Welcoming Vasant Panchami

Welcoming Vasant Panchami with the popular stotra that we, as children, have learned and chanted on the day of Saraswati Puja - an auspicious day for all students.  

या कुन्देन्दुतुषारहारधवला या शुभ्रवस्त्रावृता

या वीणावरदण्डमण्डितकरा या श्वेतपद्मासना ।

या ब्रह्माच्युतशंकरप्रभृतिभिर्देवैः सदा पूजिता

सा मां पातु सरस्वति भगवती निःशेषजाड्यापहा ॥१॥

A sketch of the Goddess Saraswati and the Origami Lotus

While as kids we shunned away all the books as they would be laid at the feet of Goddess Saraswati, we kids would be delighted thinking that we don't have to study for the day. We began the day early with a quick bath and dressed in orange or yellow we would run quickly to the venue where Saraswati Puja would be held. Being a small township, we hoped to meet all our Bengali friends and relatives. We would carry a few important books - say Maths or Science to be laid at the feet of the Goddess of knowledge, believing that she would help us enhance our knowledge and understanding in that subject area atleast!  

The event of the day we most looked forward to was performing the Anjali rites with flowers and feeling blessed for the day, we kids would run around the puja pandal and enjoy the prasad thereafter. Those were the days when we considered the books as our enemy, and now when we wish to make friends with books they seem to desert us - call it the drawbacks of growing up!

Anyways, today I was fortunate enough to have some spare time to make a quick sketch of the Goddess Saraswati and to make an origami Lotus as a small offering from my side. An effort to keep the child in me alive and also my devotion towards the Goddess.

Origami Lotus

The origami lotus has been made using three paper sizes. Here, are the details about the same.

The leaf is made from 15 x 15 cm square origami paper.

The next yellow layer of petals is made from 17.5 x17.5 square cm origami paper.

The inner orange layer of petals is made from 15.0 x 15.0  cm square cm origami paper. 

The final lotus size with the leaf turned out to be around 5 cm.

It looks like a difficult model to start with but on the contrary, it turned out to be a very easy one to make. However, it requires a paper of very thin quality otherwise folding it at later stages makes it difficult. 

ORIGAMI LOTUS

May the Goddess of knowledge, arts, music, and science help us learn, gather and explore more knowledge and skills to us mortal beings. Let wisdom take control over our egos and may we always remain blessed by the Goddess Saraswati.

Happy Basant Panchami to all you.

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