Noted actor Tariq Anam Khan holds some of his fondest memories of early Pahela Baishakh celebrations close to his heart.

“My fondest memory goes back to my childhood and teenage years, when we more or less treated it as halkhata—the opening of new ledgers,” he recalls. Small shopping trips, a few coins from his father, sweets, and visits to local cloth stores—all set against a backdrop of banana trees and pots—made the day feel uniquely Bengali.

Before that, he remembers being fascinated by Chaitra Sankranti rituals, like Charak Puja, which sparked his curiosity about local traditions. By the late 1960s, Pahela Baishakh had grown into a grand festival, with schools and families organising music and decorating stages with Bakul branches and flowers to create a distinctly Bengali atmosphere.
 

For Khan, the heart of the celebration was always Ramna Batamul in Dhaka. “I would go there early in the morning, whether staying at my sister’s house in Azimpur or later with my own family—my wife Nima and our young son. We would listen to music, enjoy sweets, and watch the celebrations unfold under the open sky.”

He emphasises that Pahela Baishakh is not just a festival; it is a celebration of Bengali identity. Tied to the calendar instituted during Emperor Akbar’s reign, the day is marked by sunrise, not midnight, and is a time for sharing food, music, and joy. “Even learning songs like ‘Esho he Boishakh, esho esho’ was a lesson in renewal: breaking the old to build anew.”