Agartala, Jan. 7 :    Agartala, Jan. 7:  History repeats itself first in farce and then only in tragedy, Karl Heinrich Marx said in the Holy Memory. But the Marxist-ruled Tripura is witnessing an unfolding of tragedy over the re-introduction of 'Tripurabda' or the 'Tripuri year' introduced by the rulers of the erstwhile Manikya dynasty more than 500 years ago. The state is caught in a time warp with the Autonomous District Council's decision to re-introduce the traditional Tripuri calendar year popularly known as 'Tring' with December 22 as the first day of the year. The autonomous district council is controlled by the tribal-dominated Indigenous People's Front of Tripura. The state government follows a loose version of the Bengali calendar with a traditional three-year gap. While the Bengali calendar year is 1407, the Tripura calendar year is 1410. But the new calendar adopted by the autonomous council has brought all important dates, including the new year, closer to Christmas. The arbitrary decision was taken in a council meeting recently without the sanction of the state government. The council also organised a 'Tring' festival at their headquarters in Khumlung on December 21-22 to coincide with its new year. It also notified December 22 as a holiday in the ADC area, which spans 68.10 per cent of the state's total territory. The controversy over the change in Tripuri New Year Day has taken a political turn with the presence of Governor Lt. Gen. (retd.) K.M. Seth's presence at the function. However, the Governor chose to remain vague about the issue, saying, 'I have been told that the traditional Tripuri year commences from December 22.'' The 'Tring' festival and the new diary and calendar printed by the council has sparked widespread protests. The calendar is diametrically opposite to the one adopted by the state's ruling Left Front in 1999. Veteran Marxist intellectual Saroj Chanda has questioned the ADC's right to take 'such an arbitrary decision' on the ground that the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which forms the basis of the autonomous council, does not empower it to take such decisions. Veteran TUJS leader Shyama Charan Tripura has also criticised the council's decision. According to him, the original 'Tripurabda' used to begin from the seventh day of Vaisakh, which is traditionally the last day of the 'Garia puja' performed by the Hindu tribals. In an article, Tripura said the Bengali pundits in the royal Manikya court may have effected a change to bring 'Tripurabda' closer to 'Bangabda' or the Bengali calendar. He also contended that till 1971, important state government and municipal council records used to be maintained with 'Tripurabda' dates as the 1947 merger agreement allowed the state to retain its calendar along with other traditional rules. But after 1971, 'Tripurabda' was virtually obliterated from the official records.In 1992, a group of educated tribal youth made an attempt to revive the calendar and the state government reverted to 'Tripurabda' in 1999 with a traditional gap of three years. But it kept all other aspects similar to the traditional 'Bangabda'. The ADC's decision has been allegedly prompted by the IPFT leadership's zeal to bring everything closer to Christmas. Earlier the National Liberation Front of Tripura and the IPFT's attempt to change the date of 'Garia Puja' from April to December 24 had triggered a major political tussle. IPFT leaders are maintaining a discreet silence on the issue. Even as no ADC executive member or councillor could be contacted for comments, a senior council official merely said, 'We are in no position to comment on the issue.''