Of books, looks and what cooks on Saraswati Puja

Among the pantheon of Gods and Goddess in our country, Ma Saraswati occupies a sacred place among students and learners of all age groups. Aai Saraswati blesses us with knowledge and wisdom and candles our lives with brightness and hope. She is also the Hindu goddess of learning, music and arts.

In Assam, youngsters esp. the girls of school-going age clad themselves in mekhela-chador on this special day. When I was a student, preparation for what to wear went much ahead of the day of Saraswati Puja. Since I went to a missionary school the puja was not held within the school premise. However, the day being a holiday, I with my friends went from one school to another in the radius of about 2-3 kms on foot, that too clad in mekhela-chador, to seek the blessings of Ma Saraswati. This was a special day for us since it was the only day, out of all 365 ¼ days, when we got the chance to wear our mother’s mekhela-chador.

Ma jokingly sang these lines in Assamese- “Saraswati Aai, ashirbad kora, porixat nokol korilau noporu je dhora” meaning Goddess Saraswati, bless me so that even if I use unfair means in the examination, may I never be caught.

Bogori (berry) which ripens during this festival always brought water to our mouths. However, eating the berry before Saraswati Puja was associated with either bad results or poor academic performance. Hence, my friends and I totally refrained from eating it while in school even when temptations raised high in our tongues, just like Eve for the forbidden apple.

On the day of Saraswati Puja we were given some money (Rs 5 or Rs 10 then) by our parents to eat something outside. I remember there was this new restaurant which opened in Rukmini Nagar- Ambees. We placed our order and when on my last bite I remembered it was Saraswati Puja when non-veg should have been avoided. I had already committed the mistake of eating flesh on the day of Saraswati Puja and dreaded the result day at school and hence I surmised I would flunk in the examination for eating non-veg. This restaurant still exists now and this is where I once went with my boyfriend while dating him years later after this incident.

 Saraswati Puja is that one day of the year when we try not to read books and newspapers as it is believed that Ma Saraswati may knock us out of our brains if we read or write. I still avoid reading the newspapers on this day even when I am in my late 30s. Habits die hard. I associate computers with Lakshmi and hence happily charted out maps or keyed in it.

Saraswati Puja during college life was quite different from those of school life. The streets of Panbazar would flow like a river of lava, fresh out of its volcano with pretty young ladies in their best attires paparazzied by a battalion of equally adorable young men. There would be more of glamour and beauty than obeisance to the deity.

Khichdi (kedgeree) with labra served during Saraswati Puja was a simple yet  grand feast which every bhakt looked forward to after the puja was over. The aroma of such puja prasad still brings water to my mouth. Chick peas mixed with green gram (soaked overnight) with slices of ginger in it and cut fruits, served to one and all on banana leaves added to the traditional touch.

Even Durga Puja, celebrated in the later part of the year, is incomplete without an idol of Ma Saraswati sitting on her bahn- the white swan or on the white lotus. Her whiteness stands for purity of thoughts. I remember taking school books and genuflecting before the idol of Ma Saraswati, seeking her blessings religiously in order to pass in the examination, on the last day of the Durga Puja. It’s a ritual I abandoned as I grew up.

We were taught when very young to touch our book(s) on to our forehead if it accidentally fell down on the floor. This was done to ensure that we treated our books (and other stationery items like pencil and pen too) with utmost care so that Ma Saraswati won’t desert us at any point of time or lest she thought that we didn’t pay her enough respect.

The only thing one cannot steal from others is one’s knowledge but definitely it grows when we share our knowledge with others. Without learning and without education, this life is an abyss of vacuum and emptiness. Books, one of the greatest sources of knowledge, are also man’s best companion which even helps to keep loneliness at bay.

Near my house there is an SBI Learning Centre with a small idol of Ma Saraswati at a distance, somewhat away from the road. Every time I walk or wheel on my cycle on this road my head bows down as I offer a quick, silent prayer so that Ma Saraswati can bless me, like all others, with wisdom, confidence, courage and strength. As I write this I sincerely hope that spread of knowledge and education engulfs us like a forest fire, removing social evils like witch-hunting which still plagues our society.

There is no full-stop for learning and ameliorating our skills. I find the presence of Ma Saraswati in my Mother- my first teacher in life’s nursery, my elder sister who is no less than a preacher and all my teachers from school who taught us to dot the ‘i’s and cross the ‘t’s, the college and university lecturers/ professors who imprinted strong impressions in the ‘tabula rasa’; my colleagues (both superiors and juniors) who has helped me grow immensely both professionally and personally. Each and everyone one is a tributary of that river of knowledge which flows and grows at each confluence and what Ma Saraswati epitomizes. And like rain drops falling from the sky, may we be showered with blessings by Her, removing the dust of ignorance and illiteracy.