Anandamela’s Bengali New Year Celebration in Folsom
By Ras Siddiqui
There are possibly as many new year celebrations worldwide as there are calendars. South Asia alone has quite a few of them as the diversity there is amazing. Amongst South Asians, northern California is most familiar with Punjabis because they have lived in this region for over a century. But a much larger ethnicity resides to the east of the Indian sub-continent, the Bengalis, who happen to be one of the largest ethnic groups in the world. The reason that they are not a familiar sight in our area is because they are relative newcomers here. They primarily come from Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal which share a border.
A people proud of their language and culture, Bengalis can rightfully claim that they have the only Nobel Prize winner in literature from southern Asia to date, Rabindranath Tagore, who wrote in their native language (Bengali) and won that honor way back in 1913. Tagore has many readers and followers to this day, and his poetic lyrics continue to be sung by Bengalis worldwide at many events, as he and possibly Qazi Nazrul are considered the preeminent poets of the language.
This information is shared to provide a very brief background to the Bengali New Year or Pohela Boishakh celebration held in Folsom, California on Saturday, May 4, 2024. The works of both poets Tagore and Nazrul were widely featured here. Bengali New Year fell on April 14 th this year, but the celebrations were slightly delayed, as a suitable weekend was found. This celebration was organized by the Anadamela Team, a group of local Bengali culture enthusiasts who have been active in this part of California for almost two decades. Thanks to them, this new year event is one which many non-Bengalis also look forward to as it is our chance to immerse ourselves in a culture that has a great deal to offer.
What was not expected on this day was rain this late in the season which may have impacted full attendance. But still, several people gathered at the Folsom Community Center on Natoma Street at this afternoon program, a real family affair with the green, red, white, and gold colors of Bengal prominently displayed everywhere including on the stage and especially in the attire of the women and children here.
The program commenced with a kids’ parade that started in the main hall and ended up on the stage. The American flag and that of Bangladesh figured prominently here. And the formalities continued with the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner and Tagore’s Amar Shonar Bangla (My Golden Bengal) which is also the national anthem of Bangladesh. This set the groundwork for area Bengali community leader Dr Najmus Saquib to introduce the chief guest, Folsom Mayor Mike Kozlowski, and invite him to kick off the event. The mayor came up to the stage accompanied by his daughter, and a candidate for the Folsom City Council District 4 seat, Gul Khan.
Mayor Kozlowski thanked the people living in Folsom for putting on this event. He said that it was great to get together and important for residents to maintain their cultural bonds amidst the diversity here. He added that he likes to tell people that everyone moves to Folsom for the same reasons, because we have terrific schools, we have a lot of great things to do outdoors, and we have a safe city to raise a family and run a business. The mayor also said that he was delighted to be participating in the celebration. Gul Khan also appreciated the event and made some very brief remarks, praising Folsom and explaining his November quest to become a member of its city council. The mayor’s daughter followed with a couple of Bengali language greeting attempts which were widely applauded!
Poetry, song, and dance are deeply ingrained in Bengali culture and were presented in a very robust and colorful style by the kids, youth, and adults at this event. There were also books, ethnic foods, and fashions available for sale along with an opportunity to get some henna artwork done. The main sponsors of this new year celebration were Woodard & Curran, Town & Country Event Center, Sunshine Natural Foods, and Weaver's Touch by Shilpy. Thanks to them and many volunteers we got a chance to experience Bengali culture right here in Folsom.
To conclude, attending a Bengali event is not only a cultural enrichment process for non-Bengalis but a trip down memory lane for some of us who lived there once. Call it nostalgia, or old regrets, we still cannot ignore some good times too. The two countries that were once one have moved on. But some connecting threads mysteriously remain and somehow refuse to be cut.
