Your "Pohela" lockdown

There is always a first time for everything and 2020 seems to hold plenty of it, the latest one being spending Pohela Boishakh in complete lockdown. That was the best possible move but nonetheless an unexpected blow to our Bengali pride. In these challenging times, how was Bengali New Year 1427 celebrated?

Despite the streets, parks, restaurants, educational institutions being devoid of the festivities, the big Bangali energy was evident across the virtual world. We may have missed seeing throngs of Panjabi and Shari clad people out and about but some still chose to dress up at home and post pictures. Those who didn't dress up, partook in ThrowbackTuesday by sharing previous Boishakh's photos from Facebook memories. Social media was buzzing with colours; a welcoming change amidst the distressing news updates. The meme squad did their part by posting fresh Boishakh content which was unlike the previous years.  

The viral Don'tRushChallenge made its Pohela comeback, as the Bengali ladies flaunted their "sharir achol" with the beat of "Melay Jaire". Mehrin Newaz and her batchmates from Dhaka University Electrical Engineering Department, dolled up solely to complete the challenge. "There wasn't much to do for Noboborsho, so I thought this would be a good way to celebrate", she says. Men did not hold back either, as Batch 16 students of the Islamic University of Technology, transformed into Panjabis, to the very fitting tune of "Panjabiwala". Thankfully, there was no sweaty Rayhan bhai dancing in the dead of the night.

There was no one singing "Esho He Boishakh" at Ramna Batamul, but the song still made its way online as friends and families came virtually together to post their rendition of it. Employees from every function of British American Tobacco Bangladesh, including ones stationed abroad, composed an Acapella version "Esho He Boishakh". The inclusion of guitar, bass, ukulele, keyboard and even expertise from a sound engineer proved the amount of time and effort that was put into syncing. Adiba Arif, a Global Graduate of Human Resources Department shares, "We wanted to contribute to offset some of the gloom attached with this year's Boishakh, because in times like these, the feeling of togetherness does wonders in enabling each other to stay positive." 

Aarong hosted a Boishakh special public event, where celebrities such as Sahana Bajpaie, Rafiath Mithila, Iresh Zaker, Partha Barua and more, shared their lockdown lifestyle and sang songs through Facebook Live. Instagram influencers also went live to chitchat with their fans and followers.

Alongside Zoom Meetings and Zoom Classes, Zoom Uthshob rose in popularity on Nobobrosho. Nusaiba Hoque, a fresher at the Bangladesh University of Professionals, spent every Boishakh with her community friends and this year was no different. "We dressed up and did a video call to reminiscence past festivals and sing two lines of 'Esho He Boishakh' as 14th April is incomplete without it" she opines.

The party does not end there! We may have missed out on the fun activities with friends at the Boishakh Mela, especially Nagor Dola, but HouseParty was there to save the day, somewhat. HouseParty app allows one to play board games and simultaneously do video call with your squad. Nafisa Nuha, the 19-year-old who spent every Noboborsho since birth at the Mela, spent Boishakh at Houseparty up until 1.30 am. Good thing virtual house parties do not require us to be home by Maghrib.   

We do not know what New Year 1427 has in store for us, but we can only hope and pray that we live through this pandemic and be able to hug our loved ones on 1428 and say, "Shubho Noboborsho."