, Nov. 18 -- Once a vibrant fixture of rural Bengali culture, the traditional 'Nabanna Utsab', the festival celebrating the first harvest, is quietly fading from many villages across Lalmonirhat, according to local residents.

With the end of the Bangla month of Hemanta and the touch of approaching winter, farmers across the district are busy harvesting Aman paddy.

Golden fields still stretch across the horizon, carrying the familiar scent of new grain, yet the festive celebration that once marked this season is rarely seen nowadays.

Villagers said that although the joy of harvesting remains, the communal spirit of sharing the first cooked rice from the new crop-a hallmark of the 'Nabanna Utsab' -has largely diminished.

"We heard from ...