Remembering the Hindu Calendar

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Today's date is 2007-01-03 CE (3rd Jan 2007) as per the Christian Era.

You have any idea what is today's date in the Hindu Calendar of the

Kali Era?

 

2007 CE is 5107 KE (Kali Era). The month now is the 9th month of the

Hindu Calendar, namely MArgashIrsha. And the day of the month is 19th.

Thus, as per the Hindu Calendar, today's date is 5107-09-19 KE (19th

MArg 5107) in the Kali Era.

 

The names of the month do look different vernacularly, so we can have

the number of the month, instead. The name of the current year is

Vyaya (called Viya in Tamil), which is the 20th in the cycle of 60

Hindu years.

 

We need not remember or display the Tithi-Vaasara-Nakshatra details

ordinarily, but let us at least consciously remember and display the

Hindu calendar date (may be in the format yyyy-mm-dd KE to be

universal) besides the date of the Common Era (CE). This could serve

in a small way to be conscious of the world's oldest culture and

tradition, which is ours.

 

The Hindu Calendar is actually the Indian Official Calendar, but is

only naam ke vaste. As Indian citizens, we must be conscious of the

running of our own calendar, irrespective of our religious

affiliations.

 

At a Minimum

 

With all provisions, I understand that the month differs in different

calendars across the country. For example, in the North it is already

the month of Pausha, so it is Pausha (Thai) 19 there. And the year is

1928 of the Shaka Era, 2063 of the Vikrama Era and 1413 of the Bangla

Era.

 

The whole point of remembering our calendar is to know that we are in

the 5107th year KE, not the 2000-and-odd of the CE!

 

When the year is agreed as 5107 KE throughout the nation (why even

throughout the world), it does not matter what month or day we are in.

So leaving aside the Shaka, Vikrama and Bangla Eras, let us agree on

the year (to start with) and say in one voice that this is the year

5107 of the Kali Era! Our mantras predominantly refer to the Kali Yuga

as our age, so 5107 KE is the most appropriate year to remember.

 

Our children and youth should know and use this year, besides the year

of the Common Era, to internalize the ancientness of our culture and

tradition! We might as well say that the civilization of humanity is

5107 years old today.

 

Let us celebrate our New Year Days in accordance with the custom of

our region, but let us use the year of the Kali Era, besides the year

of the Common Era, as a minimum remembrance of our hoary tradition. So

let us write and display the year 5107 KE besides the 2007 CE wherever

we use the current date, except where it is legitimately required to

use only the date of the Common Era.