Narayan Chandra Sarkar has never witnessed such a dull and low-key Poila Baisakh in his 50 years as a businessman at the Dhulian market in Samserganj.
After four days of closure owing to the waqf-related violence in the area that claimed three lives, he opened his wholesale and retail grocery shop on Tuesday for halkhata (new ledger) puja, a tradition that has run in his family for over a century.
He decorated the shop with flowers, bought several red-coloured new ledgers where he would write the names of customers after they settled their dues, and made arrangements for sweet packets for them. “It’s around 2pm but not a single customer has visited my shop. I hope at least a few will come in the afternoon,” said the 65-year-old grocer, showing an empty halkhata.
The fear that has gripped the area following the communal flare-up on Friday has marred the festive spirit, with most people not daring to step out. The atmosphere of mistrust after the clashes also appears to have had a bearing on the participation in Poila Baisakh rituals as around 80 per cent of the local population are Muslims.
Sarkar said hundreds of customers usually visit the shop on this day to repay their dues, and the money collected helps him pay the big merchants from whom he purchases commodities on credit.
“Last year, dues to the tune of ₹5 lakh were cleared on Poila Baisakh. This annual collection helps businessmen like me pay our suppliers. This year, it’s a double loss: I have to repay my dealers from my savings and I won’t be able to collect last year’s dues anytime soon,” Sarkar added.
The deserted Dhuliyan market on Tuesday. Picture by Samim Akter
As part of the halkhata tradition, traders across Bengal invite their customers to their shops on Poila Baisakh. Many shop owners gift calendars and sweet packets to customers who repay their debts on this day.
Manabendra Mukhopadhyay, head of the Bengali department at Visva-Bharati, said halkhata has been a tradition in Bengal since the 17th century.
“In earlier days, local zamindars used to organise Punyaha — an occasion to collect due taxes from their vassals — on the Bengali New Year. Big traders gradually adopted this practice to collect dues and the tradition persists, especially in the rural and semi-urban pockets of Bengal,” Mukhopadhyay said.
Sarkar is one of the very few businessmen whose shops have reopened at the Dhulian market in the aftermath of the violence in the larger Samserganj area.
Most business establishments — including motorcycle showrooms, large ready-made clothing stores, restaurants and even medical shops — are closed, giving the Dhulian Bidhan Sarani market a deserted look.
A police officer said shops were gradually reopening and the situation was expected to improve from Wednesday.
Several traders in Dhulian said the violence, which began with a protest related to the amended waqf act, had throttled their Poila Baisakh business this year.
“Our market is one of the biggest in Murshidabad. Buyers from outside Dhulian also come in large numbers to purchase new clothes for the Bengali New Year. I have lost business worth at least ₹10 lakh,” said Nitesh Kumar Jain, the owner of a readymade clothing store at Bidhan Sarani near theDhulian municipality.
Multiple traders said the Dhulian cloth market was a popular hub and people from neighbouring Malda district and Jharkhand’s Pakur frequented the place. Till last week, the market was abuzz with activity.
“It’s not easy to restore normalcy. Traders like me panicked after a two-storey shop that was over 100 years old was looted and set on fire during the violence. It’ll take time for us to regain the confidence to reopen our shops,” said Jain, standing near his shop. He demanded that a BSF or CRPF camp be set up in the area to helprestore trust.
Though some traders began reopening their shops by Tuesday evening, the number was still low compared to the total numberof establishments.
Poila Baisakh is not a festival for Hindu traders only — it is also celebrated by the local Muslim community.
“Till last year, I used to visit my dealer’s shop at the Bidhan Sarani market and receive a packet of sweets and a calendar. The halkhata celebration is part of our tradition too — there has never been any enmity between the two communities. Hindu traders also invest during Eid as it boosts the local market,” said Ismail Sheikh, a confectionery shop owner in Samserganj.
Tinku Sheikh, a sweet shop employee at Old Dakbungalow More in Samserganj, said he used to make around 20,000 laddus for Poila Baisakh as local traders would order them for halkhatacelebrations.
“This year, there were no orders. We could open our shop only on Tuesday,”Tinku said.