Vasant Panchami | A celebration of Knowledge and Nature.

With festivals and celebrations dawning upon its face, Jammu stands proud in its vivid colours and diversities it enjoys from its head to toe and wrist to wrist. Traditions and cultures are in full bloom at the time of festivities and one such festivity is ‘Vasant Panchami’ or ‘Basant Panchami’, literally meaning the fifth day of the spring.  Spring or Basant means a lot to a country that is agricultural at its heart. So, the season of good crops and favourable temperature is celebrated with great zest and zeal in states of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and surrounding ones. Al though, each festival in India is synonymous with some other through most of its states, Basant Panchami derives its full glory in Punjab, where the celebrations are marked with gold of yellow, and with fields flowering with mustard, a picturesque sight to see. Kites adorn the skies like butterflies in the air, jasmine garlands adorn the necks and scent the souls and Goddess Saraswati is blessing all over the temples. It is also observed as the birth of Saraswati as she is worshipped in eastern parts of India. Saraswati marks knowledge, wisdom, talent for arts and calibre for science and technology. Her devotees worship her to attain enlightenment and knowledge and drive away the ignorance. Vasant arrives and along with MaaSaraswati, Mother Nature and Mother Earth are also worshipped. Spring marks the revival of life after the long and intense winters in North India. In Uttrakhand, people place cow dung heaps along with barley, wheat and incense sticks on these heaps as a part of worshipping Mother Earth. People indulge in eating sweet rice and dress themselves in yellow, sporting the yellow of flowers that mustard colour the fields with. Vasant Panchami is a celebration of knowledge, wisdom, talent, calibre and nature. Respects are paid to Gods for returning the spring in the lives after harsh and cold winters. Another year is set off with good wishes and intentions as we welcome spring with great zest. Jammu, in its every colour gets even more beautiful in spring and Vasant Panchami marks it in a celebratory mood. Wishing all a very happy and knowledgeable Vasant/Basant Panchami.