The story of the pohela boishakh history has a few versions, however, they all go back to one particular Mughal emperor, Akbar the Great and the tax collecting process under his reign (1556-1609). Several hundred years ago, the economy almost entirely depended on agricultural productions. In Bengal, the agriculture necessarily revolved around its six seasons. Under the Mughals, tax was collected on the basis of Arabic or Hijri year that did not exactly go hand in hand with the seasonal cycle of this region. For instance, when it was time for the landowners to collect taxes, the peasants would still be waiting to reap their products from the fields.
This way, following a lunar calendar that hijri year was based upon, proved inconvenient for all the parties involved. Realizing the urgency of reformation in the existing year system, the Baadshah (emperor) gave one of the many renowned scholars of his court, Fatelluah Shiraji the responsibility to make the necessary amendments. The new calendar was designed keeping the nature of all six seasons, their duration and contribution to the agriculture in mind. Some scholars argue that Pohela Boishakh (1st boishakh) was anything but a reason for festivity for the peasants who comprised the majority of the population when they had to pay off their taxes on the last day of Chaitra/ Choitro, the month before Boishakh.
Besides, the landlords, to collect the taxes, often subjected the grassroot people to physical force. Such circumstances were most unlikely to leave people in a mood for festivity by the time the Pohela Boishakh was knocking on their doors. Despite having enough reasons for it to be the contrary, Pahela Baishakh was a time for celebration. To avoid any serious rebellion, Badshah Akbar introduced the masterfully crafted custom of the New Year celebration that took place right after the tax-paying day. The amusements and feasts that used to be arranged helped to smoothen the harshness of the tax paying and sow the hopes for a better year among all.
As mentioned earlier, the celebration of Bengali New Year, poyla Boishakh, takes place both in West Bengal and Bangladesh. But, Pahela Boishakh in Bangladesh did not receive a collective form until 1965. During the growing movement for an independent state from Pakistan that began by the end of the 1940s and continued until the independence in 1971, the former Pakistani Government implemented many policies that were somewhat modified versions of the British “Divide and Rule” principle.
In other words, those policies were meant to differentiate a Bengali Muslim from others and avoid a strong, joint movement for independence. As a continuation to such steps, the Pakistani government banned poems by the Noble winning Bengali author, Shree Rabindranath Tagore. Then, Chhayanaut, the only major Fine Arts institution of the time designed their cultural show for Poila Boishakh to be a means of protest. The Pohela Boishakh that takes place under the Banyan tree of Ramna Park in Dhaka ever since was to open with Boishakhi songs by Tagore.
This way, Pohela Boishak became one with the nationalist notions of the Bengali people who resided in the East Pakistan, known as Bangladesh today. The fine Arts Institute (CharuKala Institute) of Dhaka University enhanced the attraction of the day in the late 1980s by adding Boishakhi Parade (Shobha Jatra) so that a growing participation and acceptance is ensured. Soon, an attempt by a few hundred people to uphold the Bengali traditions and unify Bengalis while doing it, transformed into a national event.
Written by Sayoni Mahapatra Chatterji
Early Morning Memories 