Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], April 15 : Marking the Bengali New Year on Wednesday, Padma Bhushan awardee Usha Uthup extended a message of peace, cleanliness, and collective well-being for the city and its people on the occasion of Poila Boishakh.
Speaking to reporters, the veteran singer said, "... I want to wish peace for everybody... More and more happiness to everybody... Let's make Kolkata green, clean, peaceful, secure and straight. A lot of justice and happiness for everybody."
Poila Boishakh, which marks the beginning of the Bengali calendar year, is being celebrated as the start of the year 1432. The festival holds deep cultural significance among Bengali communities across India and abroad, particularly in West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, and Bangladesh.
The term 'Poila' means first, and 'Boishakh' denotes the first month of the lunisolar Bengali calendar. The day is considered especially auspicious in the Bengali Sakabdi tradition.
Celebrations, also known as 'Noboborsho', include cleaning and decorating homes, creating alpana designs at entrances, and welcoming deities Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha.
Political leaders also extended greetings on the occasion. Union Home Minister Amit Shah conveyed his wishes to the people of West Bengal, highlighting the state's cultural and historical legacy.
In a post on X, he wrote, "Heartfelt best wishes to our sisters and brothers of West Bengal on the occasion of Poila Boishakh. May West Bengal, a land endowed with a rich cultural heritage and literary excellence, and blessed with the sacred history of revolutionaries of the freedom struggle, enter a new era of development, good governance, and welfare in the new year. Wish the people of the state a bright and prosperous future."
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also greeted citizens, wishing peace and harmony.
In her message on X, she said, "From the depths of my heart, I extend my warmest greetings of Bengali New Year to the people of all corners of the state. May this fresh dawn of a new era make each of your lives free from blemish. In this call of the new, may every soul brim with sanctity. Just as our Bengal is the cradle of art and culture, so too is it the cradle of harmony among all religions. Some malevolent forces are leaving no stone unturned to tarnish this Bengal. Delhi's zamindars are usurping people's voting rights. Remember, we must give them a democratic answer."
Her remarks come ahead of the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, scheduled to be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with results to be announced on May 4.
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