Bengali TV stars celebrating New Year with gusto

The Bengali saying ‘baro mashe tero porbon’ may be translated as ‘thirteen festivals in twelve months’. Bengalis love to celebrate all year round and they usher their festival calendar with Poila Boishak, the Bengali vernacular term for Happy New Year. The archetypal greeting on this day is Subho Nobo Borsho (Happy New Year). Bengalis all over the globe celebrate this day by paying their respects to their elders, praying to their ishto debota (cherished divinity), wearing brand new clothes, tasting traditional sweetmeats, enjoying a sumptuous dinner with their extended family and by organising cultural programmes. Though summer is at its peak when Poila Boishak is celebrated, it also marks the month which ushers in the Norwesters or kaalbaishakis (thunderstorms) in West Bengal thereby giving respite to the oppressive summer heat. Rabindranath Tagore’s song Esho, he Boishakh is fondly sung on this day. Bengali TV stars are far away from their homeland West Bengal today as work commitments compel them to stay back in Mumbai. Despite being in a home far away from home, they have not forgotten their roots and are doing something special on this sacred day. Tellychakkar.com talks to a few of well-known Bengali TV celebs to know what they are doing on this auspicious day. Mouni Roy, who plays Meera in Life Ok’s Junoon - Aisi Nafrat Toh Kaisa Ishq, isn’t able to celebrate this day in the conventional manner as she is busy shooting for her show today. She did send text messages wishing her near and dear ones Subho Nobo Borsho. Going down memory lane, she avers, “Today, I am feeling very nostalgic as I remember how I would celebrate Nobo Borsho during my school days; I would wear new clothes and shoes. Though I am not wearing new clothes today, I have started reading a new book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. On this day, I am really missing my hometown Cooch Behar (on the banks of the river Bramhaputra) and West Bengal in particular.” Tina Dutta, who plays Meethi in Colors’ Uttaran, like Mouni is also spending a working New Year. She started her day offering her prayers to Lord Krishna and her family guru Gurudev Gauri Prasanna Paramhansa. Then she took the blessings of her family elders and called her loved ones. Recollecting the golden days of her childhood, she says, “My parents would tell me that if I started off the New Year on a good note, the whole year would go well. I would be gifted a new pair of clothes and would wear one of them in the morning and the other one in the evening. We would have a big puja in our house and enjoy family lunch together.” Amrita Mukherjee, who plays Pihu in Sony Entertainment Television’s Bade Achhe Lagte Hain, visited her grandma’s home first thing in the morning today. “I touched her feet and took her blessings. She made luchi (poori) and potato curry for breakfast. For lunch, she prepared dhokar dalna, chicken, fish curry and payesh (payasum). In the evening, I will go out to buy a ghagra. I am thoroughly enjoying Nobo Borsho as I have an off day from shooting today. Though I visit Kolkata during Durga Puja and Kali Puja; I would love to visit the city on the Poila Boishak day too in the near future,” she avers. Indrani Haldar, who is playing Satya’s mother Leena in Life Ok’s Savitri, like the other actresses, is also feeling sorry that she isn’t in West Bengal today. She is fully aware of the spiritual essence of this day. “I have received plenty of phone calls and text messages from my Bengali friends and relatives wishing me Shubho Nobo Borsho. I wished my mother in the morning and took her New Year blessings. I still remember how as a child I would look forward to this day when we would get new clothes, calendars and plenty of sweet boxes as gifts. My mother would cook delicious food for us. Last year I had celebrated Nobo Borsho in Kolkata with my friends and loved ones. As I don’t know too many Bengalis in Mumbai, I don’t really know who to celebrate this New Year day with. Just a few days ago, I did celebrate Gudi Padwa with my friends and work colleagues,” Indrani informs. Avinash Mukherji, who currently stars in Colors’ Sanskaar... Dharohar Apnon Ki, despite his hectic schedule on the sets, has not forgotten to wish his near and dear ones a Subho Nobo Borsho. “I spoke to my close relatives, parents and siblings on this auspicious day. I wished them a prosperous year ahead,” he quips. Pratyusha Banerjee, who played Anandi in Balika Vadhu says, “Today, I am in my hometown Jamshedpur. I am going over to my grandma’s house to celebrate our new year. My relatives will be visiting my grandma’s house too. We will enjoy lunch together. My Bengali friends have sent me many messages wishing me Subho Nobo Borsho.” Jhumma Mitra, who plays Durga in SAB TV’s Jeannie Aur Juju, has been celebrating Bengali New Year every year though she has always lived far away from the shores of Bengal. She explains, “In New Bombay (where she stays), I celebrate Nobo Borsho with gusto every year. The ladies around get delicious home-cooked dishes after which we do puja together. In our childhood, just ten Bengali families would get together, now there are as many as hundred Bengali families celebrating this day together. When a child I would recite poems of Rabindranath Tagore and Sukumar Roy in the annual Bengali New Year function and would participate in dance and drawing competitions too. Bengali ladies would participate in an alpona (rangoli) competition. Then I would be very happy to wear a saree on this special day.” It was double celebrations for Mitali Nag who played Krishna in Zee TV’s Afsar Bitiya, as she celebrated both the Tamil New Year and the Bengali New Year in two consecutive days. Remarks an excited Mitali, “My father is a Bengali and my mother is a Tamilian. Yesterday, it was the Tamil New Year and today it is the Bengali New year. So, in a way it’s a double dhamaka for me. As I was raised by my mother, I grew up celebrating Tamil New Year. After relocating to Mumbai and making Bengali friends, I started celebrating the Bengali New Year by relishing on Bengali delicacies at the Calcutta Club in Oshiwara.” Sayantani Ghosh, who plays Satyavati in the upcoming TV show Mahabharata, starts off the New Year on a spiritual note. “This morning, I visited the Kali temple to seek the blessings of the Goddess. I called my parents to wish them Subho Nobo Borsho. Then I called all my Bengali friends and relatives. I have meetings lined up now after which I will be shooting for Mahabharata. When I was a child, living in West Bengal, I would buy get new clothes and taste sweetmeats on this auspicious day when all our relatives would get together to celebrate,” Sayantani informs. With this, we wish all TV stars and every reader of Tellychakkar.com a Subho Nobo Borsho with a wish that they all have a happy and prosperous year ahead.