Tamanna, turned two and a half in October this year. Perfect timing to start school and Little Feat Montessori was the answer for her as it was for Aarzoo when we moved to Bangalore in 2006. Perfect timing also because late September this year had India celebrating Dusshera, a ten day festival, which culminates in Vijayadashami.
Vijayadashami, is the day when most children are initiated into the world of learning. In the southern states of India, a big deal is made of it with the toddlers taken to the temples and carted off to scholars and others who the parents decide are the ideal candidates to guide their precious little ones at the start of this long journey. Though I could describe myself as agnostic, there are certain specific philosophies and rituals that I put my weight behind. The initiation of toddlers on Vijayadashami is a very Hindu practice. But my mother, a practicing Catholic, tells me that this has become the norm amongst the Muslims and Christians in Kerala with the little ones being taken to their respective places of worship.
For those in school or college, across India, this festival is a very special time and looked forward to with great earnestness and fervour. For a great many of these kids, it is not because of any high special purpose or spiritual understanding. It is an escape from the drudgery they are subjected to for the major part of the year. This is the only time that parents who are otherwise nagging the kids to “study, study, study”, voluntarily ask them not to touch their books. On the 8th day of the festival, known as Ashtami, books and other tools or instruments of academic interest, are placed before Saraswati, the Goddess of learning and worshipped. A lamp is lit and many a prayer sent with fervent requests to help them get through the academic year without any major skirmishes with red marks in Progress Report, which arrives with clock work precision at the end of the term. Though they look quite cute in aesthetic terms on the said Report, the downside is that one had to deal with the red faced folks at home and teachers at school! These books are moved from the altar on the 10th day after elaborate prayers. Despite the fact that there was no nagging or bullying to study from my parents, I adopted this ritual when we moved to Madras (now Chennai) and I saw my friends, Sridhar and Vijayshree, who lived next door, practice it. Of course, my way of practicing it was minus all the rituals and the paraphernalia. But the prayers were very heartfelt and the kind where I meant every word to propitiate the Goddess of Learning!
My oldest, Manoj, is in his final year of undergraduate college. My fervent prayer (among other requests put forth) this year to her, was that he carry on in academics for a few years more before bidding "Good Bye” to the academic world. And the baby of the family has just stepped into the fascinating world of stories and rituals and learning. As for me, I have begun a journey of whys, whats, wheres, hows, buts, ifs…..all over again. With B.T.Venkatesh, one of the finest human beings in our little world today, as the first Guru having helped her take the first step, Tamanna has a lot of promises to fulfil and miles to go before she sleeps. I am sure Baba, who initiated Aarzoo, must be sitting beside Saraswati and nodding his head in approval.
2 comments:
wow lovely....you made me remember the initiations of other kids i have witnessed recently....you know among bengalis it is a huge thing...for us also ma saraswati is the goddess to whom we pray for knowledge...though she comes with her mother and other siblings during the durga puja/navratri....the bengalis being bengalis we do not seek her blessings during that time....we worship ma saraswati at the fag end of winter around val day depending on the hindu calender....the puja is for one day and the next day is bhashan....as far as i remember this is the last treat before the annual exams start....so no school going kid studies on the day of saraswati pujo....all books are kept at the feet of the goddess to get her blessings...toddlers are initiated with a slate and a piece of chalk 9and that is the only bit of studying that happens)...you get to eat berries that day first (the myth is that if you eat berries before ma saraswati does she may not make you pass, so school going kid takes the risk) [ages after quiting school i still cannot take the risk :)]...it is a very popular pujo in kolkata....happens in almost all the homes/schools...khichuri and papor bhaja are a must for lunch....and since you cant study the whole day....teenagers use this time to date....some people even consider this the bengali val day....next day bhashan is also fun...usually everyone goes and before that there are these little mud ink stands and pens which are part of the pujo ritual and which are distributed among the school goers...it is a must have as a kid and a matter of little tension in huge joint families since there are only six of them :)....how similar the rituals are all over india, na? :)
Suchi!!! I was wondering where you had disappeared. No comments from you all these days and now this...thank you dear. Yes, rituals are similar across our country. No wonder references are made of a common thread that binds us together. The initiation here is done on a plate of raw rice. Token gifts of betel leaves and nuts, some rice, banana and coconut is given as "Guru Dakshina" and of course the Rs. 101/-!!
Post a Comment