Bengalis of Delhi creates their own ritual to observe Poyla Baisakh

The Bengalis of Delhi has developed a cultural ritual of their own for the last 13 years. Every year this popular ritual of Poyla Baisakh  attracts  thousands of Bengalis living in various parts of the Indian capital where 10 million people reside.

Before the dawn of every Poyla Baisakh (the first day of the Bengali New Year), Bengalis in thousands converge on the plain land of a hillock, to welcome the first Sun of the year. This hilltop, at Chittaranjan Park, New Delhi, with three temples of Kali, Shiva and Vishnu sets the perfect background to welcome the Sun, the symbol of energy and newness, by chanting Vedic hymns.

"When, on the eve of the Fifteenth century of the Bengali calendar, I was planning for a happening to welcome our New Year, as  is done in Europe at the strike of the midnight, I could come upon the Vedic tradition of welcoming the rising Sun to bless one's day's doings", says PRANGSHU's Arun Chakraborty, who conceived the ritual independently.

When he took his plan to the authorities of the Temple society to cooperate, they offered all kinds of help including printing of invitation leaflets overnight and distributing them by the next evening.

Thus the First Sun of the Fifteenth century of the Bengali calendar was welcome by about hundred odd persons, as to popularize the newly conceived ritual one had many miles to go. By the next year the happening became more organized. The Head priest of the Mandir took to chanting, sweet boxes were sponsored by local businessmen, number of people went on increasing, makimg this year's event lawn-full, with thousands of Bengalis of different ages.

"It's obvious, I didn't plan it to be religious. But it has turned out to be so. Naturally", quips Arun Chakraborty, the pioneer of this ritual. But he is the happiest man around every year. He reaches the venue at the earliest, around 4.30 in the morning. And waits for the first person to enter the ground who would receive the arghapatra (a small foil wrapped bowl filled with holy water with sprinkle of teel (sesamum seeds) and a red rose petal. The person would proceed and stand before one of the several arghadan patras (temporary brick built squares) laying in a row.

More people will follow then. From one to two, two to hundred, and hundreds to thousands. The Q behind the patras  spreads its tail till it touches the odd mould near the boundary wall, when the convergence swells to the temple side filling the stairs to the temples.

When  the eastern horizon slightly brush-wash the gray sky with orange , other parts of the Universe are then filled with the song, Aguner Paroshmoni Chonao Praney  followed by  hailing of the Sun, in Bengali, by the learned priest of the Temples. The assemblage of the priests join him by chanting Vedic mantras. The chanting fades out as soon as the .lower circumference of the Sun touches the horizon. The convergence in Qs then respectfully place the bowls of arghas  in the Arghadan Patras, and  bustling of "Shubho Nababarsha" starts flowing around.

"Wonderful!", exclaimed Prof. Tetsuyo Nakatani from Japan who witnessed this poyla baisakher anusthan in 1408 BS. "This does not seem to be very recent rituals. looks to be age old", said the professor while winding his handy cam.

"I would prefer to mark it as Bangalir Pratham Surya",  said Dr. Abhijit Mitra, a professor of IIT, Guwahati, who witnessed the anusthan this year (1413 BS). Dr. Mitra, also an editor of 'Kaurab Online', said, "We would upload this experience and we feel, this ritual, may be 13 years old now, should spread all over the world of Bengalis."

This happening proves one thing -- being far from one's homeland, disconnected and far drawn, the social and cultural compulsions genuinely gives birth of one's own community rituals. The Bengalis of Delhi have thus witnessed the birth of a ritual, which within a very short time might have, of course wrongly, the tag of an ageless tradition.