Patna, Jan 23 (PTI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday took part in Saraswati Puja celebrations and extended good wishes to the people on the occasion of Basant Panchami.
Kumar was accompanied by his son Nishant Kumar and senior JD(U) leader and Bihar minister Rajeev Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, among others.
According to a statement by the CMO, Kumar prayed for the peace and prosperity of the state and extended good wishes to the people on the occasion of Basant Panchami.
Earlier in the day, students organised Saraswati Puja at educational institutions across Patna.
Dressed in bright colours, students in various schools and colleges offered prayers before idols of the goddess, sought blessings for knowledge and wisdom, and distributed prasad.
The festival is dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, revered as the deity of knowledge and learning, and is widely celebrated across the northern region.
“Saraswati Puja is celebrated with great devotion in gurukul ashrams, Ved Vidyalayas and other schools. There is a belief that children who perform the puja on this day receive the blessings and grace of the goddess,” said Akshay Tiwari, an official at Sant Pashupatinath Adarsh Sansthan.
Students, with sandalwood marks on their foreheads, chanted mantras, blew conches, offered books before the idol and participated in the rituals.
“We celebrate Saraswati Puja with great joy in our Ved Vidyalaya and pray to the goddess to bless us with knowledge,” said Divyanshu Shukla, a student of the institution.
Anand Kumar Pandey, a student of the same school, said the puja is observed every year with great enthusiasm, and is marked by cultural programmes and other events.
Principal of Zero Kids Pre-School in Patna’s SK Nagar area, Nandini, said this is the first time her school is organising Saraswati Puja.
“The children were very excited about the festival. So, we made whatever little arrangements we could and performed the puja,” she said.
Abhishek Kumar, the owner of Adhyanam Library in Patna, said it has been celebrating Saraswati Puja for the last three years.
“We take part in it with great enthusiasm, but in a peaceful manner, without disturbing anyone. We have some cultural activities lined up for the evening. Since this is the festival of the mother goddess, women are taking the lead in the puja and celebrations,” he said. PTI SUK RBT MNB
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