India, April 14 -- Poila Boishakh, the Bengali New Year, celebrated today, holds a deeply personal meaning for actor Rhea Chakraborty. For her, it marks a "fresh start" in every sense. "The New Year signifies permission; permission to begin again, to forgive yourself and to try differently. Take it, with love, always," she shares.

Looking back at her childhood, she says, "My earliest memory of Poila Boishakh is honestly just the smell of it. New clothes, flowers, my mum's cooking. We would wake up really early; the whole house had this energy, like everyone was somehow lighter. I remember being dressed up before I was even fully awake. That feeling of a fresh start, even as a child, felt so real."

She adds, "The excitement for new cloth...