When I joined Tribhuvan University as a visiting professor last December (2025), I was given a cubicle as my personal chamber. Among other things, I asked for a calendar—simply to know the dates and days so that I could distinguish between working days and off days. It was provided, and I marvelled at it. To my utter surprise, it was a different kind of calendar.
The dates were written in Devanagari script, and the months were named Pusa, Magha, Faguna, and so on. I searched for the dates in English. Yes, they were there as tiny numerals printed in red —which I could only read with difficulty. The English months and dates were split and scattered across two Nepali months. For example, the dates from January 15 to February 12 appeared under Magha. This was quite unusual for me.
It is not that the people of Nepal do not love English or are unaware of English months; rather, they prefer to use Baisakh, Jeshtha, Asadha, Srawan, and similar names instead of the English ones. As an Indian, I am familiar with these month names, but we rarely use them in our common parlance or day-to-day activities. They are mostly confined to astrologers and priests. In Nepal, however, everyone is deeply attached to the months and dates written in Devanagari script, even though they are well versed in English. They are —almost jealous—of their identity, without much concern for others’ convenience, or even their own. When I purchased a scooter or bought a newspaper, everywhere I had to take pains to understand the dates, and they too took pains to explain to me that Magha 22 was February 5.
The first page of the Tribhuvan University calendar begins with the month of Baisakh. This means that the Nepali year starts with Baisakh, which fell on April 14, 2025, and ends with Chaitra, which falls on April 13, 2026. Like the months, the year too is split in the Nepali calendar. Thus, a single Nepali yearly calendar contains parts of two Gregorian calendar years—2025 and 2026—which can easily confuse an Indian reader.
As mentioned earlier, the first day of Baisakh fell on April 14, written in English. This reminded me of our Odia New Year, which also begins on April 14 every year. We call it Pana Sankranti or Maha Bishuba Sankranti. Not only Odias, but also people in West Bengal (who call it Pohela Boishakh or Naba Barsha), Assam (who call it Bohag Bihu or Rongali Bihu), Tamil Nadu (who call it Puthandu), Kerala (who call it Vishu), and Punjab (who call it Baisakhi) observe this date as their New Year. Invariably, April 13 or 14, marks the beginning of the new year in these regions.
In some other Indian states, such as Maharashtra, Telangana, and Karnataka, the New Year begins on a date in March. The difference lies in the calendars they follow. The former are solar-based calendars, while the latter follow lunisolar calendars.
April 14 is a day of celebration for Odias, Bengalis, and Assamese alike. In Odisha, a key part of the celebration is the preparation and drinking of Pana, a tasty beverage made from wood apple (bael), yogurt, milk, and spices. People visit temples dedicated to Shiva, Shakti, or Hanuman, as the day is also believed to be the birthday of Hanuman. It is a gazetted holiday in Odisha. We, the Odias, celebrate the day to promote Odia identity, language, and culture.
However, in practice, we follow January 1 (the first month of the Gregorian calendar) as our New Year Day in the place of April 14. Our New Year Day, though celebrated across several provinces, we never follow it in our day-to-day life.
Similarly, Sunday is the only weekly holiday in India. If one asks, “Why Sunday?”, the answer is usually either “practice” or no answer at all. Sunday as an official day off is followed in almost all European countries, the United States, Latin America, Africa, and Asia—clearly a colonial legacy. In Islamic countries, Friday is the weekend.
In Nepal, however, Sunday is the first working day of the week, and Saturday is the weekend. According to prevalent beliefs, Saturday is considered an auspicious day for rest or worship rather than work. Here lies Nepal’s unique practice. They have consciously created and sustained their own identity. The calendar and Sunday are only small instances.
We merely adore what they actually practice !!
(Professor Dr Anil K Mohapatra is ICCR Chair Professor at CNAS, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu. He can be contacted via [email protected].)
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