The Essence of Agomoni – Sharadiya Festival in Colleges, written by Shanku Sharma 

//Shanku Sharma//

Autumn comes to Assam and Bengal not just with white kash flowers and blue sky, but with a feeling. That feeling is called Agomoni – the arrival. The arrival of Goddess Durga, of joy, of homecoming. And nowhere is this feeling felt more beautifully than in our colleges.

Agomoni means the songs that announce the coming of Uma to her mother’s house. In our ancient stories, Goddess Durga is not just a goddess, she is a daughter who comes home after a long year. This is why Sharadiya Festival is not only a religious festival, it is an emotion of reunion.

In colleges of Assam, the essence of Agomoni is different from the big pandals outside. Here, the festival is made by the students themselves.

Weeks before the Puja holidays, the college campus changes. The college notice board is full of colours – notices for Agomoni singing competition, dance competition, art and rangoli competition. The girls practice the Agomoni songs – “Bajlo Tomar Alor Benu” and other Rabindra Sangeet. The boys decorate the stage with kash phool and handmade alpana. There is no big budget, but there is great enthusiasm.

The main attraction of college Agomoni is the cultural programme. Teachers and students sit together. The programme starts with an Agomoni song, which creates a spiritual atmosphere. Then students perform classical dance, recitation of poems on Durga, and small dramas based on the homecoming of Uma. The college magazine committee often publishes a special Sharadiya edition – “Sharadiya Patrika” with poems and stories written by students.

But the real essence is not in the programme, it is in the feeling of unity. In college, we forget who is senior, who is junior. Hindu, Muslim, all friends prepare for the holidays together. The college gives us holidays, but before that it gives us a memory. For many students who stay in hostels far from home, college Agomoni is their first Puja celebration away from family.

As the Principal gives his speech and says “Subho Sharadiya”, we all know – exams will come after Puja, but for now, it is time for joy. The sound of dhak may not be heard in the college hall, but the sound of friendship, of creativity and of homecoming is surely heard.

Agomoni in colleges teaches us one thing – festival is not only about rituals, it is about togetherness. And that is the true spirit of Sharadiya.