GUWAHATI, Jan 21 - The Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdom would be revered across the State along with the rest of the country on the occasion of Saraswati Puja tomorrow.
Amid elaborate preparations to observe the festival of Vasant Panchami, clay idols of the deity were brought to the pandals today to start the festivities from early in the morning tomorrow.
The biggest festival for the students� community, the puja holds special significance for the schools, colleges and other educational institutions, decked up beautifully to welcome the Goddess of Learning as well as charm for the onlookers.
Guwahati being a hub of several front-ranking educational institutions and also a conglomeration of students from different parts of the State, who pursue their higher education in the capital city, will have a grand celebration of Saraswati Puja tomorrow.
Most of the schools and colleges of the city were seen teeming with students, busy in placing the idols in pandals and doing all other necessary arrangement for the fest. Similarly, the college hostels also take a very active part in organising the puja. An undeclared competition among institutions to make their puja celebration better than the others, mark the occasion every year.
�Our Saraswati Puja is always better than the rest in every way. Whereas we give equal importance to learning along with merrymaking, aesthetically also our celebrations make a mark every year,� a student of Handique Girls� College said.
Though the festival is believed to be an occasion to invoke the deity and have her blessings to acquire knowledge and improve learning, gradually more thrust is being given on looks and attire with the city streets turning into a fashion ramp for the students.
From school-goers to college students, both girls and boys put in extra effort to look their best in tradition attire and going for pandal hopping from one place to another. The puja is now also drawing flak from a large section of the society for the growing trend of profligacy instead of its core objective that is, to worship the Goddess of Knowledge and the pursuit to acquire excellence.
�Traditionally, Saraswati Puja is believed to be a simple occasion solemnly observed with devotion, where we explore our inner self and rededicate ourselves in the pursuit of knowledge. But the lavishness with which the puja is being celebrated these days, have taken the soul out of this fest," Hiren Chandra Das, a school teacher said.
The trend, however, is neither harmful nor a deviation from tradition, believes Monalisa Som, who owns a boutique in Panbazar area.
�Students nowadays are equally conscious about their studies and grooming. With knowledge, personality is also a parameter of success in the current competitive atmosphere and I see no harm in girls going to parlours or boys opting for a trendy haircut.�
�Moreover, more than 90 per cent of the students opt for traditional outfits, mostly mekhela sador, and kurta-pyjama, which promote traditional attire. The youngsters will surely have their share of fun in the festivals," she added.
