Kolkatans ring in Naba Barsha with friends, family and food

KOLKATA: The first day of the Bengali New Year — 1426 — started with pujas in most homes. Many turned up to offer prayers at Kali temples, leading to long queues at Kalighat and Dakshineswar. At business establishments, people offered prayers to Lakshmi and Ganesh. But for most of the city, Monday was a day to get together with family and friends, go out for lunch and welcome the new year in style.

“Most of the time it feels too much to pay so high to eat Bengali food at restaurants, because I think all that can be cooked at home. But I must say that eating out on Poila Baishakh can be very enjoyable too. It’s not just about the food. The entire experience sets the mood,” said former BSF officer Suhrid Chandra Paul.


The decked-up malls were bursting at the seams. most of these establishments had organized events to keep the crowd engaged. From having bands play Bengali popular music to quiz sessions, there was an array of things to choose from. “It was so hot outside that we could think of nowhere else to hang out. Malls are a blessing. We were a group of eight friends who window shopped, bought nothing, ate at the food court and had loads of fun catching up,” said Priyanka Bhattacharya, a mathematics post-graduation student at Calcutta University.

Sweet shops made brisk business — sales were up by 30% to 50% — because of some innovation or the other to cash in on the Poila Baishakh market. While some tried fusion, others stuck to tradition. At the end of the day, however, the rossogolla and norom paak sandesh came out on top.

College Street wore a festive look. At bookstores, following an age-old tradition, writers were seen sitting and chatting with readers over sweets, singaras and endless cups of tea. Many books were also released at the publishers’ stores. Author Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay was, however, missed at College Street since he preferred to stay indoors and play with his granddaughter as a special Poila Baishakh treat to himself. “I am trying hard to start writing something and I spent the rest of the day thinking about that. I also exercised. I am not much of an outdoor person and it was a quiet start to the new year,” he said.