JnU holds Saraswati Puja, female student performs rituals at one pavilion

A woman preacher has performed the rituals for Saraswati Puja, during which devotees pray to the Hindu goddess of knowledge, education and music, at one of the several Puja pavilions or venues on the Jagannath University campus.

Samadrita Bhoumik, a student at the Department of English in the 2018-19 academic year, led the Puja rituals - including Bani Archana, Aarti and Pushpanjali - for the Hindu students.

This is the second time a woman has performed the Saraswati Puja rituals at Jagannath University.

Generally, Hindu women arrange for the Puja rituals but men from the Brahmin perform the Puja rituals.

“The scriptures never said that women couldn’t perform Puja,” Samadrita said. “Even then, women do not feel inspired to do so. I took this initiative for the second time to break these inhibitions,” she told bdnews24.com.

According to Hinduism, Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge and education. Saraswati Puja is held in the Bengali month of Magh in the winter.

The goddess is said to ride a white swan. Traditionally, Hindu children are brought to the temple of Saraswati to have their “Haate Khari” or first educational lesson on the day of the Puja as preachers chant mantras.

Saraswati Puja is being held at 27 Puja pavilions or venues across the Jagannath University campus. Students and teachers from all departments, aside from the departments of Islamic Studies and Islamic History and Culture, are celebrating the Puja separately.

As many as 33 departments, two institutes, the Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnessa Mujib Hall, and the Fine Arts Faculty are celebrating the Puja.

The campus is full of festive cheer and has been adorned with Alpana – colourful designs on the streets - and lights. The students decorated the Puja venues for their respective departments.