With the work culture having changed, devoting time to Goddess Lakshmi has changed too. Bogged down by the work pressure and changing social mores, Maharashtrians in the city now hardly spare time for Kojaagiri.
With the work culture having changed, devoting time to Goddess Lakshmi has changed too. Bogged down by the work pressure and changing social mores, Maharashtrians in the city now hardly spare time for Kojaagiri.
The festival, Sharad Poornima or Kojaagiri Poornima, is celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu lunar month of Ashvin. It marks the end of the rainy season and start of the period when the nights begin to become cooler. Folk tales have two versions for its celebration and the ‘night vigil’ as it is identified with.
The more popular one is that Goddess Lakshmi comes enquiring “Kojaagiri?” (Who is awake?), and if She does find people doing night vigil for Her, She blesses them with wealth and prosperity. The other tale is that when a king fell into bad times, his wife prayed, fasted and kept a night vigil for Lakshmi’s blessings.
Present day vigil, however, is not marked by fasts. It is instead known for the kesar milk that is enjoyed.
“We have kesar masala specially prepared for this occasion. Traditionally there also used to be games in honour of the Goddess and songs and other modes of entertainment for Her. However, now it is done more at a family level with a few relatives or friends invited who you want to catch up with,” said Rohit Shinde who will be celebrating Kojaagiri on Saturday instead of Friday night. “That is because people don’t have to worry about getting up. Sunday you can relax and that is what is done most of the times when it happens on weekdays,” he added.
Ajit Bedekar, who is into the business of making kesar milk masalas, finds the day opportune for family business. “We distribute free kesar milk. It helps market our product too. However, we are not awake all night. We just do it in a small circle and sleep after 2.30am,” he said.
Students’ exams too have created a problem for people who otherwise would like to move out of the house. Artist Vivek Mhetre’s family is one of those. “We are burdened with work and our children’s exams are nearing, so we will watch a movie or invite close friends to our house,” he said.
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