Many communities, besides Assamese and Bengalis, celebrate their new year in April. This only shows how many local calendars are present in India. Despite this, the popular practice is to follow the Gregorian calendar. “This is only natural. While Tamils, Malayalis, Manipuris, Oriyas and Punjabis too celebrate new year in April, Marathis and Konkanis celebrate it in March. If everyone starts following their respective calendars then it will only lead to confusion,” says Malabika Chatterjee, who teaches Bengali in a college in Kolkata.
Though the need for maintaining uniformity compels each community to accept January 1 as the actual New Year, the local calendars are used for native festivals. “Adopting the Western calendar is in no way showing disrespect to your own. It is necessary. But even today, people in many villages in Bengal still refer to the old calendar,” she says.
Whether or not the local calendar is followed, there is no dearth of merry-making on the day of traditional new year. In Shillong, the substantial population of Malayalis will celebrate Vishu, which follows the solar cycle of the lunisolar Hindu calendar. Vishu, which means equality, celebrates spring equinox. A Vishukkani, which comprises rice, golden cucumber, golden lemon, jack fruit, coconut cut open, betel leaves, metal mirror, areca nut, golden yellow konna flowers, oil lamps, Hindu texts, currency notes and an image of the Hindu god Vishnu, is prepared. People start the first day of the year by seeing the Vishukkani. There is a tradition of Vishu Kaineetam where gifts, especially currency notes and coins, are given to the younger members of the family by the elders.
Punjabis, who are also in large number in the city, celebrate Vaisakhi to mark the birth of the Khalsa way of living in the Sikh religion. The day commemorates the formation of Khalsapanth of warriors under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. It is also a spring harvest festival. The Punjabis visit gurudwaras and take out nagar kirtan.
For Tamils, the first day of the new year is Puthandu. The custom is quite similar to that of Vishu. On the eve of Puthandu, a plateful of three fruits, including mango, betel leaves, areca nuts, gold/silver jewellery, money, flowers and a mirror are arranged. This plate is the first thing that people see in the morning after waking up. A special dish known as Mangai-pachadi is prepared using jaggery, mustard, raw mango, neem and red chillies. The preparation denotes the essence of life.
