The city streets were bustling on Tuesday as thousands of children were escorted by their parents for initiation into the world of letters as part of the Vidyarambham ritual that marks the conclusion of the Navaratri festival. Various religious, educational and cultural institutions, charitable organisations, and media establishments organised Vidyarambham functions. Children were also initiated into various art forms.
At homes, children seated on the lap of a parent or grandparent wrote their first letters with the index finger in a platter of rice grains, the adults guiding their hand throughout, while in public functions, writers, poets, scholars, and artistes initiated the children into the world of learning.
At temples
Vidyarambham rituals organised by temples saw a good turnout. Religious rituals were held in connection with Vijayadashami, a day that marks the victory of good over evil.
At the Thunchan Smaraka Samithi, Iranimuttam, sand from Thunchan Parambu, Tirur, was brought for the Vidyarambham ritual. Besides letters, children were initiated into the arts such as music, dance, and painting as per the ‘gurukula’ traditions.
Candidates too
Children were also initiated into the world of knowledge at the Saraswathi Mandapam at Poojappura, from early in the morning.
Mayor and LDF candidate for Vattiyurkavu byelection V.K. Prasanth was at the Mandapam to help the children, some smiling, others teary-eyed, write their first letters. UDF candidate K. Mohankumar was at the Vattiyurkavu Easwari Amman Sarawasthi temple for the Vidyarambham ritual, while BJP candidate S. Suresh reached the Edapazhanji Subramania temple.
At Vettucaud church
Hundreds of toddlers and their parents, cutting across religious lines, also flocked to the Madre de Deus Church, Vettucaud, for the Vidyarambham ritual. Seven priests, led by Fr. Joseph Bastin, initiated the children into the world of letters here.
Vidyarambham and ‘gurupuja’ were also held at the Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan under the aegis of the Deshiya Balatharangam, a children’s NGO. Shashi Tharoor, MP, and M.R. Thampan helped the children take the first steps into the world of learning.
At the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare here, 10 children were helped by Social Justice Special Secretary Biju Prabhakar to foray into the world of learning. The children, without immediate family, had the council ‘family’ looking on fondly as Mr. Prabhakar, who was a former administrator of the council, helped them write their first letters. The children were also presented with study materials, courtesy Velicham, a charitable organisation of students of Government Engineering College, Barton Hill.
