COME BASANT Panchami and Nature wears a golden sari. Fields ripple with mustard brilliance, and there are Saraswati Puja around the city.
It seems in the rush for Mother Lakshmi, city is forgetting Saraswati. Institutes like Bhatkhande, Kathak Kendra, Sanskrit Sansthan, Hindi Sansthan and UP Sangeet Natak Akademi and educational institutions like schools, colleges and coaching institutes celebrate this day by offering ‘puja’. However, the number of schools and colleges celebrating this day is decreasing every year.
Kapila Raj, Director, Kathak Kendra tells, “Basant Panchami marks the birth of our ‘guru’ Bindadin Maharaj. In the morning, amidst the staff and students we perform ‘puja’ and worship Bindadin Maharaj and Saraswati Devi. Later we offer khichdi as bhog. After this, the students and teachers perform something for our ‘gurus’ and Goddess.”
Similarly, Sanskrit Sansthan offers prayers to Goddess Saraswati and to the ‘vedas’ and performs Saraswati Vandana.
However, Bhatkhande Music Institute is celebrating Basant Pachami on Friday.
“We have a small cultural programme at the institute in the morning where all the staff and students are present. We do ‘devi puja’ as we consider Devi Saraswati as our ‘guru’,” says Narendra Nath Dhar.
A number of coaching institutes performed Saraswati Puja on Thursday.
Saurabh, student of a private coaching institute tells, “I am taking board exams this year and I need special blessings of Goddess Saraswati. All the students at the institute got together to perform a small ‘puja’.”
{{/usCountry}}Saurabh, student of a private coaching institute tells, “I am taking board exams this year and I need special blessings of Goddess Saraswati. All the students at the institute got together to perform a small ‘puja’.”
{{/usCountry}}Talking about the significance of this day, PC Pradhan, astrologer and occult scientist, says, “The day marks the beginning of the festival of Holi. On this day the ‘aandi tree’ is placed on the crossroad for holika dehan.”
Further telling about the significance of yellow colour, Vivek Dixit, an astrologer says, “Yellow colour signifies peace and prosperity. It is a symbol of good health. It is also the main colour for Holi and Basant Panchami marks the beginning of a fresh season, so it is considered to be an auspicious colour.”
Yellow rice and kheer are special food for this day. A number of women make them at home. Mamta Rajan, a housewife tells, “I make sure I make ‘meethe peele chaawal’ on Basant Panchami. It is a small way of remembering this day.”
A number of people were seen on the road wearing yellow clothes.
However, the hotels and restaurants don’t have a special menu for this day.
Ramakrishana Math organised a special programme on this day. Swami Muktinathanand from Ramakrishana Math says, “We had programme lined up for the entire day, right from 8:00 in the morning. We gave ‘khichdi’ as prasad to the ‘bhakts’. And in the evening we have bhajan and kirtan.” Bengali Club is celebrating Basant Panchami on Friday.
Furthermore, an artist at the ongoing Kala Utsav at Rashtriya Lalit Kala Kendra has taken the theme for his painting as ‘Basant Panchami’. Narendra Dave from Jaipur says, “On Basant Panchami the sun transits from one ‘rashi’ to another. And through my painting I am trying to depict this action this.”