Welcoming Saraswati, the Goddess of learning
A popular Bengali TV news channel is promoting the sari culture on the occasion of Saraswati Puja. Their teams would go around the Puja pandals and capture video footages of girls to select the best dressed girl in a sari
SARASWATI IS the Goddess of learning and her pujas are something that not only the school children but even the college-goers wait for eagerly with bated breath throughout the year. Long time ago, this day used to be one where the girls wore the sari for the first time and where teenage love blossomed. The sari had to be of yellow colour. Yellow signifies the spring season. In fact, these celebrations are also known as the Basant Panchami festivals – a Bengali version of the Valentine’s Day. A popular Bengali TV news channel is promoting the Sari culture on the occasion of Saraswati Puja – their teams would go around the Puja pandals and capture video footages of girls to select the best dressed girl in a sari.
The idol of the Goddess would be decorated at night and early in the morning and the children would assemble after having their bath, wearing fresh or new dresses. The priest would chant mantras and the gathering would repeat the verses. This would be a memorable occasion for toddlers because it would mark his initiation into the world of education – he would sit in the lap of the priest, hold a piece of chalk in his fingers and with the Goddess as witness write at least one alphabet under the guidance of the priest. Considering that millions of children who enter the portals of education every year, these gentlemen are in tremendous demand. Those who are not able to arrange for a priest in advance to perform the sacred rituals wait in the street corners and there is a mad rush to literally hijack the priests from the roads. Idols made of clay are purchased by practically all the families and preserved for the whole year – the idol of the previous year is immersed in the current year.
The basic requirements for the Saraswati pujas include the mandatory flower known as the palash, the khager-kathi which is a tiny bamboo like item that hardens when dried in the sun. These used to be the implements for writing on paper by the school children. The ink would be home made from powders or from tablets that dissolved in water – the resultant liquid would be the first ink that those who graduated from the chalk to the pens used. Other mandatory items are the ‘kul’ or plums -- it was a crime to taste these fruits before the Saraswati pujas.
Similarly, the flowers of the mangoes are a must. The children observe fast and break the fast by chewing these flowers. And the best part is that writing equipment like the pen and pencil are laid at the feet of the Goddess and are not supposed to be used on this day. The significance of these acts is not clear, but, rituals are rituals and have to be followed.
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