
As I sit in my quiet study room in America, the hustle and bustle of life back home seem distant, yet still so vivid in my memory. The last time I celebrated Pohela Boishakh—the Bengali New Year—in Bangladesh was in 2020. That year, I was surrounded by my students and colleagues at the Department of Folklore at Nazrul University, Bangladesh, where we gathered to embrace the spirit of the new year with traditional fervor. After that, the world changed forever. The Covid-19 pandemic halted not only our personal lives but also the ways in which we celebrated our most cherished traditions. I left for America to pursue my PhD in 2021, and though life continued, a part of me remained rooted in the celebrations and cultural experiences I had left behind. The memory of Pohela Boishakh- the Bangla New Year celebration especially the ones celebrated with family and friends, remains as fresh as ever.