Basant Panchami

The 8th of February 2011 we celebrated Basant Pachami. All the reminiscences of childhood emerged in my mind. In schools and colleges (more in schools), it is a big festival, and the people, particularly children, enjoy it to the fullest. They enjoy the festival, its colours, sweets, and all that is attached with the festival. Goddess Saraswati is worshipped on this occasion of Basant Pachami. Basant in Sanskrit means spring season, and Pachami means the fifth day after the onset of spring. Saraswati is the Hindu Goddess of learning and wisdom, somewhat similar to Lord Ganesh in terms of attributes. Sri Aurobindo in his monograph The Mother has described four aspects of the Divine Mother: Maheswari, Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati. Though the youngest among the aspects this aspect of the Divine Mother is equally important for the seeker of true knowledge and liberation. If I remember correctly, besides being the Goddess of learning, Saraswati is also the Goddess of perfection in works.

Coming back to the school days, it was really something to be remembered and worth counted. Till the end of secondary school education, the festival is very well celebrated. The school going boys and girls become very happy due to varied reasons. On this auspicious day, also a kind of holiday, the school is full of religious fervour and gaiety. The school gates are coloured. Beautifully designed papers adorn the school gates and roofs, and with threads connected to each other, and also with flowers including lotus and lilly and other local flowers are used to decorate the place of worship and also the whole school building. The school is not closed as such, but there are no lessons that day. Hence, the children are free from the burdens of classes, and also at times from the caning from the teachers (in fact in schools, particularly in rural areas, besides caning, teachers adopt various treacherous means to punish errant students, for example by kneeling them down outside classroom in scorching heat, and that too with piercing stones under knees sometimes, and many such other methods). It is also the day of celebration, no home works. For the children, including myself twenty five or thirty years ago, it is the day which they really wait for.

The children get new clothes, like in other festive seasons, from their parents and relatives. In fact this is one among other festivals, when children push or cajole their parents (particularly father, who is the usual bread earner, or may be through mother) to have new clothes. Usually all students get new clothes that day. Not only that, that day usually, variety of sweets is prepared at home to celebrate the occasion. I remember in my childhood, particularly in the evening, we enjoyed village drama, or watching movies in video in groups, or enjoying a music fest in open theatres. Hence it is the day of festivity, as it continues for three or four days, as the idol of the Goddess then is taken on an auspicious time to a water body, pond or river or lake to submerge in water. All these three or four days boys and girls enjoy immensely.

Coming to the religious significance of the festival, it is equally important for the Hindus. As the Goddess represents knowledge and wisdom, she is also called Bagdevi (or Goddess of Words, symbolizing knowledge and wisdom). If one looks at the idol of the Goddess, installed in a hall of the school, and in a classroom used that day as a room for worshipping the Goddess, one can find a book (made in clay, again a symbol) in one hand of the Goddess. The Goddess has the vehicle in the figure of a swan, and she is surrounded by other Gods and Goddesses in a very beautiful fashion. In the morning all the students after taking bath gather in the hall. A priest comes there to offer the prayers, or convey the prayers of the students or both. He starts chanting Sanskrit hymns as prayers to the Goddess. Students and teachers gather in the hall. Students place one or two of their books on the podium in front of the Goddess, as a gesture so that the Goddess will bless all of them and bestow more knowledge and wisdom on them. The priest continues chanting hymns. After about an hour when it is finished, the students break coconuts as an offering to the Goddess. And then all offer flowers (usually thrice) along with the priest to the Goddess, while chanting prayers in chorus. This offering of flowers is called Pushpanjali (literally meaning offering of flowers). This is something really amazing, heart filling as if the collective consciousness rises higher for good of all. After that the prayer ends, and all the participants receive prasad (the sweet and fruit offerings to the Goddess).

Someone may say it is pure ritualism and nothing else. But there is also another way to look at the event. It is a kind of prayer to the Goddess, it at all symbolic, to aspire for more knowledge and wisdom. The atmosphere is surely happy and cordial and enchanting, and pure and without any dogmatism. I know how one of the great Indian freedom fighter Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya founded one the biggest universities of India, Banaras Hindu University on this day in 1925. Perhaps his decision in choosing this day might be motivated by his thinking that this day is auspicious and will be suitable to found the university, a centre of knowledge and wisdom. One may argue that if this social gathering brings peace and happiness to the community, and somehow motivate boys and girls to work and study hard, there is no harm. If such a festival descends into obscurantism or jingoism, then it is a matter of serious concern. In Durkheimian language, if this social fact inspires the community for good, then perhaps there is nothing bad in it.