HAPPY SARASWATI PUJA

Today is when over on this side of the universe we mix religion with education and create a day called Saraswati puja, the day of the goddess of knowledge and her minions- us students. Its one day when going to school feels like whole new experience of its kind i.e., if the institution celebrates this. Well if not there are other ways to enjoy the day which I will talk about in while. Basically over here this day is when all the girls around play dress up on a massive scale. Don't let my use of words fool you I mean it in a very positive sense. It is the day when the jeans, tees, sneakers, skirts and every thing alike makes way for the regale sari or the mekhela chadar. On a serious note its a day when we take full pride in our individualistic identities merging with our cultural identity. But on less loftier note, when else do we get the chance to look our best and march around the city conquering one Puja pandal at a time. And with the famous Lady Boys from Thailand making rounds in around Guwahati Puja pandals there certainly an International feel this year. I celebrated my puja at the P.O.W.I.E.T. this year at Jorhat and had the best time in a while. The event was celebrated on a large scale with a beautiful flower arch way welcoming the public into the institute. There at the venue of Puja we all bowed our head down to the goddess and prayed ( I prayed to pass in the chemistry exam i have). After we payed our legions to the goddess we were given some prasad. Even though the event was meant for all the employees and all the students, they managed to keep a down home ambiance. With the puja mandap erected up on an open field dotted with trees, it was a treat to the sense and the soul. But the ones who had the most fun were the little kids. The spotlight was shared by a little three year old girl who tured out to be and endearing little dare devil. She pranced up and down a dried out drain and climbed up a bars while her mother and the rest of her family were worried witless if she slips. And her partner sharing the spotlight was a little puppy, by the looks of it the animal had probably been abandoned. The pup seemed to greet every one and escort them to the puja mandap. The warm welcome of the organizers continued further as they fed all the visitors. It was sustenance in the form of khidchi, two vegetable preparations, pickle and rasgulla to go with it. It was really surprising and quite heat warming that these students often known to be trouble makers took it upon themselves to organize the event. Not to forget they achieved it all under the tutelage of their teachers who guided them through. They fed up in the classrooms and they did feed a lot of us. So here goes to P.O.W.E.I.T. for opening their doors to all and bestowing upon us the honor of the blessings of Ma Saraswati. No doubt I believe that the school I passes out from was the best, but today I have to confess if only we had celebrated Saraswati Puja even there. Our school being the Army School Jorhat takes an atheist stand at this event hoping the best that they don't encourage communalism. Which is infact important today because we all need to be politically correct at all times, but the question is would it not be better if we look above the religious content of the day and focus on the holistic part of it. In a sense it is a day for the students. At the end of the day we all remember our backgrounds, our religions and our cultures and take them home with us. But wouldn't it be a bit better if we did take home with a bit of diversity too? Well I don't really have nothing to complain about it because I have grown up around people who are accepting of diversity. And it is here at my home town of Jorhat that we identify ourselves with humanity, not just name, community or religion alone. This thought gives me the the peace of mind that we are all going to be alright after all. HAPPY SARASWATI PUJA TO ALL..I HOPE WE ALL PASS