Happy Basant Panchami 2018

Today is Vasant/Basant Panchami - a day when Indians all around the world celebrate the Spring Festival. Basant means Spring and Panchami means fifth day, as it falls on the fifth day of the month of Magh of the Hindu Calendar. 

Bengalis and many others celebrate this festival by worshipping Goddess Saraswati, representing creative energy, wisdom and power. So if you are student you will not give exams or even go to the school today without seeking the blessings of Goddess Saraswati...

Basant Panchami-
Goddess Saraswati is seated on a Lotus,
hence my offering to the deity, seeking Her blessings

It also marks the auspicious beginning of learning known as 'Vidyaarambh' for children who iniate writing for the first time. I don't remember my childhood days, but for my daughter this Vidyaarambh ceremony was done in a temple where a Pandit made her write the first alphabets (a,b,c) in English, Hindi and Bengali. He was a Pandit who knew all the three languages!

Educational institutes in India, arrange prayers or puja in the morning seeking blessings of Goddess Saraswati. While in school, I always participated in some creative activity like dance or music, and not to forget the puja celebrations by the Bengali Association in my township. We were a small community of Bengalis but we celebrated Saraswati Puja with great enthusiasm and energy. In fact, we children didn't go to schools that day but would submit our school books at the feet of the deity to seek Her blessings...we would be dressed in our best yellow dresses and would enjoy the festivity with sweets and prasad bhog (offerings made to the deity) and had lots of fun ofcourse. 

These memories are still fresh in my mind, something I regret as an expat since my daughter misses all the cultural associations and festivities...call it the woes of an expat living abroad!

Wishing you all a very Happy Basant Panchami...to all Indians who celebrate this festival around the world...May Goddess Saraswati remove all the Lethargy and Ignorance, and may She brighten our lives with knowledge and wisdom.

Have a good day...while I go ahead and make preparations for the puja at home with khichuri, labra and payesh - small offering to the Goddess from my side.

Thank you for stopping by.

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