Remaining
Saraswati Puja is a Hindu festival celebrated every year in January or February in the month Magh also called as Basant Panchami or Vasant Panchami.
Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and arts, represents the free flow of wisdom and consciousness. She is the mother of the Vedas, and chants to her, called the 'Saraswati Vandana' often begin and end Vedic lessons.
Saraswati is the daughter of Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga. It is believed that goddess Saraswati endows human beings with the powers of speech, wisdom and learning. She has four hands representing four aspects of human personality in learning: mind, intellect, alertness and ego. She has sacred scriptures in one hand and a lotus – the symbol of true knowledge – in the second. With her other two hands she plays the music of love and life on a string instrument called the veena. She is dressed in white – the symbol of purity – and rides on a white swan – symbolizing Sattwa Guna or purity and discrimination. Saraswati is also a prominent figure in Buddhist iconography - the consort of Manjushri.
The learned and the erudite attach greater importance to the worship of goddess Saraswati. As a practice, only educated people worship her for knowledge and wisdom. They believe that only Saraswati can grant them 'moksha' - the final liberation of the soul.
The following popular 'pranam mantra' or Sanskrit prayer, Saraswati devotees utter with utmost devotion eulogizes the goddess of knowledge and arts: Om Saraswati Mahabhagey, Vidye Kamala Lochaney | Viswarupey Vishalakshmi, Vidyam Dehi Namohastutey || Jaya Jaya Devi, Charachara Sharey, Kuchayuga Shobhita, Mukta Haarey | Vina Ranjita, Pustaka Hastey, Bhagavati Bharati Devi Namohastutey |
The beautiful human form of Saraswati comes to the fore in this English translation of the Saraswati hymn: "May Goddess Saraswati,who is fair like the jasmine-colored moon,and whose pure white garland is like frosty dew drops; who is adorned in radiant white attire, on whose beautiful arm rests the veena,and whose throne is a white lotus;who is surrounded and respected by the Gods, protect me. May you fully remove my lethargy,sluggishness, and ignorance."
-->| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 10:00AM | Door Opens and Pooja Preparation |
| 11:00AM - 01:00PM | Pooja and Aarti |
| 01:00PM - 02:00PM | Hathe Khari / Akshara Abhyas / Prasad Distribution |
| 02:00PM - 03:30PM | Bhog Distribution |
| 03:30PM - 04:30PM | Drawing Competition for Kids (Grp 1: Reception to Year-2, Grp 2: Year-3 to Year-6) |
| 04:30PM - 05:00PM | Chai Pe Charcha |
| 05:00PM - 06:00PM | Speech Competition for Secondary to A-Level Kids |
| 06:00PM - 07:30PM | Cultural Programmes |
| 07:30PM - 08:00PM | Award Distribution and Vote of thanks |
| 08:00PM - 09:30PM | Bhog Distribution & Closure |
We are a group of professionals from the Indian community who lives in the beautiful county of Hertfordshire and its surroundings. We conceptualized the idea of celebrating Saraswati Puja from a privately held gathering out of a small house in Watford in 2013. However an overwhelming response forced us to think beyond and in 2014 with a proper IDOL shipped from Kolkata whilst someone volunteering their garage to host the event; we hosted it successfully for first time in public from that garage in Watford. The response that we got in 2014 was amazing hence again we had to shift the venue to a larger place to accommodate more people in 2015. Since then we are experiencing an increased number of guests every year. We saw Indians in Watford enthusiastically came together to celebrate " SARASWATI PUJA @ WATFORD ", with only one aim to:
1. Provide a forum to converge and celebrate our unique cultural, religious, artistic and social heritage.
2. Promote multiculturalism to enhance our experience through a multitude of activities.
3. Generate greater awareness about our Indian culture within the youth and encourage their involvement.
That was the beginning and it’s been now 6 yrs in a row that we have been enjoying support from our Indian community. We strongly believe and sincerely hope that this will turn into a focal point where the community can come together and enjoy the true spirit of our rich culture.
We are looking forward to work more closely with our local community in Watford and Our goal is to contribute towards the many good causes and support them to overcome the challenges that are being faced by our society today.
watfordsaraswatipuja@gmail.com
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Saraswati Puja celebration venue is at -
Holywell Community Center (map)
Chaffinch Lane,
Watford - WD18 9QD,
Tel # : (+44) 7930825516 / (+44) 7795104802
Email: watfordsaraswatipuja@gmail.com
Website: https://watfordsaraswatipuja.co.uk
FULL DAY EXTRAVAGANZA WITH KIDS & CULTURAL PROGRAMMES - FREE PARKING WITH NO ENTRY FEE