SARASWATI PUJA....Puja, the ritual worship of the goddess Saraswati, is done on Vasant Panchami day every year. The festival is celebrated to pay obeisance to Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and learning. Hindus, especially in Bengal, celebrate this festival with great enthusiasm and Hindu temples and households are full of activity on this day. The festival is celebrated every year on the fifth day of the bright fortnight of the Magha month of the Indian calendar, on the day called 'Vasant Panchami'. It is believed that on this day, goddess Saraswati was born. Saraswati is the consort of Lord Brahma and is the Goddess of Wisdom and Knowledge. She is the personification of knowledge - arts, science, crafts. She represents Shakti, creativity and inspiration and presents herself when the weather is pleasant and Nature is in its full grandeur. It is a season of inspiration and passion. Celebrations: The most significant aspect of this day is that Hindu children are taught reading and writing their first words on this day - as it is considered an auspicious day to begin a child's education. Educational institutions organize special prayers for Saraswati on this day. The great Indian guru Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya laid the foundations of the world-class academic institution, Kashi Hindu Vishwavidyalaya on Vasant Panchami. Saintly people and people inclined towards spiritual progress attach great importance to the worship of goddess Saraswati. As a practice, only educated people and men of principle worship goddess Saraswati for spiritual enlightenment. In their opinion, there can be no comparison between the king and the learned or the spiritually advanced. They believe that the king is honoured within his kingdom, whereas the learned are respected or worshipped throughout the world.