Poila Boishakh means first day of Boishakh month, which is the first month is the Bengali new year. In a nutshell, it means Bengali New year. I will take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy new year.
Moving on, this day always brings back memories of me and my mom making sweets back in my childhood home- The sweet smell of frying peetha's and coconut, the delicious aroma of thickening milk and sticky fingers from eating all the those goodies coated in sugar syrup.
Over the years, I have really lost my sweet tooth and hardly fancy much sweets. But every new year I feel compelled to prepare something, may be in honor of those memories or just sticking to tradition.
Whatever be the reason, the act of making these sweets always brings back those afternoons spent in my mom's kitchen, squatting on a wooden pidi (low seat) and trying to make coconut laddu's and yelping as the heat stings my palm. My mom was always encouraging, even when my laddu's looked suspiciously like bullets, and held all the five finger impressions. Even today as I make the sweets, I can remember the instructions. I think tradition is as much about making good memories and passing then off to the next generation as much as it is about maintaining age old customs.
3 comments:
Shubho noboborsho! The memories are all too bright in our memories, this year we had gone to naukuchiatal for our annula review, quite apt I found.
I was in Bangladesh for close to two years and the poila boisakh is celebrated with much joy and enthusiasm there. The entire city dresses up in new clothes and takes to the street singing from the crack of the dawn and here the traditional dish is ilish and panta bhaat! I could never develop the taste, perhaps one needs to cultivate the same and two years are not enough, but I will be back in Dhaka sometime in the future to usher in the new year most definitely. One of the things in the famous "bucket-list" of mine!
I agree!!
traditions, customs and celebrations are all a way to keep the heritage alive. They give us a reason to come together and keep that bond between our brethrebn alive. Even though I cannot prepare half the dishes that my Mom used to do atleast I relish the taste in my memories on special occassions. And if I am able to paas on half of what I have preserved I guess, the cycle will continue;-)
"I think tradition is as much about making good memories and passing then off to the next generation as much as it is about maintaining age old customs." .... how true...
The post takes me back in time when naru making used to be a ritual at home. Initiated by the grand dame (my thamma) we youngsters used to assemble in the kitchen and try our hand at making "balls" out of the scalding and sticky pile of coconut.
It's been a while... "memories come creeping through the shadows of my mind".
Post a Comment