“For heaven’s sake its just a [tag]calendar[/tag] !”, my friend yelled…
My heart raced. I wanted to reply, but I was choked with emotions and I simply couldn’t…
![[tag]Kalnirnay[/tag], [tag]Kalanirnay[/tag], [tag]Kaalanirnay[/tag]](http://priyank.com/images/weblog/2007/2007-07-18_kalnirnay.jpg)
All the walls in my room are covered with pictures and maps. My friend got a picture of all of us and wanted to stick it in the place where the calendar was. I said no.
I look at the calendar everyday and it reminds me of home. It reminds me of the hundreds of little occasions and festivals that I’m missing. I look at the ‘red’ dates occurring on weekdays, and think about how the holiday used to excite me 10 years back.
In short, the calendar means a lot to me. It’s almost a part of who I am and part of my upbringing and culture. It makes me nostalgic, and in a place where everything is ‘foreign’, this is one of the few things that is not. (see, the week starts on Sunday!:) ) Indeed, the last thing I use it, is to see the dates! For most part of the day its just lying there on the wall doing nothing. Sounds silly?
The calendar-[tag]almanac[/tag] in talk is, Kalnirnay (कालनिर्णय).
Does anyone remember the old advertisement? It went in three languages on [tag]Mumbai[/tag] TV station:
[tag]Marathi[/tag]: कालनिर्णय द्या ना…. कालनिर्णय घ्या ना
Gujarati: कालनिर्णय आपो ने… कालनिर्णय लो ने
Hindi: कालनिर्णय दिजीए… कालनिर्णय लिजीए
(Customer: Can you give me a Kalnirnay?…. Shopkeeper: Here is the Kalnirnay)
Then, there was this signature jingle:
भविष्य मेनु आरोग्य ज्ञान, उपयुक्त साहित्य प्रत्येक पान ।
पंचांग शोभे सुमंगल असावे. भिंतीवरी कालनिर्णय असावे ॥
Astrology, Recipes, Health, Information,… Useful literature on every page
May you get an auspicious horoscope, let there be a Kalnirnay on your wall
(Ok the English translation sounds funny)
Today this calendar is India’s largest selling publication and is available in Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, English apart from Marathi language. The brand is so powerful in [tag]Maharashtra[/tag], that at the end of the year, people say “I have to buy a Kalnirnay” instead of saying “I have to buy a calendar.”
Quick question: What are the two objects you will find in all Maharashtrian homes?
Answer: A statue of Ganpati (Lord Ganesh) and a Kalnirnay calendar!
So,… No! Its not just any calendar. Its Kalnirnay…
Subscribe
Follow on Twitter
RSS Feed
E-mail updates
Very sentimental. But, quite true.
↵Hi Priyank,
Nice write-up. Yeah truly, nothing can substitute a Kalnirnay!!
↵खरं आहे.. कितीतरी गोष्टी अशा असतात ज्यांच महत्व आपल्याला कळतच् नाही… त्या पैकी ही एक. मण मला एक् सांग, तुझ्या भिंतीवर काय लावायचं याचा निर्णय कोण घेतं ????
मित्र होता का मैत्रीण???
↵ya,I too have been buying one for many years now and the home somewhere looks incomplete without it !
Even tho I wud get very good calendars complimentary at office from our vendors, I wud still go and buy one Kaalnirnay. The other calndars do look good where as a Kaalnirnay makes you feel good – with all those big and small festivals marked on it which bring smile on your face and excitement in your life !
Having studied in a boarding school where students came from all over india, we celebrated all the festivals (truly secular!)with equal excitement. and thats a habit now – so be it Teej or Lohri or Eid, we celebrate all. Yes, Eid too – thats a nice reason to hug actually ! : ))
and coming back to Kaalnirnay, it has so much more on its back side! An interesting read always !
I have been couriering Kaalnirnay to my sister abroad for years now !
↵So we Indians know – it’s not a calendar, it is KAALNIRNAY !
Hi Priy!
↵dude, Kalanirnay is famous elsehwere also. It is a class apart. There are so many other calendars competiting with Kalnirnay, but it is like Kelloggs of corn flakes or google of search engines..!
nice post.
good article pookkoo….but i feel offended by the word ‘Maharashtrian’…..it somehow shows the same slavery to the English language that elsewhere we have succumbed to…mii ‘Marathi’ aahe….’Aaj-nirnay’ ghyaa…..kii tumhii ‘Marathi’ aahaat ka ‘Maharashtrian’?
↵Deven:
More emotional than sentimental!
Varsha:
Hey! Nice to hear from you after … ages!
Ash:
↵मित्र होता ग बाबा… तुला सांगणार सर्वात आधी…
Raji:
Yeah its special in its own way. Who can ever imagine getting attached to a kaalanirnay !
Vishal:
I didn’t know that, but now I do. thanks
Pranav:
↵hmm… I was strongly opposed to that word too! But when speaking English, I guess it should be okay.
I hate when people use the word while speaking in Marathi… for eg. “Mi Maharashtrian aahe”. Thats like saying ‘Mai Indian hoon’ in Hindi… plain ridiculous.
Even a migrant to Pune like me knows how much a Kalnirnay means(although Ive never lived anywhere but Pune).. it was always present on my kitchen wall. Dunno which auspicious day will have us heading back home…
↵Nice post! Yes, the unprecedented success of Kalnirnay spawned many, many imitations, but neither one could dethrone the supreme ruler!
Like Raji said – the back side has such a wealth of information! This was a groundbreaking genius product-revolutionizing concept. No one had thought to use the back side of a calendar ever before! Apart from railway schedules, recipes, health tips, and so on, there were articles by distinguished literateurs.
↵i dont miss calender, but i miss all those holidays which we have for several festivals in India. the only relief is tht here the holidays r integrated with weekends to make long weekends
btw did u observe tht good friday is not a holiday here, while it is in India
↵Vaarun:
You can’t hide under that inappropriate migrant tag.
Mahendra:
Yes, I remember once in office I had no work for days, and I spent reading this stuff (I had an e-copy)
Maverick:
↵Yep, the long weekends are really convenient!
I did wonder why it was the case about Good Fridays! Any clue?
A touching post, man I just don’t remember any other brand of calendar ever purchased …. My dad used to preserve Kalnirnay.
I really appreciate Jyotirbhaskar Jayant Salgavkar for making Kalnirnay as one of the most important dimension of all maharashtrians!
If I am not wrong Kalnirnay is usually the second thing that any proud Maharashtrian man will install in his brand new house
↵Hey dude, this is pretty sentimental. I tried putting myself into your shoes to feel the situation. I have had some similar senti experience during my 2 yrs of stay at IIT hostel. IITB, at that time, was ‘faaaaar’ away for me from my home, though now with better roads its 45 mins drive, and moreso because it was first time I was outta my cozy den [:D] … and guess what did I have to comfort me? आजीची साडी वापरून बनवलेली गोधडी …
Good that you have the kalanirNay on you side
Be good,
↵Mandar
Hi Priyank,
Nice view of supreme brand consciousness. I didn’t know that people ask for them by brand name instead of “calendar”.
By the way, we’re in mid-winter here in Oz!
Cheers
David
↵Advait
Very true. The creator was great indeed
Mandar:
And your post reminds me of what was called – ‘टुमणं’ !
David:
↵Yea the calandar is really famous. Hope you are enjoyin the winter! hehe!
So very true !!! Yes, it is KAALNIRNAY not just a calendar. I fully agree with you on this. Since the day I came to Mumbai it is part of our house.. a necessity.
↵ho na…ami pan kalnirnay vapartoye..changli mahiti dete te..
↵pan ithe saglana marathi yete,tari pan kabara sagle english madhe lhivte!!
hi site paha quillpad.in hechyat tumhi zar marathi sabd english madhe lhivlya tar te tyala marathi lipit badalte…vaprun paha
nice new look!
↵I thought atleast here I’ll find a calender for 2007 but invain………..
↵BHAPO priyank
↵Cuckoo:
Its part of our life indeed!
Amit:
Link noted.
Vishal:
Thanks man!
Shital:
Nobody would be foolish enough to publish a pirated copy on his website.
Gauri:
↵hmm yeah you of all people would know!
Does anyone where I can lay my hands on a printed copy of 2008 Kalnirnay. The Kalnirnay website now only sells a softcopy of it (or else their website’s got problems). either way let me know.
Cheers,
↵Praphul.
Praphul:
↵Welcome to my website. I only know that people get it from their friends traveling to India. If I hear something more, I’ll let you know.
At my place in mumbai we use to tally kalnirnay for each and every occasion. But now when i am in Dubai, on my own. I miss out all when Kalnirnay is not with me. The worst of all was that this year i ate chicken on Padva, i didnt realise it becoz i didnt had Kalnirnay with me here. It always pinches me when i remember it. the first thing i did after that was i got a small .pdf file printed and done it into a table calender so i dont miss out important tithi’s.
↵Meghana:
↵The story you narrate is so real, I would have forgotten many such occasions too. I don’t have a Kalnirnay for 2008
It is very simple and useful. Having lot of information with religious knowledge. Thnks for taking too much efforts to making it user friendly.
↵