The youthful and energetic festival of Basant Panchami was celebrated in different parts of State with enthusiasm on Friday. The festival was ceremoniously celebrated at many places in the State’s capital. People visited temples and offered prayers and garlands to goddess Saraswati the goddess of knowledge, art and culture on the occasion. A progarmme was also organised at Sai temple located at Rajpur road to mark the day.
Vasant Panchami, is celebrated on fifth day of Hindu month of Magha and with it spring season in India starts. The festival occupies a special place in the lives of people of mountainous areas of Uttarakhand. The tilling season starts with this festival. On the day the farmers offer prayers in front of their bullocks and plough and after the prayers the first straight burrow line is made by them in the field. Barley leaves along with the cow dung is put at the entrance of the houses as it is considered very auspicious. Traditional dishes of sweet rice, bhura, Sawalas are prepared by the women. The children collect yellow flowers in their baskets and put them in front of gates of all the homes of the village at dawn. It is believed that the Vasant festival starts on Panchami day and concludes on Holi.
Sadly enough these old traditions are on wane nowadays. Old timers recall the festivity and atmosphere in the villages associated with Vasant Panchami which is not seen nowadays. Recalling old days in villages, a Doon resident and a retired Army officer, BS Rawat said that the Holi celebrations in the Garhwal hills use to start with Vasant Panchami. He said that large scale migration has reduced the population of villages drastically due to which large areas of agricultural land has changed into wastelands so the festivals like Vasant Panchami have lost their significance. Famous Garhwali folk singer Preetam Bhartwan also rued the loss of cultural values among the new generation.
Speaking to The Pioneer, Bhartwan said that old times were good and now people are running away from their roots. He said that along with the modern education people should teach significance of festival like Vasant Panchami to their children so that the culture of the hills is preserved for generations to come.