Saraswati vandana dance
The road would be jam packed with two months old to seventy year old sparkling and curious eyes, all witnessing a mega “ Bidaai ceremony". " Punargamanay cha" mantra would reverberate in the air.We would spent the entire evening in the nearby main road to enjoy the entire procession. The next day is the day of visarjan- when the idol is immersed in a nearby pond or river with faith and hope that she will again return back to earth to honour us with an opportunity to worship her again. Later the evenings were spent by visiting the educational institutions along with my parents.We would be too glad to accept the prasad packets and there used to be an unwritten and unspoken competition among friends as to who visited maximum number of pandals and who collected maximum prasad packets. Lunch used to be humble khichri, sabji and chutney. Post this, we would go for pandal hopping, accompanied by friends, clad in a saree which my mother would have allowed me to wear after much pleading and persuading. We would get up early, bathed and dressed up in our best attire for the puja, pushpanjali and prasad sevan which mainly consisted of boondi,coconut pieces, dahi- chuda and ber. A newly procured Nataraj pencil would also find a place near the books for divine blessing, to be used later in the forthcoming annual exams. So it was actually a holy holiday as the books were kept near the feet of the idol to seek maximum blessings for the toughest subject. The day of Puja is a holiday, holiday in real sense- no study…if you study you are going to remain a budhoo for the rest of your life. The day before puja, beautiful idols of the Goddess were brought from kumhartoli in trucks, rickshaw, tempo with much fun fare. Some get five rupees, some ten, some are returned back with excuses like” chutta nahin hai, baad mein aana”and some used to be threatened" agar prasad nahin mila to agli baar chanda band,"along with their quota of five rupees. Small berries called ber starts fruiting ,days ahead groups of overenthusiastic kids with yellow and pink receipt books roam across the neighbourhood for collecting chanda for puja celebration. Long before this auspiscious day, various events unfold themselves and set up the stage for this mega event called Saraswati Puja. " Hae Sharde maa, hae sharde maa, agyanta se humein taar de maa"- the saraswati vandana that has remained imbibed in my heart throughout the journey of my life.Being brought up in a small sleepy town in eastern India, I had the opportunity to witness and be a part of the celebration with lots of passion and enthusiasm. With yellow hue and warm sunshine around, we welcome Maa Saraswati on this fateful day to bless us, to lead us from the darkness of ignorance into the world of wisdom. As the chill and bone biting cold winter gives way to vasant or spring, nature too undergoes metamorphosis and becomes more vibrant and colourful.
“ Saraswati namastubhyam varade kaamarupini, vidyaarambh karishyami siddhirbhavatu me sada”.
Every child in an odiya household on this auspicious day starts his student life with “ khadi chuan”or the day when he first touches " khadi" or chalk and seeks Her divine blessings before embarking on the journey of his student life. Maa Saraswati is also known as the Goddess of wisdom, learning, knowledge,speech and music.
The day is regarded as highly auspicious in the eastern part of the country. The day of Vasant Panchami, fifth day of M agha month is celebrated across the country as Saraswati Puja.