Kadaba: Students celebrate Sharada Pooja by worshipping books at home

Kadaba: A unique tradition that started in Kolya village, Kadaba taluk, where students perform Sharada Pooja by worshipping their textbooks on Vijayadashami, is now expanding to the Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu districts.

The tradition, which began last year, encourages students to place flowers on their textbooks, perform aarti, and worship their study materials as part of the Sharada Pooja. This initiative, launched by the management of Koyila Shri Sadashiva Mahaganapati Temple, has gained widespread support, with over 600 households participating in the first year.

Last year, the temple distributed items like aarti trays, bells, and plates as prasad to every household in the village. Students, dressed in traditional attire, performed the pooja in their homes, offering flowers, tulsi, kumkum, and akshata to their textbooks.
Photos of the rituals were shared with the temple authorities, marking the success of this unique initiative.

Under the banner “Our Temple, Our Students,” the program was launched to inspire students and promote cultural values. Yadushree Anegundi, the former president of the management committee, stated that the pooja was held in around 600 homes last year.

This year, the temple’s conservation committee has expanded the initiative to Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu districts.

“We expect around 5,000 students to participate in the simultaneous Sharada Pooja across various villages,” said Keshava Prasad Mulya, the Mangaluru divisional head of the Temple Conservation Committee.