On the eve of Saraswati Puja, devotees traditionally prepare a yellow-coloured prasad for the Goddess of Knowledge. The offering can vary from Kolkata's Bhoger Khichuri to Motichoor Ladoos -- each region having their own sacred bhog, but always something yellow, the goddess' fave rang.
The veteran music composer had friends and family come over for the festival that marks the first day of Spring according to the Hindu calendar.
The team reunited at Anurag Basu's residence for Saraswati puja celebrations.
A look at the pictures.
Peace prevailed at the disputed 11th-century Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district on Friday as Hindus performed puja to mark Basant Panchami festival while Muslims offered namaaz within the same premises but at a different location.
Hindus will offer prayers from sunrise to sunset on Basant Panchami while Muslims to offer namaz from 1 pm to 3 pm on Friday.
In Mylapore in Chennai, an entire street is lined up with Kolu dolls; it's a wonderful sight to see the variety of dolls on display, recounts Sudha Chandrasekar.
Find out how Navratri is celebrated in different parts of Southern India.
On Shankara Jayanti, Friday, May 2, 2025, Mahamandaleshwar Swami Sri Sri Vishwatamanand Saraswati and other sadhus conducted a special puja at the Shankaracharya temple in Srinagar for victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. They also prayed for peace and the long life of India's soldiers.
The Supreme Court of India harshly criticized a man for abandoning his wife and minor daughters, calling his actions "cruel" and questioning his humanity. The court demanded the man provide financial support to his family, including his daughters, before it would consider any favorable orders in his case. The man had previously been convicted of domestic abuse and fraudulently removing his wife's uterus. The court's strong stance highlights the ongoing issue of domestic violence and the need for legal protection for women and children in India.
Sri Satya Chandrashekarendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya, a 25-year-old Rig Vedic scholar from Andhra Pradesh, was anointed as the junior pontiff of the ancient Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam at a grand religious ceremony. The historic event took place on the auspicious Akshya Thritiya, attended by seers from across the country. The new acharya, known as Ganesha Sharma Dravid before his initiation into sanyasa, is the successor to the present Seer Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya. The event coincided with the 2534th Jayanti Mahotsavam (May 2, 2025) of Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya, who established Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam in 482 BCE.
The Odisha government is working to secure copyright for the rituals of Lord Jagannath temple in Puri to protect its traditional cultural expressions, following concerns over untimely celebrations by ISKCON and the declaration of a temple in Digha as 'Jagannath Dham'.
Coming out in support of hijab-wearing Muslim girl students not allowed entry in educational institutes in Karnataka, he said the goddess Saraswati does not differentiate and gives knowledge to all.
Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani and his family participated in the Maha Kumbh on Tuesday, taking a dip in the Sangam and attending a yagya at Parmarth Triveni Pushp in Arail. The family, including Ambani's mother, sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, and siblings, were accompanied by Ambani's mother-in-law and sister-in-law. They joined millions at the spiritual pilgrimage at the confluence of the sacred waters of Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati. The family also prayed for "global peace and welfare" at the Vishwa Shanti Yagya.
'Youngsters in India look up to the West as if it is the biggest accomplishment they need in life. It breaks my heart.'
Acharya Jonas Masetti, a Vedanta scholar from Brazil, was awarded the Padma Shri for teaching the Vedas, the Bhagavad Gita, Sanskrit, Yoga, Meditation and Indian spiritualism abroad.
Mahalaya, though essentially about the goddess, wasn't religious for us. And it isn't for most Bengalis. Mahalaya is an emotion. It's gooseflesh for a memory. A welling up of happy tears. A celebration of what is to come.
Maa Durga's devotees hold one or more dhunuchis in their hands -- and even in their mouths -as they dance to the dhaak (drums) and venerate the Goddess who has come to visit them.
'Durga Puja is also a time to catch up on the gossip and when the girls of the family get together it's a beautiful feeling that is hard to describe.'
The Maha Kumbh, billed as the world's largest gathering, concluded on Wednesday after 45 days, with lakhs of devotees taking a dip in the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers. Despite a stampede that killed at least 30 people, millions continued to visit the Kumbh, seeking salvation through the ritual bath. The event saw a mix of faith, tradition, and technology, drawing pilgrims and tourists from across the globe.
Parle Products Pvt Ltd announced the fourth year of 'Parle Saraswati Vandana - 2005', an initiative to help children showcase talent during 'Saraswati puja'.
The ASI team, comprising more than a dozen members, reached the complex in the morning.
The next general election must be held by May of 2009, and we already appear to have a clear choice. The National Democratic Alliance announced that L K Advani will be the prime minister should it come to power. Now, there is a fair degree of clarity that Dr Manmohan Singh shall lead the United Progressive Alliance if it should be returned to office. But how about the Third Front? Transparency is no friend of the Third Front!
The Uttar Pradesh government is taking comprehensive measures to ensure the Ganga River is "dip-safe" during the Maha Kumbh, a massive religious gathering. This includes daily water testing, a 200-km temporary drainage system for greywater, and state-of-the-art technology to manage human waste. Authorities are also emphasizing the importance of keeping the river clean by removing pooja waste and encouraging the use of reusable items.
Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of the Jyotish Peeth in Uttarakhand, who turned down the invitation to the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, on Monday said Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray leader Uddhav Thackeray is a victim of betrayal.
Modi accused the JMM, Congress and RJD of using Bangladeshi infiltrators for "vote bank politics," facilitating their settlement in Jharkhand, which is a threat to the state's social structure.
The Supreme Court's 2023 order refusing to stay a scientific survey at the Gyanvapi Mosque complex has sparked claims over several other disputed places of worship across India. This has led to several court cases, including one in Mathura where a survey of the Shahi Idgah Mosque complex was ordered, and another in Ajmer where a claim was made that a Shiva temple existed within the dargah of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti. The article also highlights a dispute over the Bhojshala in Madhya Pradesh, which Hindus consider a temple and Muslims consider a mosque. The Supreme Court's order has reignited debates about the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which prohibits the change of character of religious places as they existed on August 15, 1947.
There has been speculation that he will join politics ahead of the assembly election in the state.
Hindus consider Bhojshala, an Archaeological Survey of India-protected 11th century monument, to be a temple dedicated to Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati), while the Muslim community call it Kamal Maula Mosque.
Roy, on his part, said the decision to name him in the first information report was 'politically motivated'.
Hitting out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah's 'Didi-Bhaipo' jibes, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday challenged him to contest an election against her nephew Abhishek Banerjee and then think of fighting her.
The application filed by the Hindu Front of Justice, which is the original petitioner in the case before the Madhya Pradesh high court, and others said that after the April 1 order of the apex court, proceeding before the HC has also virtually stayed.
The unrest in the Sandeshkhali region of West Bengal ballooned into a major political row on Thursday as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blamed the saffron camp of fomenting trouble in the area, while the Bharatiya Janata Party and the National Commission for Women (NCW) accused her party Trinamool Congress and the state government of being complicit in crimes against women in the area.
However, a division bench of Justices SA Dharmadhikari and Gajendra Singh made it clear the ASI won't be given any more time at the end of this 8-week period.
As their parties are locked in a fierce battle for Bengal, Tathagata and Saugata Roy, siblings who belong to the BJP and the TMC respectively, answer the same questions put to them about the assembly election.
West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shyamapada Mondal waded into controversy by calling Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee a 'eunuch' and accused her of practicing politics of appeasement. "Today you cannot understand whether Mamata Banerjee is a female or a male... I'd say she has become a 'hijra' (eunuch)," he said.
'...as much as in India, it's only because she sang for mankind, not the details on the passport.'
When Kapil Dev lifted the 1983 World Cup at the Lord's balcony, the erstwhile BCCI president and one of the powerful ministers in the Indira Gandhi cabinet, late NKP Salve had a different worry.
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