Poila Baishakh, the first day of the Bengali New Year was observed across the state with great enthusiasm. The day is also observed as the foundation day of Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is now touring in north Bengal, took part in the programme to celebrate the foundation day of the state and participated in a colourful road show at Chalsa. At Rabindra Sadan a cultural programme was held to observe the foundation day of the state. Miss Banerjee has not only took the initiative to celebrate the foundation day of the state but also adopted Banglar Mati Banglar Jal, composed by Tagore, as the state anthem, which is sung before the commencement of any government programme.
Today being the last Sunday before the first phase of Lok Sabha election are to be held in Cooch Bihar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri districts, leaders of all the political parties spent the day to build contact with the people. In Kolkata thousands of people visited Kalighat and Dakshineshwar temples and offered puja. The owners of Bengali business houses visited temples with their ledger books and prayed for their mental and financial well being. It may be mentioned that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited Kalighat temple on Saturday evening and offered puja. In Mohun Bagan and East Bengal football special puja was held at the goal post and the players and organizers of both the clubs were present at the function. This has been the tradition at the football clubs for many years.
Bhasa Chetana Samity organised a meeting and the guests were treated over Panta Bhat, a popular traditional Bengali food. College Street and surroundings were the focus of hectic activity, with all publishers, big and small, arranging sessions with writers. These sessions gave an opportunity to the readers to meet the authors. Hundreds of readers visited the well-known bookshops of the Deys, Ananda, Patra Bharati among others. The guests were treated to sweets.
Mr Saikat Neogy, a young researcher, launched two books, Agnijuger Sandhane, written on the Bengal revolutionaries which was brought out by Patralekha and Subhaschandrer Jailer Khata, based on the dairy which Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had written as a prisoner of Mandalaya jail, which was brought out by Mitra Ghosh. Cafe Ekante, the well known restaurant at Eco Park treated guests to Bengali cuisine. Bonne Femme, a well known restaurant in south Kolkata offered special Bengali cuisine from 13 to 15 April.
There were both non-veg and veg dishes. Sweet sellers in the city brought out some new variety of sweets. The jewellers invited their customers in the evening and treated them to sweets and sharbat. Cultural shows were held across the state where the participants through songs and dance welcomed the month of Baishakh which is the first month of the Bengali calendar. People following the tradition bought the Bengali almanac.