Breaking the yoke of ignorance!

Benzaiten, Japanese equivalent
to the diety Saraswati.

Saraswati Pooja used to be a vital feature in our household in childhood. The highlight of the whole event was placing our textbooks and getting the blessings of Goddess Saraswati. Thinking we would perform better in studies with Her blessings was naive. Amma did not fail to gently remind us that praying would not make us pass exams. We needed to put in the hours and concentration. There was no substitute for education; it was our key to happiness.

Every Saraswati Pooja reminds me of my childhood of respecting books and learned individuals, irrespective of their teaching styles or content. Then I questioned myself: Can smut be given the same recognition if presented in book form? With all the ill effects that come out of the web but nullified by all the good things it spreads, does it still qualify as a learning tool?

I soon realised that the spirit of Saraswati is the zest of reinforcing to immerse oneself into the ocean of knowledge. It is also a reminder that we are the privileged few whose journey through education is a given right. It is a prompt for us to appreciate those who reached greater despite the odds against them to acquire knowledge.

Ruby Bridges, 6, attending Elementary
School in 1960, accompanied by
US Marshals.

Offhand, I remember the people of my mother’s generation whose parents thought a child’s job was to take over the lead of feeding the family as soon as their bodies transitioned into adulthood, which can be as early as 14 for a girl and 16 for a male. My mother’s desire to continue studies and fly high was clipped prematurely after her primary Tamil school studies, and my uncle had to literally stay away from his family to earn to finance his upper secondary school studies.

Salutations also go to the first lady doctor and the first lawyer in countries where education for females was considered dangerous, tilting the patriarchal-matriarchal societal balance. They went against the grain and gripe of their communities to succeed. A family with an educated female will end illiteracy in that family.

Thought also goes to Ruby Bridges, whose parents had the courage and wisdom to enrol her as the first black girl in an all-white elementary school in Louisiana in 1960. In 1964, Norman Rockwell immortalised the scene of Ruby marching boldly ‘like a soldier’ accompanied by US marshals in a painting. It later became an iconic image of the Civil Rights Movement.

Even though specific religious iconographies have been included in celebrating Saraswati Pooja, its essence is secular. Appreciating the power of education on society does not convert students to give up their cultural beliefs. All faiths encourage their congregations to expand their knowledge and minds to the vast expanse of wisdom. Saraswati Pooja is a mere conduit to this realisation. It is also included as an Ayudha Pooja (Weapons' prayer), as books and knowledge constitute our weapons in our daily lives. It used to be swords and farming utensils. As though emphasising the role of the fairer sex in our society, this pooja is part of Navarathri, the nine-day celebration of female divinity.

So, I do not understand why a non-governmental organisation in Malaysia, Thiravidar Humanitarian Organisation, vehemently opposes the Saraswati Pooja celebrations in Tamil schools. They claim it is a religious activity; as such, it should not be held during teaching hours but to maintain the focus on education. That is precisely the point; celebrations like Saraswati Pooja would ignite true wisdom to separate the wheat from the chaff. This Malaysian NGO is an extension of Tamil Nadu’s Dravidian politics, primarily anti-Hindu. Their current aim in life is to eradicate Sanathana Dharma, just like humanity is trying to crush COVID and Dengue. The Malaysian NGO is parroting their masters across the seas, the same land their ancestors fled for a better life.

Dr Joshi graduated in 1886 from the Women's
Medical College in Pennsylvania.

Why were girls in the 19th and 20th centuries prevented from attending school? It could not be something engrained in the Indian society. Many crucial human activity departments are represented by goddesses, not male demigods. If Indian society was indeed patriarchal, why would Goddess Durga represent courage, Laxmi to wealth and Saraswati to be linked to knowledge? As though emphasising the role of the fairer sex in our society, Saraswati Pooja is part of Navarathri, the nine-day celebration of female divinity. Something must have happened in between. Could it be that the rapacious hunting of invading barbarians into India forced families to tuck their daughters far away from their invaders's lustful eyes? Over generations, they became better at being unseen and unheard, soon occupying second-class status in society. Just a thought!

 © Norman Rockwell

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.