In the Poila Baishakh, it used to be very hot. This day is mainly for traders. New accounting books are introduced in the store. In Bengali, we call it 'Hal-khata'. Bengalis used to go to the shops on that day and eat sweets after paying their dues.
I used to go out in the evening with Maa, sporting a new dress. The shops in the neighborhood used to embellish with flowers. Monetary transactions were not that big on that day. The real purpose was to build customer relationships. When we were young, our eyes had been fixed on the sweet packets and the soft drink bottles. The store that offered cold soft drinks used to be more crowded. On other days of the year, children do not have much choice to drink soft drinks.
Shopkeepers used to hand out packets of sweets and a calendar. If you shake the packet in your hand, you can get a guess. Laddu and Namkeen have been very common. I used to bring all the packets home. At home, we had no refrigerator at that time. We used to eat as many sweets as possible before it gets sour. Maa used to cook, special dishes that day, sukto, spicy fish kalia, lau chingri, mutton kosha, and so on. In our Bengali kitchen, the chicken was not allowed.
Nowadays Poila Baishakh and Hal-khata have lost their sheen. No one takes a loan from shops, everyone has credit cards. Cooking at home is also not so common during festive days. Bengalis now visit restaurants for 'bangaliana' or order traditional Bengali platter thru food-delivery apps. This is a strange situation! Now we want to decorate our rooms like posh restaurants. But visit restaurants and request homely meals and comfort. In traditional festivals like Poila Baisakh, the contrast between these desires is even more noticeable.
