Banglar Mela for Pahela Baishakh

Pahela Baishakh is said to be the king of all the festivals that marks the lives of the Bengali’s. The special attraction of Banglar Mela on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh is saris. Although the colours red and white dominates the collection, colours like orange, yellow, blue, brown and olive have been abundantly used. The materials used are muslin, half-silk, cotton, andi khadi mixed with rural motifs, flowers, geometric patterns to adorn the saris.
For the shalwar kameez, a collection of both short and long styles have been included in the Baishakhi collection. The collection also includes kurtis; for men they have short and medium length panjabis, shirt, fatua, etc. For the kids they have Baishakhi themed fatuas, shirts, panjabis, shalwar kameez, frocks, etc.

Kay Kraft's Baishakhi collection

Pahela Baishakh is the grandest of all the celebrations that Bengalis have to celebrate. Kay Kraft is prepared to welcome the biggest occasion of the year with their new colourful and unique collection.
To welcome the New Year, Kay Kraft has included in its collection saris, shalwar kameezes, tops, panjabis, fatuas, shirts, T-shirts, children's wear, ornaments, gifts and household items. The colours red, maroons, orange, white, off white, magenta have got most emphasis with traditional folk motifs. This collection will be available at all Kay Kraft outlets.

Baishakh at Sada Kalo

Baishakh is an inseparable and significant part of Bengali culture. The Bengali culture revolves around fish, kite, mask and many as such motifs. Sada Kalo, this year has used fish as the main element of their collection. Fish motif has been used in different mediums with important being block, screen print etc. The materials that have been used are cotton, half silk keeping in mind the heat of Baishakh. The products that are made are T-shirt, sari, Panjabi, tops, orna etc. This collection will be available at all outlets of Sada Kalo from beginning of Baishakh.

Anjan's Boishakhi Collection

Pahela Baishakh

Starting from 1967, Chhayanaut's 'Barshoboron' [ushering in the Bangla New Year] at Ramna Park in the city has become a tradition. BTV, BTV World and Bangladesh Betar will air the programme live on Pahela Baishakh [April 14]. Telnet, Grameenphone's sister concern, will cover the detailed programme on the website www.chhayanaut.org. Grameenphone is sponsoring the programme.

Private TV channels will also telecast the programme live.

The day's programme will begin at 6:15am with an instrumental recital (Raga Ramkeli on violin) by Sheuli Bhattacharya, followed by renditions of morning raga-based songs of 'Pancho-kobi' [Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, DL Roy, Atul Prasad and Rajanikant], patriotic songs, folk numbers and recitation.

Students [both current and former] and teachers of Chhayanaut with several guest artistes have rehearsed for over a month for the programme. Security is being beefed up circling the 'Barshoboron 1418' programme.

It should be mentioned that this year Chhayanaut will celebrate its golden jubilee.

Boishakhi preparation

From the beginning of April, the shopping scene at Dhaka faces a complete overhaul. Western beats are replaced by the traditional sounds at all the major shopping malls including Pink City, Genetic Plaza etc. Tops, dresses and even fotuas make room for the classic saris, shalwar-kameez sets and panjabis and most importantly, red and white rule supreme.

Any female who has crossed over the '14-year-old' borderline is most likely jumping in anticipation for a chance to wear and wander around in a sari. You can get special Pahela Baishakh red and white saris in cotton, jamdani, half silk and silk.

Nine out of the ten boutiques of Deshi Dosh (at Boshundhora Mall) have geared up for the occasion with special discounts and offers. Here you can find cotton saris ranging from Tk 750-1500 and at the other end silk saris starting from Tk 2000 and going as high up as Tk 5000. In this range you will find many other saris of various materials.

If cotton or silk is not your style and you crave something which oozes sophistication, make a trip to Jamdani Kutir, Tangail Sari Kutir or Taant Ghar. Here your budget needs to be from Tk 3500 to 15000.

If you want a break from the toilsome travelling around in a sari on a hot and humid day, no worries. Shalwar-kameez sets, especially for the red and white celebration, have taken over the shelves of even the traditionally non-traditional retailers such as Yellow, Smartex, Infinity, Trendz and others.

Here you will find the appropriate clothing around Tk 1200, providing you with the basic red and white combination on cotton or synthetic material. If you decide to go up to Tk 6000, you'll get some decorative embroidery or thread work on your dress.

Traditional three-piece retailers such as Chaiti is also ready for the season, supplying the shoppers with an assortment of block, screen print and embroidered sets ranging from Tk 800 to 2500.

Like any other traditional event, it is almost a sin for a man to wear anything other than a panjabi in Pahela Baishakh. For those who are confused about what to buy and where to go, try checking out the various local fashion houses like Kay Kraft, Banglar Mela or Aarong. Prices can range from Tk 800 to 6000.

Now we all know that the love birds in Dhaka city are heavily deprived of scopes to share special moments. Hence, just like Valentine's Day, Pahela Baishakh gives these couples the opportunity to go out and have a good time. Keeping this in mind, local designers have come up with the idea of creating outfits for couples -- panjabi for the guy and sari or kameez for the girl. It doesn't end there; they have sets for mothers and daughters, and fathers and sons as well.

When the going gets hard in the daily hustle and bustle of life, the city dwellers seek days when they can take a break and celebrate life, and what better day to indulge in celebration than the Bangla New Year?

As one of the shoppers enthusiastically told us, Pahela Baishakh is an event created and developed by the masses, and is a perfect outlet for our cultural expression. The vibrant colours, the intoxicating music, even the heavy traffic on the day are all part of the festivities. So shop, walk, eat and share the joy.

By Raisaa Tashnova and Afrida Mahbub