I do not know whether there exists another language as secular as Bengali. Yet, it is truly unfortunate and saddening that the speakers of this language have not yet been able to bind themselves in a single thread or evolve into one unified national identity.
In the Bengali script, the curved marks above the letters ই, ঈ, উ, ঊ, ট, ঠ are called Chaitan or Tiki. This symbol was borrowed from the tuft of hair (shikha) found on the heads of orthodox Brahmins. The swirl above the letter ঙ is called Pagri (turban). The Bengali script has evolved from Brahmi script through a process that has continued for over three thousand years. The final refinement of the letters we use today was carried out by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.
Just as a Muslim cannot deny the presence of the Tiki in the letters, a Hindu cannot reject the turban associated with Sikh or Muslim traditions. Therefore, those who call for boycotts or exclusions are merely thundering in vain. Nothing will be discarded, nor can it be. If we attempt to eliminate everything, there will be nothing left of our identity. Why that is so—let me explain. Please read attentively.
According to history, the origin of the Bengali calendar dates back to 1556 AD. It was introduced by Mughal Emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar. That year, he defeated Hemu, the general of Adil Shah Suri, in the Second Battle of Panipat and ascended the throne of Delhi on November 5. However, the new calendar officially began in the 29th year of his reign.
To simplify revenue collection, Akbar, with the help of his court astronomer Amir Fatehullah Shirazi, introduced a new calendar system called Tarikh-e-Ilahi on March 10 or 11, 1584. Known to farmers as the Fasli San, it later gained popularity as the Bengali year or Bongabdo.
Before that, the Hijri lunar calendar was in use, with months like Farvardin, Ordibehesht, Khordad, Tir, Murdad, Shahrivar, Mehr, Aban, Azar, Dey, Bahman, and Esfand—names of Persian origin. Since it was lunar, tax collection during a consistent season was impractical. That’s why Akbar adopted a solar calendar, aligning better with agricultural cycles. This remains unchanged to this day.
In 1608, under orders from Mughal Emperor Jahangir, Subahdar Islam Khan Chishti developed Dhaka as the capital and initiated the celebration of Pohela Boishakh (New Year's Day) to mark the beginning of the fiscal year. Emulating Emperor Akbar, the Subahdar distributed sweets and held a festive gathering in front of his residence for people of all classes, along with tax collection, accounting, music, bullfights, kabaddi games, and the Halkhata event.
Akbar had adapted the names of days and months based on the Gregorian calendar, customizing them for the Indian subcontinent. That adaptation still prevails today. The names of Bengali days and months unmistakably derive from Hindu origins—just like the Tiki on Bengali letters.
The twelve Bengali months are named after stars or constellations, which, in turn, originate from Hindu mythology. These names were derived from the lunar position in those constellations:
• Boishakh – from Vishakha
• Joishtho – from Jyeshtha
• Asharh – from Uttara and Purva Ashadha
• Srabon – from Shravana
• Bhadro – from Uttara and Purva Bhadrapada
• Ashwin – from Ashwini
• Kartik – from Krittika
• Agrahayon – from Mrigashira
• Poush – from Pushya
• Magh – from Magha
• Falgun – from Uttara and Purva Phalguni
• Chaitra – from Chitra
Boycott advocates might accept the star-based month names. But what about the days of the week, named after planetary deities? Those too, rooted in Hindu mythology, are:
• Shoni (Saturday): A fierce deity whose evil gaze brings misfortune. Son of the Sun and his wife Chhaya.
• Robi (Sunday): From Aditya, the Sun god, son of Aditi and Kashyapa.
• Shom (Monday): The Moon, associated with Lord Shiva.
• Mongol (Tuesday): God of war, born from Shiva’s drop of blood.
• Budh (Wednesday): A divine entity, son of Brihaspati and Tara, or sometimes the Moon.
• Brihaspoti (Thursday): Jupiter, the largest planet, called Guru—bringer of good fortune.
• Shukro (Friday): Chief of the Asuras, known as Shukracharya.
Now, how do you reconcile the weekly Jumu’ah prayers falling on Shukrobar—named after an Asura chief? That’s probably why some prefer calling it Jumabar. But saying it isn’t enough—you’d need a public mandate like Akbar's! And currently, religious parties in Bangladesh barely retain their electoral deposits. Votes still go to Awami League or BNP. Neither seems likely to rename Friday, rooted in 500–600 years of history, as Jumabar.
So what’s the practical benefit of this verbal boycott or revisionism? No matter what you rename, the DNA flowing through your veins carries the blood of Hindu-Buddhist ancestors. Can you change that?
I know an atheist scholar who doesn’t believe in God, deities, or divine powers. One day I asked, “When’s your birthday?”
He said, “In June.”
“Do you celebrate it?”
“Of course! This year, it’s on a Friday.”
“Do you know where ‘June’ comes from?”
“No.”
June is considered the month of weddings, named after the Roman goddess Juno, queen of marriage. So, whether you like it or not, you acknowledge a mythological deity.
And Friday? The planet Venus is named after the goddess of love and beauty—Aphrodite (Greek) or Venus (Roman). The Anglo-Saxon goddess Frigg is the origin of the English word “Friday.”
“I don’t believe in those myths!”
But disbelief doesn’t erase the month of June or the word Friday. You cannot wipe them from your life. So, this stubborn rejection of everything is neither practical nor acceptable.
Our reactionaries are particularly irritated by Mongol—the god of war born from Shiva’s blood. But even if you replace it with words like Welfare or Peace, their Sanskrit roots still connect to Hindu culture. How many terms will you eliminate? In the end, you won’t even have a shirt on your back.
They don't mind the Doel bird or Royal Bengal Tiger too much. But they do have a problem with crocodiles. I’ll come to that later. Interestingly, some Bengalis fear owls—unbelievable! Yet, in the Middle East, owls are honored as magical, beneficial birds. Why?
Owls play a crucial role in Middle Eastern agriculture by preying on rats, which are major threats to crops. In Israel, Jordan, and Palestine, people build nests near fields to attract owls. A pair of owls can kill up to 6,000 rats a year. Are they not beneficial?
If Emperor Akbar were alive today, he would laugh heartily at our antics: “Why did I introduce Tarikh-e-Ilahi? These people deserved Tarikh-e-Barjan (The Calendar of Rejection)!” They reject this, reject that, and eventually erase themselves while searching for their lost identity.
Why such fear and opposition to Mangal Shobhajatra, an integral part of our New Year festivities? It doesn’t turn people irreligious or corrupt. Even a devout believer who prays five times a day joins the procession in red Punjabi with enthusiasm. So what’s the real issue?
The Bengali year 1430 approaches. Twelve years ago, in 1418, a grotesque crocodile figure symbolizing Rajakars (collaborators during the 1971 Liberation War) was featured in the New Year parade. The intent was clear—like the monstrous croc, Rajakars were man-eaters, murderers. That’s why it was shown trampled under the feet of a brave Bengali man and woman.
Is the opposition to Mangal Shobhajatra rooted in the fear of seeing such imagery again?
We want to love even those who oppose us. Let’s remind them of the immortal words of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman:
"I am a Bengali, I am a human, I am a Muslim. A man dies once, not twice."
Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah, the ascetic scholar who strictly adhered to religious principles in his personal life, used to say:
"Just as it is true that we are Hindu or Muslim, it is even more true that we are Bengali. This is not an ideology, this is a fact. Mother Nature has stamped our faces and language with such deep marks of Bengali identity that neither garlands, tilaks, and tufts of hair, nor caps, lungis, or beards can cover it up."
To abandon that Bengali identity and spread extremism by clinging to a narrow religious identity is nothing but grave irrationality.
Writer: Journalist
1 Boishakh 1430 | 11 April 2023
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