Wish you all Happy New Year 1129!

How many of you know that today is New Year day in India based on Bikram Samvat as well? New Year begins on first day of Kartik which is also the day following Deepawali Amaavasya (Lakshmi Puja) in India.  It is based on lunisolar calendar.  In contrast we celebrate New Year of Bikram Samvat on first day of Baishakh, 6 months earlier than India.

Lunar calendar is scientific as much as solar calendar. It is based on position of moon in its orbit relative to the Earth whereas solar calendar is based on position of the Earth relative to the Sun. Centuries and centuries ago, when there was no  â€œPatro”, “Bhitte Calendar” or such thing, people can determine what day of the month or year looking at the moon in clear sky at night, and you still can do it today.  No moon on the sky,-Ammavasya follows by full moon on the sky-Purnima in 14 days. It would not be possible to determine such thing based on the Sun.

Friends, let’s talk about technical difficulties. Do you realize that you have been celebrating Dashain, Tihar and all other festivals of Nepal based on the lunar calendar? Do you realize that your birth chart “China/Chino” is based on lunar calendar? How difficult it was for you to know the Navaratri in Dashain and Lakshmi Puja in Tihar? What makes you think that it is not possible to use lunar calendar? I think it is only excuse of being lazy and not exploring other possibilities. If you are in US right now, do you still try to calculate in your head wondering how many litters of petrol you have put in your car dividing the number of gallons of gas you’ve just filled in by 3.78 (roughly 4)? Do you still try to multiply the miles you have drove to work by 1.6 to know how many kilometers you’ve just drove?

Nepal Samvat is just a count of years initiated by Sankhadhar Sakhwa. He did not invent the lunar calendar neither did king Bikramaditya. It was already there in place, and used in day to day life in the region. Sankhadhar Sakhwa is an ordinary man unlike Bikramaditya who is a king. Nepal Samvat is named after a country unlike Bikram Samvat and other Samvats named after rulers or religions.  In 1903 AD, Chandra Shamsher replaced the Nepal Samvat with Bikram Samvat.  It is very unfortunate that only the Newars of Kathmandu valley were raising voice against it.

If Chandra Samsher can use Bikram Shamvat and make Baisakh as first month of the year, why can’t we make Kartik as first month of the year and replace the Bikram Samvat 2065 with Nepal Samvat 1129? Keep the month names same as  Baishakh, Jesth, Ashadh, etc. if it is that difficult to use the lunar calendar.  It is not going back to the past, if you don’t understand it, lower the number of the year, newer it is. In this sense Nepal Samvat is newer than Bikram Samvat.  It is just one option among several. Friends, everything is possible, just need to explore in depth. Let’s make our identity stronger first, make our map stand out, before getting lost from the world map on the name of globalization.

Once again, Happy New Year 1129!