On the propitious occasion of Vijayadasami on Tuesday, marking the culmination of the nine-day annual Navratri festival, numerous young children were joyously introduced to the realm of education and literacy in Kerala. In this southern state, Vijayadasami is revered as the day of "Vidyarambham", symbolizing the commencement of learning in accordance with Hindu customs.
In addition to temples, schools, cultural institutions, local libraries, and media houses, meticulously prepared for the "ezhuthiniruthu" initiation ceremony. Large numbers of children and their parents crowded these locations from the early morning, eager to participate in the ceremonial event.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor helped children write their first letters in the Vidyarambham ceremony on Vijayadashmi. Shashi Tharoor said, "It's a special occasion 'Vidyarambham'. All of India celebrates Dussehra Vijayadashami but in Kerela, Vijayadashami day is a day when the initiation of learning happens so it's the job of elders to teach children how to write."
"I teach the kids who come in three languages, we put grains of rice on a platter and with their fingers we trace, so I do 'Om Hari Sri' in Sanskrit, in Malayalam and in English," he said.
"I teach the kids who come in three languages, we put grains of rice on a platter and with their fingers we trace, so I do 'Om Hari Sri' in Sanskrit, in Malayalam and in English," he said.
Kerala Raj Bhavan organised the Vidyarambham ceremony where Governor Arif Mohammed Khan helped children write their first letters on Vijayadashmi.
Though largely a Hindu tradition, the Vidyarambham ritual has taken on a secular character in Kerala over the years with individuals of different faiths guiding their children into the realm of letters on the same day.