poila baisakh - at home

sadhuji

The middle of April has at least two important festivals clubbed together – these are the Baishakhi of the Punjabis, and the Poila Baisakh (or New Year) of the Bengalis. Once in a while, the Easters get added as in this year. The mid-April period is literally the middle of summer, schools have their examinations and those in the higher classes have to stay glued to notes and suggestions to cope with the various competitive examinations. In spite of these handicaps, the celebrations go on.

In our youth – Poila Baisakh was a day of rejoicing by all those who worshipped Lord Ganesha, the deity of prosperity to seek his blessings. It was known as the puja of the haal-khata or the book of accounts. It was usually done by shopkeepers and small and large traders. In those days, there used to be an invisible bond between the customer and the shopkeepers. Poila Baisakh was the day when each of them reaffirmed their loyalty to each other. The customers, who were the regulars, would visit the shops and pay some token monetary contribution to the common kitty and be treated to a glass of cold drink like nimbu-pani or sherbet or lassi and a sweet. Nothing hi-fi but it was a simple method of spreading happiness. The gift of a wall calendar was always there for the taking. Alas, that bond is missing today. In today’s world, this is just another day meant for eating out. Most hotels arrange totally Bengali style of food and, in exchange for a few hundred rupees, the family can taste exotic preparations for which the Bengalis are famous for. After lunch, they can move out to spend the remaining part day on the Ganges, in one of the steamers of the Tourism Department. Or – make a beeline to one of the multiplexes to spend some time in air-conditioned comfort and take in one of the movies.

If it’s Baisakh, the food’s Bengali - - All year round, NRIs taste the delicacies but come new year and the babu prefers his own cuisine - Mochar Ghonto, Potoler Dolma, Enchorer Dalna, Tel Koi, Kosha Mangsho… Bengali cuisine has travelled from home and the neighbourhood eateries to the star addresses. But it’s only in this week of the year that it tickles every taste bud. ….. “For the past seven or eight years, Poila Baisakh, like New Year or any other festival, has become an occasion of social celebration, and Bengali cuisine has moved over to big restaurants at a fast pace. The whole year through, it is the NRIs and non-Bengalis who generally opt for Bengali delicacies, but on Poila Baisakh, Bengalis like going back to their cuisine, thronging eateries to celebrate the day over traditional food,” says Sujan Mukherjee, executive chef, Taj Bengal. …. (read more)

http://telegraphindia.com/1060413/as...ry_6090672.asp

Poila Baisakh : The first month of the Bengali calendar, Baishakh, marks the beginning of the crop cycle in Bengal. A lot of Bengali weddings are held in this month, and new businesses started. The first day of this month is called Poila Baisakh is celebrated as the Bengali new year. Chances are, if you step into a shop in Calcutta on this day, you'll be offered sweets and maybe the odd gift or two. Traders start the new year by inaugurating new accounting books…… (read more)

http://www.indian-tourism.us/kolkata...ta-tourism.htm

Shubho Naba Barsha on Poila Baishakh!

The first day of the Bengali new year falls on the 13th or 14th of April every year. Called "Poila Baishakh," it's a state holiday in the eastern state of West Bengal and a national holiday in Bangladesh. To welcome the new year or "Naba Barsha", people clean and decorate their houses and invoke Goddess Lakshmi, the bestower of wealth and prosperity. All new enterprises begin on this auspicious day, as businessmen open their fresh ledgers with "Haal Khata"— a ceremomy in which Lord Ganesha is summoned and customers are invited to settle all their old dues and offered free refreshments. The people of Bengal spend the day feasting and participating in cultural activities.

http://hinduism.about.com/library/weekly/aa041002b.htm

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jyotirmoy

Mochar Ghonto = A dry preparation of banana flowers with potatoes served garnished with coconut shreds. Very very delicious but these days the ladies do not have the time & patience to pick out the florets & go thru the grind of making it.
Potoler Dolma = This concept had made its way all the way from Greece & Turkey. The inside of a gourd is scooped out. Then a dry preparation of mince or mashed fish is stuffed in to the caveties & seald. The stuffed gourd is then fried in oil.
Enchorer Dalna = This is a curry made of green jackfruit, potatoes & often cooked with tomatoes. Liberal use of Garam Masala is made. The cooking is similar to Mutton curry !!!!!
Tel Koi = Koi fish poached in oil & spices... no water is added & the oil is not allowed to be so hot as to fry the fish. The bones of Koi fish are bent so take particular care while eating these. The Indian Koi tastes very different to the farmed Jap variety.
Kosha Mangsho = A semi dry curry of mutton... ground roasted cummin seeds impart a very tempting aroma to this dish. The best place to have it is at the five point crossing of Syambazar.

sadhuji

jyotirmoy - thanks for the wonderful and detailed explanation of the really bengali words. i am certain everyone will love them - they would have loved them even better if they had first hand experirnce of how these exotic dishes taste.

jyotirmoy

Sadhuji,
Some times I feel like chucking my present job & open a restaurant... a very daring lady did that & started a Bengali eatery near our home.... she got the Times of India award this year.... I do step in once in a while in her kitchen & try things.... a few days earlier I did a Pulao & instead of meat used Rui fish... turned out great so I will post that in what's up for dinner thread. If Boudi tries that I will be looking forward to her comments !!!

sadhuji

i can guarantee you 100% success if you set it up with totally bengali surroundings - like tiny huts lit up by kerosene lamps with ducks quacking in the background, the smell of floors wiped with cowdung etcetera. the food to be served on plantain leaves and customers have to sit on the floors.

jyotirmoy

Respected Sadhuji thanks for your wishes... this lady who opened her eatery has got many old time photographs.. many sketches by my senior Rathin Mitra a civil engineer turned painter