Saraswati arrives, 5 days late School skips event, protests force late puja

By : KOUSIK SEN 

In pic : The belated Saraswati Puja at the Khalsi Primary School on Saturday. Picture by Kousik Sen

Authorities of a government-aided primary school organised Saraswati Puja at the school on Saturday, five days after the festival.

The reason: On January 22, the authorities had announced a holiday at the school and did not make any arrangements for the puja. This left the students and a section of locals agitated who resorted to protests, prompting the teachers to arrange the puja on Saturday.

Located around seven kilometres from here, the teachers of Khalsi Free Primary School had declared that the school will remain close on occasion of Saraswati Puja.

This made the students and some parents approach the teachers and express their anguish. "We told the teachers that Saraswati Puja should be held in our school like other schools or else, we will not study here. The teachers discussed then and decided to have the Puja. Though it was not held on the usual day, we enjoyed a lot," said Parul Roy, a class-IV student.

"We felt it was a mistake on our part to announce a holiday on January 22 instead of arranging the Puja. That is why we accepted the students' demand and organised it," said Basudeb Mondal, headmaster of the school.

The decision however, has left a section of parents angry.

"Children might have enjoyed but whatever has happened is incorrect. First of all, the school declared a holiday when there was supposed to be Saraswati Puja and secondly, it did not held classes and held the puja on a second day," said Kalyan Roy, a local resident.

"We are conducting an inquiry. If it is found that the teachers have violated government directives and rules, necessary steps would be taken," said Aminul Ahsaan, the district inspector of schools (primary), North Dinajpur.

Telegraph