Basant Panchami heralds the beginning of spring.
Cool lingering breeze replaces the cold harsh winter and there is a touch
of rejuvenation and joy in the air. The buds of leaves and flowers come
into full bloom. Girls in different shades of yellow dresses enhance the
beauty of nature on the day of Basant Panchami. Kite flying, a popular
sport in India, is associated with the Basant Panchami day. It is
a day for the students – no studies, only merry making.
Basant means spring and Panchami is the fifth day of the fortnight of
waxing moon (Shukla Paksha) in the month of January-February of
English calendar (Magh). This year (2001), the Basant Panchami
falls on the 29th of January.
The day of Basant Panchami is dedicated to Goddess Sarasvati. It is
not a national holiday in India but the schools are closed and the students
participate in decoration and arrangement of the worship place.
A few weeks before the celebration, schools become active in organizing
various annual competitions of music, debate, sports and other activities.
Prizes are distributed on the day of Basant Panchami. Many schools
organize cultural activities in the evening of the Saraswati Puja day
when parents and other community members attend the functions to encourage
the children.
Sarasvati is the goddess of learning. Sarasvati bestows the greatest
wealth to humanity, the wealth of knowledge. In the Vedas the prayer for
Sarasvati depicts her as a white lady in white dress bedecked with white
flowers and white pearls, sitting on a white lotus, which is blooming
in a wide stretch of water. She holds Veena, a string-instrument, like
Sitar, for playing music. The prayer finally concludes, “Oh Mother Sarasvati
remove the darkness (ignorance) of my mind and bless me with the eternal
knowledge.”
The Vedas describe Sarasvati as a water deity, goddess of a river of
the same name. According to popular belief Sarasvati, originating
from the Himalayas, flowed southeast, ultimately meeting the Ganges at
Prayag, near the confluence of Yamuna. Hence the place is called Triveni.
In due time this course of water petered away.
The mythological history of Sarasvati associates her with the holy rituals
performed on the banks of the river Sarasvati. She is worshipped
as a goddess of speech, attributed to the formation of Vach (words), invention
of Sanskrit language and composition of hymns.
In the United States, the Bengali community observes Basant Panchami
in the form of community worship of goddess Sarasvati. It is usually organized
on the following weekend. Conservative Indians, however, prefer to celebrate
it on the day of Panchami. The commue cultural activities and the participation
of kids is encouraged.
