Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) has announced to celebrate the first day of the lunar month of Agrahayan as ‘New Year’. The organization made this announcement despite the Dhaka University authorities traditionally organizing the New Year celebration on the first day of Baishakh to welcome the Bengali year.

DUCSU leaders announced and presented the program of organizing a day-long ‘New Year’ program in a joint initiative with the ‘Revolutionary Cultural Unity’ in the university’s Fine Arts at a press conference on Friday.

The organization wants to organize an Agrahayan next Sunday, November 16, contrary to the previous tradition.

DUCSU’s literary and cultural affairs secretary, Musaddiq Ibne Ali Mohammad, presented the rationale for organizing the New Year on Agrahayan instead of Boishakh.

The four-part program will begin on Sunday morning with the drawing of Nabanna on colored paper. The programs will continue until 10 pm.

DUCSU’s Literature and Culture Secretary, Social Services Secretary AB Zubayer, Health Affairs Secretary Abdullah Al Minhaj, and President of Biplobi Sangskritik Oikya, Mrinmoy Mizan, were present at the press conference organized by the Faculty of Fine Arts.

Musaddiq said that one of the parts of the country’s cultural practice is the celebration of the New Year, which is currently the first day of Baishakh, but was once the first day of Agrahayan. Of the 12 months in the Bengali calendar, 11 are named after the constellations. In this case, ‘Baishakh’ is named after the Vishakha constellation, ‘Jyaishtha’ is named after the Jyaishtha constellation, ‘Ashadh’ is named after Ashadha, and so on. Shravan, Bhadra, Ashwin, Kartik, Paush, Magh, Falgun and Chaitra are named after Shravan, Purvabhadrapada, Ashwini, Krittika, Paushi, Magha, Falguni and Chitra respectively. The month that is not associated with the name of the constellation is Agrahayan; and this name is associated with some of the history of Bengal, some memories and some forgotten information.

He said that the New Year festival was celebrated in this region almost since ancient times. Historians have mentioned the ‘Amani’ festival or ‘Nabanna’ festival as the original event of the New Year, which was held on the first day of the month of Agrahayan. It was basically a festival of farmers. From the time of Emperor Akbar, the month of ‘Baishakh’ was introduced as the first month of the Bengali year to facilitate the collection of taxes. But the people of Bengal did not celebrate Baishakh as the month of the beginning of the year and Pahela Baishakh as the first day of the year.

DUCSU’s Literature and Culture Secretary said, Rabindranath arranged to celebrate the Bengali New Year on Pahela Boishakh with great pomp in Santiniketan. In this way, some news of enthusiasm and excitement about Pahela Boishakh was gradually found in the educated middle-class Bengali families of Kolkata. The first initiative to celebrate Pahela Boishakh was taken in Bengal in 1967. As the Pakistani rulers opposed the event, Pahela Boishakh gradually became popular among the Bengalis with anti-Pakistani mentality.

He said, “The current generation has forgotten that once upon a time, the first eclipse of the moon was the New Year of the people of this region. To remind the generation of that history, we have taken the initiative to celebrate the Nabanna festival as the Adi Nabanna festival.”

Program

The press conference highlighted that this year’s event will have four phases.

First episode

Rangtulite Nabanna will start at 10 am. The country’s prominent painters and past and present students of fine arts will participate in painting on the themes of July and Nabanna. 15 artists will paint in this episode.

Part Two

‘Adi Nabavarsha Ananda Yatra’. It was highlighted in the press conference as the most interesting part of the festival. Three motifs are being created for the Ananda Yatra with the help of Charukala. One motif is about July, one is about life in the prison and the other is about agricultural life. Besides, it will feature various aspects of rural life, the press conference said.

Third and fourth episodes

There will be cultural programs and greetings from invited guests in these two phases. Various organizations, members of the ‘Revolutionary Cultural Unity’, will participate in recitations, dances, songs and magic performances in this phase. After the greetings from the invited guests, there will be music and folk songs performed by talented artists.