SWARSHWATI PUJA GODESS OF KNOWLEDGE

Puja fever hits foreign shores

AAROHI KESHAV

A girl carries an idol of goddess Saraswati. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey Patna, Feb. 7: As the days get longer and warmer and the board examinations draw closer, students across the state prepare for a festival that could get them high marks — Saraswati Puja. Not only students pray to the goddess of learning, nowadays artists, intellectuals and anyone associated with knowledge or arts seek her blessings for success in their pursuits. With the advent of globalisation, the benediction of the goddess has spread over the ocean. Lara Dutta, a resident of New York, said she celebrates Saraswati Puja at her home every year and also takes part in the celebrations of the Indian community in the Big Apple. “It helps our children — most of whom have been born in the US — to understand their culture and heritage. We celebrate Basant Panchami as a community festival. Children are encouraged to put up skits and perform. It is just like my childhood back home,” said Dutta. In Patna, youths don yellow attire to celebrate the advent of spring. “I worship Saraswati every year because it is only through her blessings that I achieve good results,” said Abhiroop Kumar, an IIT aspirant. For Abhiroop, Saraswati is a goddess not only of learning but also the source of human civilisation. “She is the goddess of human consciousness and wisdom. A devotee of Saraswati not only becomes learned but also very wise,” he added. Ramashankar Mishra, a priest, said: “Knowledge is infinite and so is the human ability to learn. But the irony is that education is always limited. Formal education teaches us to advance in our careers and earn a living. However, it cannot teach us how to live a good life. “Education helps us find the meaning of life and connect with our consciousness, which in turn, leads to enlightenment. For that, we need to worship Saraswati,” Mishra said. Even Buddha needed the blessings of the goddess and so the Buddhists worship her as well. In the Vedas, she is depicted wearing a white sari, bedecked with white flowers and pearls, perched on a white lotus and playing a veena. For sociologists, the festival is not just a religious ritual. It is also an event that bonds people through cultural events organised on that day.