Poila Baisakh 2021: Of virtual singing and home-cooked food

Bengalis in Delhi-NCR to ring the new year on Poila Baisakh, with home made delicacies and virtual celebrations.

Call it Naba Barsha, Noboborsho, Pohela Boishakh, or Poila Baisakh — the Bengali new year is here, but shall be an intimate affair for the community in Delhi-NCR. Although Covid has hit the plans of many wanting to ring in their New Year with gusto, but hasn’t been able to take away the joy of preparing scrumptious and authentic delicacies that many will be cooking at their homes today! Phulko luchi with aloo dum, Chanar kalia, Bhaja mooger daal, Begun bhaja, Fish fries, Bati chochoris, Dhokar dalna, Mochar ghonto or Paturi, Chingri malai curry, Bhetki or Ilish paturi, Chital macher — Poila Baisakh will have it all, to mark the first day of the Bengali annual calendar!

Bengali New Year aka Poila Boisakh is celebrated with a wide array of traditional delicacies such as phulko luchi with aloo dum, fish fry, bati chochoris, dhokar dalna, ilish paturi, and chital macher.

Singer Arpita Chakrabory will be performing virtually to ring in the new year.

Bangiya Parishad Gurgaon is all set to host a virtual cultural programme, today. Partha Dey, general secretary of the committee, says, “We had though this year we’d do celebration on ground, but with the night curfew it’s not possible. So we’ll start with a puja virtually, and have singer Arpita Chakraborty sing Bengali folk songs, virtually, on April 15 at 7.30pm. People can enjoy this from their homes, and we encourage them to get dressed up in traditional attires while at home; wear saree and kurta pyajama and feast on traditional food. We’ll be sharing photos of home-cooked food on our social media handles.”

For DCDP Bengali Cultural Society, the celebrations this year shall be combined with Rabindranath Tagore’s birth anniversary (May 7). And those missing out on celebrations with their families, such as singer Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, say that they shall await to gorge on the delicacies when they meet their family. “My mom makes these delicacies ever so often, Ilish maach bhaapa, cholar dal, Mishti doi and Payesh are regulars on the dining table. This year I won’t be able to join my family for Nobo Borsho, due of work but I know when I’m back, the food will be waiting for me,” she smiles.

For some like artist Probir Gupta, the memories of the festival date back to childhood. Reminiscing a few, he shares: “As kids, we would be very excited that we’d wear new clothes. And to wear new clothes, we had to bath as early as possible, and then touch the feet and do pranam to the elders. Apart from the blessings, we’d get money from them, and we’d look at it with a lot of excitement. It would then be followed by a food delicacies. Posto is something more important (for the celebration). We had preparation with khus khus, a special fish we had was Hilsa Fry and Rohu marinated in yoghurt sauce. And we’d have some of the best sweets made at home, and from outside. The celebration in Delhi would be small, since the pandemic has hit back again. This will dampen the celebrations to a great extent.”

Guitarist Debajyoti Bhaduri aka DJ from Euphoria band, says his celebrations will also be low key this time around. “I’m going to be pretty much at home in Delhi. But I’ve got some Bengali sweets like Rosogolla and Shondesh as a pick me up,” he laughs, adding, “My childhood memories around the festival revolve mostly around my grandparents with my Nana (dadu) reciting Rabindranath poetry and my Nani (dida) singing songs with my mother and her sisters dancing and generally having a lot of fun... After all, what’s a festival without family!”

Author tweets @Nainaarora8

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