana leaf if you dig our heritage...this happened before offset press was invented...all intellectuals depended on such scribes.....we being the techy product makes things easy when playing with such ideas on our creations.

To me Pahela Baishakh doesn't require any specific fashion shows as such the ramp is the common stage of the nationwide life, the commoners are the models and their presentation in such beautiful colours of red, white, yellow, banana leaf green, sky blue are the colours of nature's catwalk....with simple terracotta jewelry and glass/clay/straw bangles.....our people are the models and our Traditional Heritage of textiles, arts and craft are our content of this live ramp...aren't we lucky? We have it all as a BRAND -"Bangladeshi" - so glad to see our people having interesting wardrobe with a variety of khadi, taant, village cotton, jamdani, silk and kanthas.....if our people didn't promote these I don't think I could survive here....thanks to our people, made my life worth a living.

In fact, everyday should be a fashion catwalk for every soul...everyone should dress to kill. Pahela Baishakh is not only about the right attire as 'fashion"...it's the whole concept....getting everyone under one roof as one consortium sharing one culture.....our heritage: music, theatre, dance, literature, art, textiles, craft and above all the security with law and order to enjoy our FREEDOM to welcome Bengali new year with much grace...just enjoy as ONE NATION with no labels of religion, race or colour.

So readers...celebrate everyday...with colours; red, yellow, blue, orange, green, purple...all the colours of our rainbow as you see after a slight rain...colour your life that way...life will feel beautiful like Pahela Baishakh everyday....and create your own world with much positivity.

Our cultural heritage

Following the Bangla calendar, when the Pahela Baisakh comes and we step into a new year, we try to search our souls with a view to rediscovering our cultural heritage originating from this deltaic land mingled with the Bengali ethnicity. On this day, most of the Bengalis, especially those from the middle class, are engrossed in nostalgic feelings, appreciating the glorious past of our nationhood.

Indeed, once upon a time we had the colourful cultural spectrum. Agro-based village society of the land had the multi-dimensional cultural aspects. Literally we observed, 'Baro masee tero parbon' (thirteen festivals in twelve months) based on various features of six seasons, religious festivity and other social issues. In secular manner once all Bengalis celebrated many festivals like Nabanna, Poush Mela, Chaitra Sankranti, Eid, Moharam, Durga Puja, Kali Puja and so on. Among these festivals, many were purely secular (e.g. Nabanna, Poush Mela) and some were religious. However, many of pure secular festivals like Nababna, Poush Mela, have been sent to the museum at the point of history when most of the solvent middle class people were urbanised keeping behind their past peasant roots in remote villages.

In the past, the boundary between religious communities was blurred, especially in festivals. Hindus invited their fellow Muslim friends in their Pujas; conversely Hindus also participated as guests in the Muslim's events and at that time there was no social taboos as we sometime observe in our 'modern' time. In those days, Islam of the land did not raise any question whether that particular festival originated from Hindu religion and whether Muslims should be debarred from participation. The reason behind this lay in the way of preaching Islam which began in around the 14th century in this region. Most of the people who were converted into Islam in the erstwhile East Bengal were from the lower strata of the Hindu community and they were inspired by the 'Peers'/'Aowalias' who followed the Sufism, contrary to the orthodox view of the Islam. This Sufism stressed on a spiritual union with God and did not require its newest adherents to abandon their traditional beliefs and practice totally. So, the influence of the indigenous Bengali cultural practices is predominantly evident among the Muslim community in this region. For this, the majority of the Bengali Muslim maintained liberal outlook and traditionally believe in the principle of peaceful coexistence with other religious communities.

Though over the time, we have lost some of our traditional festival days, still we can be proud of our addition of Ekushey as a very special day which grew out of love for our mother tongue Bangla. Language is the most powerful instrument for smooth propagation of cultural heritages from generation to generation. Bangla language has reached such a position that we can confidently assert that this is one of the richest languages of the globe. Bengalis from both Bangladesh and India have enriched Bangla to that extent that we are about to establish Bangla in all aspects of our life, starting from education to other private and public domains. Despite this assertion, if we assess the use of Bangla in our everyday lives, a frustrating scenario will definitely be surfaced.

At present, in day-to-day conversation, in general, many youngsters are using mangled Bangla infused with large scale English and Hindi vocabularies. The advertisement of various cellular phone companies capture the language of the urban middle-class youth which is mixed up with English, Hindi vocabularies to a large extent in Bengali dialect in order to appear smart and cool. This new Creole has a greater impact on the everyday conversation of this generation. Even the electronic media, especially private FM band radio stations and some private TV channels, are promoting this sub culture of language practice in their different programs .

In academic domain too, we are promoting English, as all pervasive globalization dictates us to do so, otherwise we will stay behind in the present competitive world in all aspects. In fact, we wrongly perceive globalization as one way traffic and consequently we have become only the receiving end. But if we ignite our mind with patriotism, definitely we will be able to contribute much to our own language Bangla to the process of globalization. In fact, if we compare Bangla with other modern languages then it can be ascertained that it has all properties to be a global media for communications. Still we collectively have failed to promote Bangla globally and resist the aggression of neo-colonial linguistic practice.

If we really want to portray ourselves as a nation, with self esteem we must uphold the inherent essence of Bengali nationalism --- secularism and Bangla language. We have a long way to go. Mich/ael Billing, a contemporary sociologist of the UK, in his book entitled 'Banal Nationalism' has suggested that if a nation wants to uphold its cultural aspects and heritage in the psyche of its people, continuous flagging of the cultural aspects of that nation is a must. This assertion connotes the popular Bengali songs, 'Ek tara bazaio na/ Dui tara bazaio na/ Ek tara bazaile mone poira jai/ ek din Bangali chhilam re' (Don't play ektara/Don't play duitara/The tunes of ektara reminds me/One time I was Bengali). So, if we want to instil our cultural heritage and traditions into the mindset of the people, we need to practise our cultural ethos in our everyday life.

A moment to act!

Daughter of a rich dad, 15 year-old Riya (not her real name) studies in a posh school in Dhaka. She has lots of things in her passion-of-my-life list that she loves doing consistently, among which 'partying with friends' stands at the top.

She arranges parties twice every week with a bunch of pretty boys and girls as her ever-willing guests. And what're those parties all about? Wait a minute, ask me what they aren't.

Dancing with hot, steamy music videos running on 42 inches flat screen, consuming every type of drinks that are gleefully available in her refrigerator, engaging in relentless chaotic yelling of Yankee slangs, and finally….. Well, that I leave to your noble imagination.

This is a common 'fun' that is meticulously being relished by the entire group of 'young people' of her posh localities, and mind it, the members of this group are increasing like pop corn.

You may wonder what the parents of that girl do! Haven't they got any control on her? They could have, but where is their time for that if they keep using their residence like a guest house?

In 2001, a school bus of another prominent institution on its way to school suddenly met with an accident in Mohakhali. The bus accidentally hit a tempo causing that to overturn and injure the passengers out of whom most were female garments workers.

Seeing the empty road, the driver speeded the bus to escape either a police case or a 'ghoosh-giving ceremony', leaving the crying ladies lying on the road along with their torments.

The students sitting inside the bus kept doing what they were doing: chatting among the-
mselves.

Not a single student bothered to look out the window to see what happened outside, at least for the sake of a small 'ishhhhh…' or 'ah…!', or even their archetypal 'shit-t-t-t, man!' They just overlooked the incident as if nothing happened.

The driver, out of some sort of guilty feeling, tried to compensate with a lament which drew some 'come on, what's the big deal about it aha?' remarks from all.

I looked at the boys with some curiosity. Evening had fallen by then. A soft monsoon breeze was blowing elatedly. Rain might come any moment, I guessed.

Still in their sweet teens, the boys were in an adda by a car parked beside a fast food shop. 'Back Street Boys' haircut and 'Metallica' arrogance proudly bursting out in their appearances.

But, I discovered a clear helplessness in their eyes. They were searching for something. But what was that?

My friend stopped his car nearby just for 10 minutes to buy fuchka. As I came out too, I managed to overhear their talks. Well, they had been talking in a language that was alien to me. I only understood that it was predominantly English without any 'English' in it.

Were they members of our youth culture? By the word 'our', I mean 'quintessentially of Bangladeshi Bangalee'.

I knew the answer: NO. They looked Bangladeshi due to their appearance and also due to the fact that physically they existed in Bangladesh.

But emotionally? When they came out on the crowded streets of Dhaka, when they breathed the moisture-laden air of Dhaka, when they watched the dusty pavements and nagging beggars at the traffic stops, when they looked at the office-people waiting for the buses to return home after day's work, did they discover the environment anywhere which they had been so fond of: the realm of spicy slangs and colourful parties, boorish raps and heavy metals, gambles and turbo-engine car races?

They didn't. And that's where the vulnerability of their psychological existence lied. They did not belong to the society they existed, and the society they craved for did not exist around them.

Such ruthless ordeal of humanity, I thought. I understood that they were in search of tranquility of their souls, something so brutally ravaged by the dilemma artificially created by their environment. Peace had never been so cheap a material that even normal people could buy anytime, let alone these boys!

The looks in their eyes seemed paler to me, and I felt frustration in my heart. 'What are you going to do with them, Bangladesh?' I asked silently.

Bangladesh at that moment did not have any answer for me.

I have known several Non-resident Bangladeshi (NRB) teenagers, and to my great wonder, most of them possess good commonsense and soft feelings towards the people and society of ours. I even found some of them working for NGOs in poverty-elimination projects whenever they came to Bangladesh. They went to rural societies amid summer heat or monsoon rain. They talked and mixed with commoners and relished the hospitality of their homes with pitha and mohisher doi.

Though shocked by the poverty-level everywhere, they were awed by the sincerity and diligent attitude of our people. Some lamented by saying, 'Hey man, we have such promising workforce, how come they would always remain poor!'

Rabab, born and brought up in Texus, said, 'I haven't got the chance to see things for myself though I heard so much from my papa and mama over there; now I can realize one thing that it is WE, the so-called elites sitting in cities, who never want our people to improve. But boy, this country could've been a paradise!'

I later on asked the other NRBs whether they thought it right what Rabab thought right. And to my pleasure, the answer was affirmative from all.

Ever since my interaction with the NRBs, I have been often shaken by the thought of this contrast between the NRB kids and our patrician party-crazy kids, Riya for instance. Or even the school-going kids of that bus in Mohakhali. Such disparity in outlook toward parental land, why was that!

That evening in Dhanmondi, when I was looking at the eyes of the boys and was touched by the apparent helplessness glowing from their eyes, I sensed the importance of 'carrying a culture with oneself'. Our social world around us has been the prime arena that has built, as well as rebuilt, our notions on an experimental basis, ever since we were born. We have internalized everything around us: the value system, the norms, the ethics, the laws, everything. It is because, we have been carrying a culture as well as the people belonging to that culture.

The NRBs too, have been doing the same thing. Well, they haven't been carrying the culture of their parental land. But they have been under the culture of the land they were born. The society they have been living, and the society they have been dreaming are identical to them. In their environment, they have never been traumatized by the conflict of reality versus myth. You cannot call them rootless. And since they have not been rootless, they can transfer their cultural attitudes to our society when they do occasional home-coming.

But here, in this wretched land of fifteen crore people, the conflict of attitude is monstrous. I have told the reasons earlier. See, when on the one hand you have a massive chunk of kids never tasting paalong shaak and alu bhawrta since their birth, never getting a piece of cloth on festivals, and on the other hand you have a small section of kids riding brand new cars with the liberty to choose between beef-stew and chicken-breast at lunch, you know that something has been seriously going wrong. Not somewhere, but everywhere! Therefore, our culture has been vandalized by wrongdoings.

Today, I ask you Pahela Baishakh, for how long should you stay merely as one-day romanticism for Bangalees? When will you make it your habit to make us realize the glory of carrying our own culture within us, and consequently relish the pride in being the children of this soil?

The unifying symbol

Pahela Baishakh is the symbol of unification for the Bengali population. It is the common thread by means of which people of all strata living in the land called Bangladesh are bundled together. It provides an uncommon spirit which is cherished by everybody, irrespective of caste and creed, colour and tongue, sex and age, passion and occupation. It unites the rich and the poor, the master and the slave, the literate and the illiterate, the healthy and the sick, the blessed and the damned. The unifying spirit is original and undying. It is rooted in the long year-charting tradition of the Bangla-speaking people. It is a unique cultural potency of the Bengali.

As soon as Nabobarsha knocks at the door, the at-mosphere is filled with an aura of joy. It spills over the emotional content of mass mind. They chant: “Esho Hey Baishakh Esho Esho. Tapasho Nishwasho Bayey, Mumursherey Dao Urayey. Bachharer Abarjana Dur Hoyey Jak.” (Welcome Baishakh! Come and blow away the dying soul with your pure breath. Let the debris of year disappear.) People welcome the first day of Bengali calendar with music and poetry, spraying all their aroma of sentiment in air, painting the sky with their colour of dream. Poets write new poems, lyricists write new songs and composers attach melody to them, which the singers sing with all their energy in vocal cords. Tender sensations grow up like the sprouting leaves on bough. Mind turns green and vibrant like nature.

People exchange Nabobarsha greetings as the day breaks. Some even start it right from the zero hour at midnight. Greetings fly near and far. It is accomplished with mouth and machine. Technology has made greetings easier. Besides card greetings, SMS greetings with the aid of cell phone are produced aplenty. Wishes for happiness and prosperity do not remain restricted to a particular community only, but it extends across all communities. Wherever the Bengali people, be in Bangladesh or outside, they feel a common identity via the common cultural heritage. The ethnic or religious identity is rendered less important. The Muslims, Hindus, Buddhas, and the Christians -- whatever ethnic origin they may have -- all come under the same roof standing on the same piece of rock. Pahela Bashakh is out and out secular in character.

Pahela Baiskash descends on the banks of Padma and Jamuna with all the mystery of the universe. The sun of the day appears to be different as it rises, radiating scintillating ray, in the eastern horizon. The ray dives quick into the wondering eyes, making them restive with awe and admiration, gradually melting into a festive mood. People step out of home and gather here and there. They call all others to come out and make the day most enjoyable. The beat of dhol and the tune of flute show them the way. They sing and dance: “Melai Jairey …. Melai Jairey.” They rush to fair and mingle with the crowd, in array or disarray. Baishakhi Mela gets abuzz with the haggling of buyers and sellers. Various kinds of fancy goods along with foodstuffs like khoi, muri, batasha and nimki etc catch the visitors' vision.

Pahela Baishakh brings a sense of purity and freshness in the people's mind. They wear new clothes and move from house to house. If somebody cannot afford a new attire, he/she wash the old one and iron it to a new look. Children specially frolic in the neighbourhood with new dress-up. They seek blessings of the superiors for a prosperous future. The superiors also lavishly pour all their good wishes on them. Male adults put on panjabi and fatua while women wear sari of special texture and design. White sari with red border is usually their first choice. Girls also adorn themselves with flowers and otherwise, fitting the occasion. Breaking the communal boundaries, people embrace one another and transmit their warmth of heart across. It is an exquisite scene, very rare in other cultures of the world. Hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder, they pledge to go forward in their mutual benefit.

Pahela Baishakh brings heyday for artisans and craftsmen. On the eve of the celebration, they become busy to make assorted artefacts consistent with the taste of the day. New earthen wears are prepared and painted in due hue. Various sorts of handicrafts, with superb designs, hit the market. Baishakhi fashion is specially reflected in men and women's wears. The students of fine arts make colourful objects, which symbolically represent the Bengali life and culture, for the procession of Pahela Baishakh. They call it “Mangal Shobhajatra” meaning 'welfare parade'. With the marching of people from all walks of life, the message of peace and harmony is floated around, to the living generations and the posterity.

Pahela Baishakh brings people closer when they shun all their narrowness in demeanour. They become amiable and go for amicable solution of their day-to-day hitching. They burry the hatchet and even embrace the enemies. They know it is an opportunity for consolidating relationship. Friends meet friends and relatives meet relatives. It upholds social understanding and unity. Every village, every street, every bazaar turns into a bustling rendezvous. People engage themselves in the pleasure of meeting, without any worry of separation. They share the delight of association. They take care that nobody is gloomy in this special day. May all be merry and happy -- that is Bakshakhi mantra. The waves of joy flow in all directions. Nobody is deprived of its majestic touch.

Young minds get soaked in romantic feelings in the day. They throng the thoroughfares and parks to open their heart wide. They become isolated in crowd. They talk without cessation to increase the noise of celebration. They go to riverside or lakeside and discover themselves in the dim watery reflection. They let loose their imagination and hover in heaven in accompaniment of clouds. Their eyes glisten with the dew of emotion and the glee flashes through their body and soul. They become elated to recite: “Aji e prabhatey rabir kar, kemoney pashilo praner par, kemoney pashilo guhar adharey prabhat pakhir gan, na jani kenorey etodin parey jagia uthilo pran….Jagia uthechhey pran orey utholi uthechhey bari, orey praner bashona praner abeg rudhia rakhitey nari.” (At this dawn how could the ray of sun reach the soul, how could the song of morning birds reach the gloom of cave, I don't know why life sprang up after so many days….When life is up with the tumult of water, the desire and emotion of heart cannot be resisted.)

People in Bangladesh prepare all delicious foods on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh. They arrange dish to the best of their capacity. It is a common belief of the denizens of this deltaic geography that a modest menu in Pahela Baishakh will ensure them so throughout the year. Therefore they buy big fishes and cook rich foods at home for themselves and for guests. And everybody is a potential guest. Nobody is denied hospitality in this day. The hosts consider it a blessing that they entertain others. They derive great pleasure in 'atithi appayan'. Anybody may drop in any dwelling; there is no barrier. This is an immaculate residue of pristine Bengali culture.

Pahela Baishakh brings life to urban and rural culture alike, though the mode of celebration is a little different in two domains. The city celebrations air more pomp and colour. It excels in sophistication of arrangement. Here more money is spent for organising functions and fairs. Village celebrations, apparently a bit lacklustre, are however no less vivacious. In fact, rural space is the blood stream of the particular cultural saga of Baiskakh. City people might take panta rice with a piece of hilsha as breakfast rather as a fashion while panta (often taken with green chilli) is a regular dish for village people. Pahela Baishakh celebration entails a little artificiality in city, so to say. But there is no lack of cheerfulness anywhere. The city has concert while the village has bayati ashor. They city has electronic musical instruments while the village has ektara, dotara or behala. The city has the orgy of wild ball while the village has Manipuri and traditional folk dance.

Hal-khata is one of the important features of Pahela Baishakh. The business people open their new book of account, offering sweetmeat to their customers. Whoever approaches the shopkeepers, they are given jilapi or amriti as a token of good will. The businessmen shun all their petty business interest and become generous for the day. Just one day before, they closed the old account. They kept aside the old affair of debit and credit. They are now fresh and smiling. They try to convey the message -- 'We care for each other.' The practice is found in small traders as well as big shopping malls. The southern breeze infuses the vastness of Bay in the mind of business people, who are characteristically accustomed to counting money.

It is unfortunate for Bangladesh, founded on secular politically idealogy, that it has witnessed the rise and spread of religious fundamentalism and terrorism in recent years. Religious fanaticism is all against the secular Bengali spirit. The fanatics are out there to destabilise the country by destroying the harmony among the religious communities. So they attacked the Pahela Baishakh celebration at Ramna Batomul. In fact all secular symbols of the Bengali are their target. So they launched attack on Baul sculpture, Udichi function and movie houses. They undermined the secular legal systems killing judges. They exploded bombs to create panic among general public. It is an ominous sign. All peace-loving people must be cautious of the hatred-mongering outfits. Being imbued with the spirit of Nabobarsha, they must resist the sinister force.

The power of Pahela Baishakh is magical. Good-hearted people here may gather vigour from the long-cherished culture and build up a harmonious society for them. No evil force can succeed in denting the undaunted spirit, the spirit that we uphold in our thought and action -- that inspires us to remain united getting over all communal feelings. The spirit will flow from heart to heart, from generation to generation, to invigorate the ideal of secularity and humanity. The Bengali will always boast of the unifying symbol, which is bestowed on them by the rites of rich cultural tradition.

Culture in global communication age

Pahela Baishakh is at once a cultural phenomenon and an expression of exuberance of emotion that combine to unite the nation-state of Bangladesh, even if for one of those rare days in a Gregorian calendar when the nation presents a united front. Sadly, too many divisive factors all too often present a picture of national disunity, but we will not go into that dismal state of affairs on this day of symbolic rejuvenation, joy and merriment that is the commencement of the Bangla New Year: Pahela Baishakh.

That Bangalis celebrate the advent of their calendar year, and follow it simultaneously with the universal Gregorian calendar is a testament to their proud cultural tradition. Culture, as a scholar pithily states, is “an abstraction from behaviour.” It is a means to an end, which, in more of an abstract sense, is the security and continuity of life. It is, in that sense, stronger than life, and stronger than death. From a relatively more concrete standpoint, one scholar defines culture as “integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behaviour that is both a result of and integral to the human capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations. Culture thus consists of language, ideas, beliefs, customs, taboos, codes, institutions, tools, techniques, works of art, rituals, ceremonies, and symbols.” Pahela Baishakh is a combination of customs, codes, ceremonies, symbols, institutions and beliefs. The traditional cultural rituals of the day continue to be observed year after year, and are common knowledge to the Bangladeshis. They are there for all to see, savour, and participate in, singly or in groups. And they take part in with great gusto.

Nonetheless, while most of the rituals have been kept intact in their essence and much of their form over the ages, some have taken on new or added significance, others have undergone pronounced or subtle modification, a few have periodically made their debuts, while some have faded away altogether, usually unobtrusively. The changes can be seen and felt in Dhaka more than in other parts of the country, the modifications coming about mainly due to its sprawling metropolitan character that is fed by the variations and novelties introduced by the people from other regions, as well as by the influence of global communication. That influence has been unmistakable and pervasive across society and culture. Pahela Baishakh has not been able to escape it, even if that impact has been more subtle than in-your-face, more felt than blatant.

That, emphatically, does not signify that the modifications are necessarily deleterious for our culture. A static society is a lifeless society; a static culture is a moribund culture. Civilizations have decayed, not the least because their culture had atrophied. Cultural evolution is integral to human evolution. Some things will inevitably change or vanish altogether for a dynamic society to continue, and for a culture to continue to flourish and be vibrant. Pahela Baishakh will have to undergo periodic modifications, additions and losses in order to continue to appeal to succeeding generations of Bangalees. Inevitably, and this is particularly apposite to the average traditional, conservative Bangladeshi (implying the vast majority), there will be skepticism in any particular generation who have been privy to such changes, to whom it all boils down to the world going to the dogs. Jacques Barzun, the noted cultural historian, explains the lament of a generation that has seen the modification of its familiar, and comforting, culture passing before its very eyes: “If…such faiths and forms are considered good by a generation that grew up to value them, that generation will experience at their passing a legitimate feeling of loss.” He ends with a message of hope and the imperative of moving on: “Man's civilization is not identical with our civilization, and the building or rebuilding of states and cultures, now or at any time, is more becoming to our nature than longings and lamentations.”

There is no hiding from the fact that global communication is having a visible impact on international cultural life. The seemingly endless development of technology and its products have found their way into the cultural life of Bangladesh. Inevitably, it has been having an impact on one prominent manifestation of that culture: Pahela Baishakh. Taking myriad pictures by cell phone of various events of the day and then disseminating them via the Internet to friends and family abroad allow for a far-flung participatory audience who can keep in touch with our (and their, where applicable) culture within a few hours of their having taken place, without physically being here.

Alongside the traditional songs, a new generation takes recourse to foreign musical influences to belt out tunes that, in their own fashion, extol Pahela Baishakh and all that the day symbolizes. And, novel food fads coexist that day with the customary fare that, not infrequently, is consumed only on that day of the year, as if only to pay homage to it. The list of modifications goes on, some so subtle that one might have to pause for a while to detect them. The fact is, as Majid Tehranian observes, “Through global satellite and computer networks, transborder data flows, scientific and professional electronic mailing and commercial advertising, the macromedia (of communication) are supporting the globalization of national markets, societies, and cultures.” In this digital age, it would be futile, not to say foolish, to ignore them or their impact; the prudent act would be to channel them towards aiding our culture into becoming more vibrant, more dynamic, and more germane to the era while guarding against any negative impact on our culture and society. The important thing to remember is that change from long familiarity does not automatically translate into something pernicious.

There can be little equivocation that media imperialism by a very few dominant Western countries (led, by a lengthy margin, by the US) over the rest of the world, especially the developing countries. Even France, Canada, and the European Union have expressed alarm over penetration of their cultures by foreign books, magazines, films, TV programmes, and other cultural products. As Herbert Schiller elucidates, “It has been recognized for some time that familiar cultural products and services --- films, TV programs, books, news records, etc. --- besides offering entertainment, are ideological items embodying social values and messages, and consequently influence the organization of the entire social enterprise.”

It is true that some writers warn of overemphasizing Western media influence. Douglas Boyd, for example, believes that critics “either deemphasize or ignore the artistic, production, or financial limitations of many developing countries.” Precisely. And, consequently, developing countries import Western programmes to fill the void of consumers' unfulfilled demands. And, in the process, leave themselves open to Western cultural influence, which generally appeals positively to the audience. In Howard Frederick's assessment, “Western culture seems to exploit essential human values, appeal to basic human emotions, and use universal modes of expression.” That is as compelling a mix for creating appeal as any. And the Western media takes full advantage of the situation. Former Philippines first lady Imelda Marcos once graphically captured the power of this appeal: “Like God, advertising and advertisements are everywhere. They literally grow on trees, they light up the sky, they line the streets, they decorate the buildings…. And what more susceptible audiences, more sweetly credulous viewers are there than the mass consumer markets? They lap up every word, devour every picture and comic strip, absorb every musical note, ready to believe every extravagant claim made in advertisements.”

This write-up began on the observance of an integral part of our cultural heritage. It deliberately went off into the much wider arena of the impact of global communication on national culture. That impact has been there for some time now, and will continue to expand in scope and intensity. We will not have Marshall McLuhan's “global village” because high politics will ensure that from becoming reality in the foreseeable future, but we have become a part of a skewed global media and communication system. Inevitably, Bangladesh's culture has been affected by it, either positively or negatively, and will continue to be so. As will the tradition of Pahela Baishakh. There is no need to get alarmed, though, as long as its spirit and essence are kept intact. As I believe they will be. Here is looking to the future of the observance of Pahela Baishakh ad infinitum. Shuvo Nobo Borsho.

Survival of folk songs

Survival does not depend on a few musicians or a few folklorists who are singing or writing about it. It is the people who matter. When people change, their habits, customs way of thinking, everything takes transformations. Folk songs survive in a society which is agrarian, village oriented and poor. When people become richer, folk songs are forgotten.

Bangladesh is poor, agrarian, but why then Folk songs are not thriving as it should? The reasons are varied. The globalisation of music, the global instruments, lack of patronisation of the original, lack of enthusiasm, all combined, Bengalis sacrified a lot to

Establish the right of their mother tongue and a greater sacrifice for Freedom. The same is not visible to preserve the culture of Bengal, without which freedom and choice of language become meaningless.

I have devoted my time and energy to collect, preserve and disseminate the musical values of Bengal in a very humble way. It appears to me that all are in waste. Why? Because, the generation in front of me have little or less grounding for the music of my land. The main genres, which are Bhatiali and Bhawaiya can not be recognized by the young I am amazed! Not only that. The cultural activists, the well placed, in charge of funds, the leaders we see around, have sense of belonging to heritage at different point. This is our problem. They look upon Baul, Bhatiali, Jari, Sari Dehtatya, Bichedi, Kirton and Bhawaiya with one eye. I discussed with leaders who could make a difference. They laughed at me saying that folk music or music can not be a priority where forty percent of the population live under poverty line. 'They have to live first and then arrange for their basic physiological requirements'. I agree only 50% because culture survives because of the poor population still living with it. Folk music is the product of poor people during the last one thousand years of our cultural existence.

It will survive anyway if it has its own strength. Because of cultural strings attached to globalization, music is affected. This is the problem. Even with abject poverty our culture will survive. It will survive anyway if it has its own strength. Because of cultural strings attached to globalization, music is affected. This is the problem. We need to protect them from the adverse effects of globalization. For instance, dotara is the absolutely essential instrument necessary for Bhatiali as well as Bhawaiya. When introducing Guitar in place of dotara, musical sounds will change without notice, the environment is lost. It is impossible for me now to impress on my young music directors to impress on this point. if you use padding in place of Dhol, Spanish Guitar in place of dotara, and try to bring instruments like flute, mandira through the unibox, it is true that the sounds will be more, but the beauty of folk music of Bengal will vanish forever. The experiments by new music directors on Tagore songs are more or less being accepted by new audience, but it will not be the 'real' thing with regard to folk songs. It will be innovation unheard in folk songs. In western countries, folk songs have been untouched because they know that this is not an area to improvise. The folk songs in America have been completely written down in notation books. They are sung by people who love them, nurture them and reproduce them as sung hundreds of years ago. These are not things for experiemenets. They must be allowed to remain as they were, as they are.

I have humbly produced history of folk music of Bengal printed years ago. Leaders in their ivory tower have not touched it. Neither, have they seen the volumes of my book on Bhawaiya. These two volumes carrying the best of Bhawaiya have been made available to new generation. Where is the enthusiasm? Is it there? No. It is not there. Ten volumes of 'Bhawaiyar Janmabhumi' is planned. Who are learning these songs? Who is playing on the dotara? The most popular and sought after songs on Bhatiali, named 'Bhatir Desher Bhatiali' with notations and thesis will be out soon. Five volumes have been planned. Who are going to buy? The new generation are not properly guided to look at their own heritage. Of course, I am happy to see them and crowd the streets of Dhaka on the first of Baishakh, not knowing what to do. What else they can do? They can have a session in one corner on Baul songs remembering one hundred top Baul composes of Bengal including Lalon Shah, Panju Shah, Dudu Shah and all the Shahs (Kings). This is a corner for the king of Bauls and their compatriots. They can put their hand on a Ektara and if possible buy one, not for the sack of drawing room decoration, but for playing the instrument, which is the easiest. In another corner, we can remember Bijoy Sarker, the best of the lyricists from Jessore. In another corner, we can have songs of Baul Abdul Karim of Deerai, Sunamganj. It is not enough to have a program on TV and remember him once in a year. We can have a corner for singing Qazi Nazrul Islam remembering his loves songs, Ghazals, and of course the songs which made our nation. We can invite in a corner the top folk musicians of rural Bengal. In another part of city, where there is enough space, we can invite one million young people to recite from Tagore, to read from Tagore and sing from Tagore. This will be an open air function for lovers of Tagore, not only restricted for handful of singers like us. We can invite some of the living exponents of Tagore songs from West Bengal, and elsewhere. Please remember that the programs live telecast from these corners are not even available to one percent of the population. So, why bother so much for the one percent? Place all your cultural planning for ninety nine percent and not one percent. This was visualized by Jawaharlal Nehru, the First Prime Minister of India while he was jailed by the British. He wrote as to how to project the culture of India to the rest of the world in his book 'Discovery' of India. This is a collection of letters written to her daughter Indira Ghandi from jail. The projection of Bangla culture is the main job of our present government. I have great respect for Sheikh Hasina, who is our leader for five years. I like to live in my country as proud Bengali trying to hoist the flag of Lalon, Hasan Raja, Radharamon, Alauddin Khan, Ravi Shanker, Uday Shanker, Qazi Nazrul, Abbasuddin, Jasimuddin and Tagore.

Last night (6th April 2009), we came back from Kolkata, where a competition program of fresh new artists from India and Bangladesh were organised by Channel I and ETV Kolkata from last two months. It is an innovative idea to bring Bangladesh and Indian artists together in a competition. We found the famous music director Bappi Lahiri from Bombay and our own Rezwana Chowdhury Banna as Chief of the Judges. We showed up as special guests giving our comments on such a wonderful meet of Bengali music. The audience in Kolkata and West Bengal are deprived of rural music from Bangladesh as the Bangladesh Channels are not allowed to be shown there. It is their loss, not ours. We can watch their artists and their poets and litterateur on the small screen, which is our gain. We claim to be torch bearers of Bengali culture embracing painting, literature and music in the present world. We represent genuine culture to the whole world. If viewers in West Bengal and India are not allowed to watch our programs, our friends are deprived. Not we. The Program of ETV Kolkata and Channel I are forerunners because the viewers in India, Bangladesh and seven states of Assam can see this program sitting in their own drawing rooms convinced of the inner beauty and unity of our music. We have, separated our kitchens. We are: independent and sovereign, but, one and indivisible. This is how I look.

The program last night brought me near Rezwana Chowdhury Banna, Haimanti Shukla, Indrani Sen, Bappi Lahiri, his son Bappa Lahiri (an upcoming music director of Bombay), Sabina Yasmin, Jojo, many young singers of Kolkata and Bangladesh namely, Munir, Tania, Gourab and Beauty. Munit and Tania won the show but the thirty participants from Bangladesh and India could win the top position. They were simply gorgeous and fantastic! It was a wonderful opportunity for my wife Asma and me to attend this program as their Guest of Honour. In the final, I took control of the mike (as I always do) with Bappi on one side, and Rezwana on the other, Haimanti on one side and Indrani on the other with twelve singer participants singing the last para of DL Roys famous 'Bhayer Mayer Eto Sneho Kothai Gele Pabe Keho'. The entire audience sang and were with us in body and spirit. When we speak of unity, we don't shed our sovereign rights. We unite as sovereign human beings as we respect our own mother lands, our own mother tongue and our own mothers as sung by Dijendra Lal Roy.