Celebrating Pohela Baishakh indoors

This year, Pohela Baishakh is going to be different for all of us. We are going to keep ourselves safe and celebrate it indoors. However, looking back at the festivities that we usually have, we are surely going to miss dressing up and going out. 

Perhaps most of us are going to miss listening to Chhayanaut's new year's musical at the wake of dawn. Many will probably miss the traditional snacks - khoi, mishit doi, and batasha in the morning. 

Those who like dressing up for this special day, do not be disheartened. You can always wear nice clothes inside the house and take lots of pictures to upload on social media. Have fun choosing from with whatever is in your wardrobe – it can be a saree or a skirt, or a fusion of whatever you feel comfortable in. 

We can only assume that this year too, bright colours and exciting motifs would have been seen in every boutique house. Some brands are selling clothes online but it is not mandatory to buy them. If you can, that is a bonus for you and your family. Make sure to buy cotton or linen products, as the weather has already become quite warm. 
Instead of going outside, it will be a different new year's celebration for us, solely with our families. Dressing up might also make us feel cheerful and help us take a break from the gloominess. 

Since people have stocked up on food, panta bhaat and bhorta will be fairly easy to prepare. If you do not have all the ingredients, it is absolutely okay. If we can survive one Pohela Baishakh safely, we will have many more to celebrate in the future. This year, our priority is to be safe and keep everyone safe. You can always order food from outside but from reliable sources. 

This year, let us be kind and try to help those who are in a worse state than us. Many of us are lucky to have refrigerators full of food, internet and electricity connection, and the ability to wear a new dress and have fun with family members. 

But there are many who are struggling to make ends meet and the new year is especially difficult for them. Be it a security guard or a rickshaw puller out on the streets, let us help them in any way that we can. 

To the student who had planned for his first Pohela Boishakh at campus with friends, to the girl who had planned to wear her mother's red and white cotton saree, to the toddler whose first panjabi remains hung behind a closed shutter, the new year is still full of promises. Let us not lose hope, The Business Standard wishes Shubho Noboborsho to all.