Kolkatans ring in Bihu, Pana Sanskriti, Puthandu and Vishu with great fervour
Times of India | 15 April 2025
123456 Kolkata: Ahead of Bengali Poila Baisakh, four different communities across the city soaked in festivities to welcome their respective new calendar year and harvest season with traditional celebrations, music, dance, and food on Monday. From Bihu of Assamese, Pana Sanskriti of Oriyas to Puthandu of Tamilians, Vishu of Malayalis, and Baisakhi of Punjabis, the city – a melting pot of various cultures – saw a wide range of festivals for their New Year celebrations.
All the communities prayed for success, prosperity, good health, and peace of mind while marking the New Year celebrations. Members of the city's Tamil diaspora started the day of Puthandu celebrations with a visit to the temple and prepared meals of traditional flavours. The Tamil almanac known as Panchangam is released on this day, providing daily astrological and astronomical information in accordance with Vedic astrology. Different Tamil organisations, including Calcutta South India Club, held colourful events like Carnatic music and traditional dance performances like Bharatnatyam to make the day vibrant and splendid.
Padma Ray Bardhan, vice-president of Calcutta South India Club, said, "In the morning, we visited the Murugan Temple in Lake Gardens to offer prayers. At home, we prepared traditional dishes like sambar, dry curry, kootu, sweet chutney with mango and neem flower, papad, and payasam. We also visited other South Indian temples today across the city like Sree Guruvayurappan Temple and Baikunthnath Temple. We also wore new clothes to mark the beginning of our new calendar year."
Keralites who are settled in the city, marked the Malayali New Year called Vishu. C K Vardarajan, a resident of Prince Anwar Shah Road, said, "We marked the occasion with the customs and traditions of our hometown. As per our ritual, we placed a mirror and kept fruits, vegetables, raw dal, rice, coconut, and currencies in front of it. We decorated the room with yellow flowers called Kani Poo, symbolising good luck and prosperity."
The week-long Rongali Bihu, also called Bohag Bihu – the New Year celebration for the Assamese community – began on Monday. Indukalpa Saikia, general secretary of Kolkata Assamese Cultural Association, said, "Our harvest festival also coincides with the New Year celebration. We worship cows and bulls and hoist flags with Gamosa to celebrate the occasion. Community dancers perform Husori with instruments like pepa, taal, and dhol. We prepared bora saul, coconut laddoos, and rice-filled pithas on the occasion."
The association is planning to hold a cultural event at Madhusudhan Mancha on May 4 as part of this festival. "Bihu dancers and local artists will come from Assam to perform in the event," said Saikia.
The Oriya community celebrated Pana Sankranti, also known as Maha Bishuba Sankranti. Shailendra Das, a member of the community, said, "We prepared pana out of sugarcane juice and distributed it to our neighbours and friends along with sweets. We welcomed the New Year with a prayer for the wellbeing of our society."
The Punjabi and Sikh community observed Khalsa Sajna Diwas, also called Baisakhi, with Kirtan, Katha, and Gurmat Vichar across Gurdwaras and Shahid Minar in the city on Sunday. Satnam Singh Ahluwalia, a member of the West Bengal Minorities Commission and general secretary of Behala Gurudwara, said, "As it is the harvest season, we celebrated it by performing Bhangra Gidda and united with people across various communities with food, music, dhol, and sweets. Devotees visited the Gurdwaras across the city to offer their prayers while the Punjabi community clubs upheld the cultural aspect of Baisakhi."
The city's Nepali community also celebrated their New Year festival, Pahilo Baisakh, on Monday.