Hoping for a new beginning and with prayers on lips for the well being of near and dear ones, Bengalis on Monday, welcomed the Bengali New Year 1420 with traditional zeal and joy. ‘Poila Baisakh’, the first day of the month ‘Baishakh’ in Bengali calendar is considered auspicious among the Bengali community. The day marks the opening of ‘Halkhata’, the start of a new financial year.
Thousands of people wearing new dresses thronged temples to offer puja. Long queues were spotted at Kalighat and Dakhineswar.
Maintaining its age-old tradition, Viswa-Bharati in Santiniketan welcomed the new year with students performing various cultural programmes.
On the occasion, Kolkata Metro Railway came up with an unique idea and gifted the daily commuters a slice of traditional Bengali folk culture. Baul singers from Burdwan sang the most popular folk songs at Kavi Subhash metro station and on a special metro from there to Dum Dum station. “When I learned about some Baul singers from Burdwan willing to put up a show on this auspicious occasion, I immediately got in touch with them. They were so interested that they did not even charge anything,” said deputy general manager of Kolkata Metro, Protyush Ghosh.
The Naktala Udayan Sangha went one step ahead on this properous occasion and started the preparations for Durga Puja by performing ‘Khuti Puja’. State commerce and industries minister Partha Chatterjee, renowned actor Prosenjit Chatterjee, singer Rashid Khan and a host of other dignitaries were present to grace the event.
At the same time, Mohun Bagan Football Club on their club ground at Maidan performed ‘Baar Puja’ in search of a better season in the new Bengali year.