Every Basanth-Panchami takes me down the memory lane into the early seventies........ Since Basanth- Panchami happens to be Ma Saraswathi's birthday, it was celebrated in schools in a grand manner. This trend was actually started by Tagore in Shanthiniketan and most of the Hindi-Bengali schools in the eastern India followed it.
As little girls we used to plan the occasion with lot of excitement as it provided us with an opportunity to drape sarees and go to our school. Many shops actually sold small sized sarees and stretchlon blouses to fit any kid! It was a beautiful sight to see young, girls in colourful sarees with lots of bangles and ear-rings to match.
I remember one such occasion our school.Shikshnikethan. There was a huge pandaal with a beautiful idol of Ma Saraswathi in it. The students especially the boys took care of organising and the girls were in-charge of the prayer songs.The goddess , attired in a white silk saree with red border and adorned with shining jewels, was beauty personified! The school pupil leader performed the puja guided by the priest.
The best part of the day was the lunch prepared by the male teachers and senior boys. The lady teachers in general came dressed in grand sarees and relaxed while their male counterparts served hundreds of students. We were made to sit in long rows in the school ground and lunch was served in plates made of dried leaves of kathal. I also remember having halwa- puri n khichdi for lunch.
After that, we friends roamed around the colony visiting the families of our friends......mostly to show off our sarees!
Apart from our school, I remember celebrating Saraswathi puja in the hospital quarters campus where we resided. We kids used to go round collecting chanda to buy the idol. The womenfolk gave us their sarees for the pandal decoration. The boys helped with building a small pandal. The prasad usually came from the Dutta family. The priest used to perform the puja.
As kids we loved this festival because our books were kept in the pandal and till visarjan there was no need to study! I wonder if Basanth panchami is still celebrated with the same fervour in Jamshedpur.
As little girls we used to plan the occasion with lot of excitement as it provided us with an opportunity to drape sarees and go to our school. Many shops actually sold small sized sarees and stretchlon blouses to fit any kid! It was a beautiful sight to see young, girls in colourful sarees with lots of bangles and ear-rings to match.
I remember one such occasion our school.Shikshnikethan. There was a huge pandaal with a beautiful idol of Ma Saraswathi in it. The students especially the boys took care of organising and the girls were in-charge of the prayer songs.The goddess , attired in a white silk saree with red border and adorned with shining jewels, was beauty personified! The school pupil leader performed the puja guided by the priest.
The best part of the day was the lunch prepared by the male teachers and senior boys. The lady teachers in general came dressed in grand sarees and relaxed while their male counterparts served hundreds of students. We were made to sit in long rows in the school ground and lunch was served in plates made of dried leaves of kathal. I also remember having halwa- puri n khichdi for lunch.
After that, we friends roamed around the colony visiting the families of our friends......mostly to show off our sarees!
Apart from our school, I remember celebrating Saraswathi puja in the hospital quarters campus where we resided. We kids used to go round collecting chanda to buy the idol. The womenfolk gave us their sarees for the pandal decoration. The boys helped with building a small pandal. The prasad usually came from the Dutta family. The priest used to perform the puja.
