Ramaswami on the New Year starting in March

Here's an abstract from Srivatsa Ramaswami's March Newsletter that I thought was interesting:

"In the olden Days, it is said that March used to be the first month of the calendar year. September was the seventh month as Sapta in Sanskrit is seven. October was the eighth and ashta is eight in Sanskrit. November and December were the ninth and tenth months, as nava and dasa are nine and ten in Sanskrit. So.., Happy New Year."

Very nice. Spring for many is a time of rejuvenation, growth, and new beginnings. Ramaswami's explanation makes so much sense for us Westerners...

Luc