Dr Venganoor Balakrishnan

We now celebrate New Year with late-night parties. But Indian tradition prescribes a totally different way to start the New Year.
According to our scriptures, the head of the family should light a simple oil lamp on the morning of the New Year, representing grace, knowledge and prosperity.
Of course, New Year was celebrated by people in different parts of India according to different calendars. But there was a common thread in the observances.
“Sarva prasenashta sarveshta
Karmaswapivis esthatha:
Praasaanaiva deepasya
Divishya subhamabhisel”
True to this shloka, an oil lamp is kindled during all auspicious occasions. The oil, the wick, the blaze and the lamp represent the body, the life force, longevity and the home respectively. Hence, it is auspicious to welcome the dawn of a New Year with a lighted lamp.
Many communities of India consider the first day of the month of Medam (April-May) as the beginning of the year. As per the Hindu calendar, the day of Vishu is celebrated as the New Year day.
Two legends exist in connection with the celebrations of Vishu (the harvest festival of Kerala observed on the first day of the Medam month). The first one hails this as the day Lord Krishna killed Narakasura.
The legend is connected with the Ramayana. It was believed that the asura king Ravana did not like the Sun to cast his rays directly into his abode. Hence, the Sun was forced to emanate his rays only in a slanting position.
However, after Lord Rama killed Ravana, the Sun rose in the East and cast his rays happily into the palace for the first time. This day is observed as Vishu.
As per the concepts of astrology, Medam marks the first raashi in the Zodiac. Hence giving a warm welcome to the New Year is very important.
Vishukkani is a practice observed on the day of Vishu. Members of a family are supposed to see the auspicious image of Lord Krishna along with a lighted oil lamp surrounded by flowers, fruits, vegetables, money, grains and jewellery — symbols of grace and prosperity.
In Andhra Pradesh, New Year is termed Ugadi. In Assam, it is the day of Bihu. Punjabis celebrate it as the Baishakhi Utsav. For Tamilians, the New Year day is Puththaandu. In Kerala, the first day of the month of Chingam (August-September) is observed as the opening day of the New Year.
However, nowadays most of the world celebrates the New Year according to the Christian era. Hence, we too can join the celebrations going on around the world.
It is our tradition to recite dictums by sages at the outset of a journey and at the beginning of a New Year. Let us go through a shloka that appears in the celebrated Manusmriti during this auspicious occasion.
“Sathyam brooyat priyam brooyat
Na brooyat sathyamapriyam
Priyam cha nanrutham brooyat
Easha dharma: sanatana:
(Tell the truth, tell the pleasant truth. But don’t tell the unpleasant truth. Though pleasant, however, don’t tell untruth. This is universal ethics.)
So let us start the New Year on a pleasant note.

— Dr Venganoor Balakrishnan is the author
of Thaliyola, a book on Hindu beliefs and rituals.
He has also written books on the Vedas
and Upanishads. The author can be reached
at drvenganoor@yahoo.co.in