Saraswati Puja in Bardhaman: 'Lost Childhood' Theme Evokes Nostalgia, Spreads Message

• Baruipara Dakshin Barowari Club in Kalna, Purba Bardhaman, presents a Saraswati Puja theme titled 'Lost Childhood' with a budget of 18.5 lakh rupees.
• The theme aims to evoke nostalgia for traditional childhood activities like playing in open fields, fishing, and kite flying, contrasting it with modern childhood dominated by mobile phones and virtual games.
• The outer part depicts children engrossed in mobile phones, while the inner part showcases lost childhood memories, including a 'Gyan Briksha' (Tree of Knowledge) made of books.
• Goddess Saraswati is depicted as a mother teaching her child to read, emphasizing the importance of books over screens for early learning.
• The eco-friendly theme, crafted using cement, sand, jute sacks, and tree branches, delivers a social message about preserving childhood in nature and through books, rather than in a 'concrete jungle'.

Why It Matters: Bardhaman's Saraswati Puja theme 'Lost Childhood' uses art to highlight the vanishing joys of traditional childhood.