New Delhi: On the occasion of Basant Panchami, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday extended their greetings to the nation.
Twitter to Twitter, the Prime Minister said, “Many greetings to citizens on the festival which symbolises new energy, new ambition and new vigor- Basant Panchami. I wish that Goddess of learning mother Saraswati will provide knowledge and goodwill to all.”
नव उमंग, नई ऊर्जा एवं नव स्फूर्ति के प्रतीक-पर्व बसंत पंचमी की सभी देशवासियों को ढेर सारी शुभकामनाएं। मेरी कामना है कि विद्या की देवी मां सरस्वती सबको ज्ञान एवं सद्बुद्धि प्रदान करें।
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 10, 2019
President Kovind tweeted saying, “Greetings to fellow citizens on Basant Panchami, Sri Panchami, and Saraswati Puja. May this festive occasion, which heralds’ spring and celebrates learning, spur us to expand the frontiers of education and knowledge in our families, our society and our country.”
Greetings to fellow citizens on Basant Panchami, Sri Panchami and Saraswati Puja. May this festive occasion, which heralds spring and celebrates learning, spur us to expand the frontiers of education and knowledge in our families, our society and our country #PresidentKovind
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) February 10, 2019
Basant Panchami is the festival celebrating the spring season. The day is also dedicated to the goddess of knowledge, arts and music, Saraswati, who is worshipped on this day.
Saraswati Puja is popular in West Bengal, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. It is believed that if the goddess is worshipped she will bestow gifts of learning on her devotees.
In Punjab, people celebrate the festival with gusto dressed up in yellow and also fly kites.
The festival of Basant Panchami also marks the third ‘Shahi Snan’ (holy dip) of various akharas at the ongoing Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh.
(With inputs from ANI)
Source: Zee News