Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the first month of Bangla calendar now is at doorstep. People from all walks of life are ready to celebrate the first day of the new year with much festivity.

Chaitra Sankranti is an age-old festival of rural Bangla which marks the last day of a Bangla year. The Bangla calendar is solar, with the year beginning on Pahela Baishakh.

Celebrating Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bangla New Year, is certainly a delight for customers who use plastic money, as boutiques and food courts partnered with banks and card issuing companies to offer discounts.

Every Boishakh -- the first month of the Bangla calendar, people wish to shake off the previous year's gloom and prepare to usher in the New Year with renewed vigour.