Sayani Gupta on Poila Baishakh: About new beginnings and community spirit

Sayani Gupta reflects on her Poila Baishakh celebrations, stressing family traditions. Living in Mumbai, she fondly remembers her Kolkata festivities

Actor Sayani Gupta opens up about her annual Poila Baishakh celebrations, emphasising the family traditions that mark the Bengali New Year. "For me it’s that my mother insists on wearing something new, keeping the tradition of starting the day dressed up with a newly woven attire," she shares. "It’s about celebrating the season, the new beginnings, the spring and food".

Sayani Gupta on Poila Baishakh

Since the actor is now based in Mumbai, her mother ensures the tradition is upheld by sending her new clothes every year. "I can be dressed with something as simple as a house coat but it should be new. That is something my mum makes me follow irrespective wherever I am," Sayani reveals.

Recalling her early celebrations in Kolkata, Sayani fondly remembers the community spirit surrounding the festivities. "Back home in Kolkata it was always about dressing up, wearing new clothes and savouring sweet delicacies including payesh," she says. "I remember my neighbour then prepared amazing payesh, it was not only what my mum was making but what my maasi or my neigbour aunty was preparing. And it was like everybody wants to feed us and that was their only agenda I feel back then,” (laughs).

Sayani stresses the importance of keeping these traditions alive. "There are multiple delicacies, traditions are getting lost, and feel so bad about," she admits, mentioning she learned a few like one called pithe just to keep the preparation alive for me. "I was talking to my nieces and I felt that the way our predecessors passed on us much in terms of our culture, traditions and more we are not being able to do so fully, as a generation we lack that," she explains.

However, she finds "solace and cheer" in seeing friends in the industry keeping the culture going in places. "A few of my friends from the industry organised Sarwasti puja and are excited to celebrate piola baishak as well, so that’s something that makes it me really happy," she says.

While this year will be a "working Poila Baishak," the actor cherishes a past celebration where she went all out: "I once made a 12 course meal on the day of the day and it was such an amazing feeling." Workwise, the actor has had a busy year and has more lined up, building on her roles in Four More Shots Please! and Delhi Crime.