logo
Saurath Sabha inaugurated amid dwindling relevance

Saurath Sabha inaugurated amid dwindling relevance

Time of India28-05-2025

Madhubani: Though diminished in spirit, the tradition of Saurath Sabha continues to survive in form.
On Wednesday, the ceremonial inauguration of this historic event was carried out by Sadar SDO Chandan Jha, keeping the age-old custom formally alive.
Saurath Sabha is a centuries-old matrimonial convention held annually at Saurath village, situated around 6 km northeast of Madhubani. Traditionally conducted during the Hindu months of Jyestha-Aasadh (June–July), the gathering was once a grand affair, drawing thousands of Maithil Brahmins who convened to arrange marriages for their children.
The sabha is held in a 22-acre mango orchard called Sabha Gachhi, a site generously donated by the erstwhile Maharaja of Darbhanga.
A key feature of this event is the presence of Panjikars—genealogists—who authenticate family lineages from ancient records to ensure there is no blood relation between prospective couples. Only after such verification is an Asvajajanapatra (no-objection certificate) issued, permitting the marriage.
Once attracting crowds in the lakhs, the popularity of Saurath Sabha has sharply declined in recent decades. Factors like modernization, growing acceptance of inter-caste marriages, and unfavourable portrayal by the media as a "groom market" have contributed to its fall in relevance.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Kota's forgotten students: What happens when you don't crack JEE Advanced
Kota's forgotten students: What happens when you don't crack JEE Advanced

The Hindu

time2 hours ago

  • The Hindu

Kota's forgotten students: What happens when you don't crack JEE Advanced

The coaching centres of Rajasthan's Kota, often dubbed India's coaching capital, claimed four of the top ten ranks in the JEE Advanced results announced last week. As photos of the toppers flood city banners and the media celebrates them with interviews, a large section of city's students — those who didn't make it through the country's toughest engineering entrance exam — are left crestfallen, confused and conflicted. The Hindu spoke to three generations of Kota students who couldn't realise the IIT dream, to understand how life unfolded for them beyond the JEE ranks. For K. Seema, who gave up her passion for writing short stories to devote herself entirely to the exam this year, it was a rude shock to find she missed the cut-off by two marks. A native of Jaipur, she lived in a hostel affiliated with her coaching centre in Kota. Her performance at the weekly tests were so good that she started dreaming of a settled life in half a decade. 'It was the only way out for our family to escape poverty. My parents are blue-collared workers, and as a family, we firmly believed that an IIT seat and a good job would help us move up the economic ladder,' she said. There are options — going to IIIT, MIT or even taking a gap year, often called the '13th batch' in Kota dictionary. But confused and derailed by the near miss, students like Seema slip into a state of despair. Seema has not been answering the calls from her friends and relatives and is currently uncertain about her future. 'Should I try again this year for a rank or settle for a private engineering college in Jaipur? What if I don't get it next year? I would have wasted lakhs of money for my family, who saved it by sacrificing their basic needs,' she said. On average, 15–20% of JEE–Advanced qualifiers in recent years have reportedly trained in Kota. Though many who don't make it fall into despair and take years to recover, some do see the positives in the intense training and dedication they learned here. If present trends are any indication, however, Kota culture may have run its course. According to industry experts, student enrolment in Kota fell sharply in 2024, with numbers ranging between 85,000 and 1 lakh. This marked a significant decline from the usual annual intake of 2 to 2.5 lakh students in previous years. The reason is largely attributed to the charged ecosystem and what it does to students, especially ones who don't make the cut in JEE Advanced and Mains. Beyond the IIT dream In Kota, for every student who cracks the JEE, there are dozens who don't. Behind the banners of toppers and celebration lies a quieter, heavier reality—of far more students grappling with disappointment than with success. In a city obsessed with ranks, the struggles of those who didn't make it remain unheard and unseen. Alumni of these coaching centres who didn't crack the exam know there's a world beyond the IIT dream. Having internalised discipline and grit during their time in Kota, many have upskilled through college and work and some have gone on to outshine even the IITians. Nishant Soni stayed away from playing keyboard for two years when he was studying for more than ten hours a day to crack the JEE exam in 2012. 'I joined the coaching centre in 2010 with a dream of becoming an IITian as my father is a professor in Physics. I have been exposed to an educational upbringing and I wanted to honour him,' Nishant said. When he got a rank of 1.2 lakh, he was so demotivated that he did not want to talk to anyone. He received no support from the coaching centre and the professors, as they were busy celebrating the toppers. 'They are focussed on their marketing with successful students. Coaching centres do not bat an eye to the students who do not make it,' Nishant added. These coaching centres, however, helped Nishant build discipline and understand the true value of hard work; he is now working as a Senior DevOps Engineer and consultant in a Canadian multinational company named Telus. 'I reconciled to the idea that it is not my potential to get into an IIT. Everyone is not meant to crack IIT,' he said, adding, 'Cracking IIT is not the only way to become successful. Though mediocre in my academics throughout my life , I am earning almost equal to what IITians are earning today. So the whole point is to become successful in life and not just successful in cracking an exam.' In reality, many of these students succeed. 'Many students who didn't crack the exams come back after a few years having found meaningful careers in completely different fields – film, entrepreneurship, teaching, design, public service and more. They talk about how stepping away from the rigid coaching system helped them rediscover their real interests. But unfortunately, these stories are rarely highlighted because they don't fit the conventional definition of success,' Dr Ghasi Ram Choudhary, former Head of the Political Science Department at Government College, University of Rajasthan, said. The blame game Rahul Sharma, another Kota product who gave the exam twice, 25 years ago, says that the coaching centres always project the JEE as a do or die situation. 'In the second attempt, I secured 4,600th rank. But, at that time, there were only 3,000 positions and I did not make it to IIT,' Rahul Sharma, who has launched a tech startup, said. A native of Kota, he was under the pressure from his childhood to bag the rank. His days would start with going to the school and end with finishing the assignments given by the coaching centres. 'For more than 12 hours a day, we would study. Even CBSE schools in Kota were not strict; they used to allow us to go to coaching centres from the afternoon. Basically, students would choose such schools,' Rahul said. When he found out he did not make it even in the second attempt, Rahul Sharma was heartbroken. 'You feel the sting when toppers are celebrated. I have put in all my efforts and no one appreciated it,' Rahul said. Empathy from coaching centres A scientific paper titled EPH270 Kota: The Emerging Suicide City of India said that the culture of competition has been generating excessive stress and anxiety among students, proving detrimental to their mental health. 'Recent statistics reveal that the suicide rate among coaching students is on rise with 32 suicides officially recorded in 2023 and 17 suicides officially recorded in Kota till May 2024,' the paper said, adding that the coaching institutes are developing effective counseling module/intervention strategy for students to overcome stress and stop resorting to suicide. Institutes such as Allen Career Institute, Resonance, and Motion have collaborated with platforms like YourDOST to provide counseling to students. 'After the Rajasthan government issued guidelines a year and a half ago, most centres appointed therapists—something that was earlier handled by teachers. There is one therapist for every 500–600 students in our institute. We also offer regular motivational sessions to support students, and every teacher acts as a mentor for a batch of about forty students, who can reach out to her to share any of their problems,' said a faculty member from a reputed coaching centre, seeking anonymity. Then, why are students still dying by suicide? In May 2025, the Supreme Court sharply reprimanded the Rajasthan government and Kota police, asking, 'Why are these children dying by suicide, and only in Kota?' — describing the situation as 'serious' and demanding accountability for the rising student deaths. Coaching centres attribute the suicides to constant pressure from families, peers, and society. 'Most of the pressure comes from parents, and it's very negative. Many of them come from humble backgrounds. In the advanced batch, which is segregated with the cream of intelligent students, 90 percent make it to IIT. However, in the bottom-tier batches, none of them do. Yet they come here and spend two years only to succumb to parental pressure,' the faculty member added. However, such measures in Kota are too little, too late. In most of the centres, teachers are hired and trained for their academic knowledge, not for their ability to offer emotional support or career advice. 'Students are not encouraged to talk about failure or alternatives beyond engineering and medicine. These conversations are either avoided or treated as distractions. There's a pressing need to train educators to engage with students more holistically,' says Dr Ghasi Ram Choudhary. Nishant, however, gives the parting shot. He says though he didn't go to an IIT, his startup employs IITians.

Last Bada Mangal Of 2025: Check out the date, rituals of Lord Hanuman, wishes, and more
Last Bada Mangal Of 2025: Check out the date, rituals of Lord Hanuman, wishes, and more

Time of India

time5 hours ago

  • Time of India

Last Bada Mangal Of 2025: Check out the date, rituals of Lord Hanuman, wishes, and more

Last Bada Mangal of 2025: The last Bada Mangal, the fifth and most powerful Budhwa Tuesday of Jyeshtha, is devoted to the heavenly presence of Lord Hanuman. These days, which are observed on five Tuesdays in a row this year, are thought to bestow power, protection, and purity upon loyal followers. Because it marks the conclusion of Hanuman's time of increased proximity to Earth, this final Bada Mangal is very important. Worshippers wearing red or saffron will fill temples around North India as they participate in Hanuman Chalisa, Sundarkand paath, fasting, and charity. An appropriate conclusion to a month-long celebration of religion, this holy commemoration is a time for thankfulness, devotion, and intense spiritual participation. When is the last Bada Mangal? June 10, 2025, the last Bada Mangal of the year, is a day of immense spiritual significance. It's a potent day to connect with Lord Hanuman, seek his blessings, and experience a profound spiritual upliftment. On May 13, the first of five bada mangals this year was observed. Afterward, Bada Mangal took place on May 20, 27, and June 3. Now, on June 10, the last Tuesday of Jyeshtha month, the last and final Bada Mangal will be observed. Since Lord Hanuman values discipline, it is advisable to start one's day early in the morning even though Bada Mangal doesn't have an auspicious or parana time. What is Bada Mangal? A celebration honoring Lord Hanuman, Bada Mangal is also commonly referred to as Budhwa Mangal. In the 19th century, Bada Mangal gained popularity thanks to the efforts of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, the final Nawab of Awadh. According to mythology, Begam, the queen of the Nawab, prayed for a child in a temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman in Lucknow numerous times and promised to hold a feast in his honor. The custom of honoring Bada Mangal began when her request was granted. Since then, the month of Jyeshtha has been used to celebrate the event. Therefore, the idea or belief is that every Tuesday during the Hindu month of Jyeshtha is a day when one must worship Lord Hanuman in order to receive countless blessings. Devotees do a variety of activities to strengthen their relationship with the Lord, such as going to Hanuman temples, reading the Hanuman Chalisa, doing the Sundarkand paath, and giving to charities. Is the last Bada Mangal powerful? The final Bada Mangal is regarded as strong. Since it is thought that Lord Hanuman is near Earth on this day, this is the day when one can profit from the beneficial flow of his energy. People think that Lord Hanuman returns to his meditative state after this day. Therefore, tomorrow is the ideal opportunity to commune with the Lord. In addition to visiting temples, reciting mantras, and keeping fast, devotees might make offerings to the Lord in order to maximize this day. Coconut, bananas, boondi, and motichoor laddoo are all good choices. Rituals of Bada Mangal 1. Present Chola with sindoor (vermilion) and chameli (jasmine) oil to Lord Hanuman's idol on the final Bada Mangal. Throughout the offering, a light with pure ghee should be kept burning. 2. Offer Lord Hanuman chickpeas and jaggery after reciting the Hanuman Chalisa at least eleven times. This may bring luck. 3. One simple and efficient method to appease Lord Hanuman is to recite Hanuman chants on Bada Mangal. 4. Present Lord Hanuman with churma, a delicious delicacy prepared with pure ghee. This item is well-liked. You can also provide bananas. 5. At a temple dedicated to Hanuman, raise a crimson flag. 6. Present the idol of Lord Hanuman with a sacred thread (janeu). 7. Present Lord Hanuman with a kewda (screwpine) scent. 8. Present Lord Hanuman with sweet paan, which is betel leaf devoid of tobacco or areca nut. 9. At a temple dedicated to Hanuman, recite the Sunderkand. 10. At a Hanuman temple, light a four-wicked candle with mustard oil. Significance of Bada Mangal Bada Mangal, also known as Budhwa Mangal, holds deep spiritual significance in North India, particularly in Uttar Pradesh. It is dedicated to Lord Hanuman, the symbol of strength, devotion, and protection. Celebrated on the Tuesdays (Mangalvar) of the Hindu month Jyeshtha, Bada Mangal is believed to be the period when Lord Hanuman is most active in blessing his devotees. Here's why Bada Mangal is significant: Divine Blessings: Devotees believe that praying on Bada Mangal brings Lord Hanuman's blessings for courage, success, and the removal of obstacles. Fulfilling Wishes: It is said that wishes made with a pure heart on this day are fulfilled. Charity and Service: Acts of charity like feeding the poor, offering water, and serving in temples are considered highly auspicious. Spiritual Cleansing: Fasting, chanting Hanuman Chalisa, and visiting temples help in spiritual purification and mental peace. Community Celebration: Massive bhandaras (free food distribution) are organized, creating a sense of unity and shared devotion. Bada Mangal wishes May Lord Hanuman bless you with strength, wisdom, and courage on this sacred Bada Mangal. Wishing you peace, prosperity, and divine blessings this Bada Mangal. On the auspicious occasion of Bada Mangal, may your life be filled with positivity and devotion. May Hanumanji protect you and your family from all evils of this Bada Mangal. Let this Bada Mangal bring happiness and success into your life. Jai Bajrangbali. May your prayers be answered on this special day of Bada Mangal. Wishing you good health, happiness, and spiritual growth on Bada Mangal. May Lord Hanuman bless your path with clarity and courage. Happy Bada Mangal. On this Bada Mangal, surrender your worries to Hanumanji and embrace inner peace. Let the light of Bada Mangal guide you towards righteousness and wisdom. Wishing you divine strength and peace on this holy Bada Mangal. May your heart be filled with devotion and your soul with strength this Bada Mangal. Sending prayers for your well-being and success on Bada Mangal. May you rise above every challenge with Lord Hanuman's blessings this Bada Mangal. Wishing you a spiritually fulfilling and peaceful Bada Mangal. Let faith in Lord Hanuman lead you to joy and contentment in this Bada Mangal. May Bada Mangal remove obstacles and open doors to new opportunities. Celebrate this Bada Mangal with a heart full of faith and gratitude. May the grace of Hanumanji bring harmony and courage into your life. Trust in the divine and walk fearlessly. Wishing you a blessed Bada Mangal. May this Bada Mangal ignite the light of devotion in your soul. A blessed Bada Mangal to you and your loved ones. May every Bada Mangal bring you closer to spiritual peace. On this sacred day, may Lord Hanuman bless you with unwavering strength. Keep your heart pure and your faith strong. Happy Bada Mangal. Wishing you endless blessings and divine protection this Bada Mangal. Let this Bada Mangal fill your life with hope and courage. Offer your prayers with a sincere heart and witness divine miracles. May you be guided and guarded by Hanumanji's strength this Bada Mangal. On Bada Mangal, may your devotion be rewarded with happiness and success. For more informative articles on historical and upcoming events from around the world, please visit Indiatimes Events.

Bada Mangal 2025: Do's nd Don'ts to follow on Last Budhwa Mangal
Bada Mangal 2025: Do's nd Don'ts to follow on Last Budhwa Mangal

Time of India

time8 hours ago

  • Time of India

Bada Mangal 2025: Do's nd Don'ts to follow on Last Budhwa Mangal

Bada Mangal, also referred to as Budhwa Mangal, is an auspicious day to worship Lord Hanuman. This day is mainly celebrated in North India. Lord Hanuman ji is the Lord of strength, courage and the one who has the ability to shield his devotees against negative forces. The Tuesdays (Mangalwars) that occur in the Hindu month of Jyeshtha are recognized as Bada Mangal and Jyeshtha Purnima which will fall on June 10, 2025 , last Budhwa Mangal will be observed and devotees will offer prayers to Lord Hanuman with immense devotion and purity and seek blessings of Hanuman Ji. So, people are advised to utilize this day and show their true devotion and for that they are advised to follow some do's and don'ts on this auspicious day: Spiritual Importance of Last Budhwa Mangal The final Tuesday of Jyeshtha month is believed to possess heightened divine energy, and the prayers offered to Lord Hanuman on this day are believed to be particularly potent in removing planetary hindrances (notably from Mars and Saturn), providing protection from malevolent forces, and get rid of all the sufferings. Do's to Follow on Last Bada Mangal Visit Hanuman Temple Visit Hanuman temple in the morning. Present sindoor (vermilion) combined with chameli (jasmine) oil, red flowers, and boondi laddoos. These offerings are cherished by Lord Hanuman and are believed to invoke his divine blessings. Chant Hanuman Mantras Reciting the Hanuman Chalisa, Bajrang Baan, or Sundar Kand on this day is believed to dispel fear, negative energies, and mental barriers. Devotees can also chant 'Om Hanumate Namah' 108 times to seek protection. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo Engage in Charity Offering money, clothes and useful items to less fortunate, saints and feeding animals are highly meritorious activities. You can also orrganise a bhandara (community feast) and donate red garments, jaggery, or gram to those in need. It will help them to remove all the problems related to Mangal or Mars. Observe a Fast Numerous devotees observe a Budhwa Mangal fast to enhance both physical and spiritual well-being. It is recommended to consume only one sattvic meal after sunset. Offer Prayers During Pradosh Kaal The period immediately following sunset (Pradosh Kaal) is particularly potent for Hanuman prayers. Illuminate a mustard oil diya beneath a peepal tree and offer prayers for protection and the fulfillment of wishes. Show Respect to Elders and Gurus Lord Hanuman is the symbol of devotion and courage. Devotees are advised to show reverence to parents, elders, and teachers as a form of worship. Don'ts to follow on Last Budhwa Mangal Steer Clear of Non-Vegetarian Food and Alcohol Avoid the consumption of meat, fish, eggs, onion, garlic and alcohol. Maintain purity in thoughts, actions, and sattvik food consumption is the main thing to receive Lord Hanuman's blessings. Refrain from Using Harsh Language This day is dedicated to spiritual development and humility. Steer clear of disputes, gossip, or foul language. Lord Hanuman values discipline and the purity of speech so one must stay away from conflicts. Refrain from Cutting Nails or Hair According to Hindu traditions, trimming nails, hair, or shaving on auspicious occasions such as Bada Mangal disturbs your spiritual energy field so you should avoid that also. Do Not Neglect the Needy or Animals Do not turn away from those in need, including animals and beggars. One must provide food to cows, monkeys, or dogs on this auspicious day, which is believed to lessen karmic debt and promote peace. Steer Clear of New Endeavors While it is a favorable day for prayers and spiritual activities, refrain from purchasing new property, land and office on this day as the energy is more conducive to inner reflection and purification. As we have read above that there are some do's and don'ts which you need to follow on the last day of Budhwa Mangal. This day is giving you a chance to enhance your spiritual knowledge, get rid of karmic burden, conquer your fear and you can seek protection from the divine power Lord Hanuman Ji by chanting mantras, staying devoted, and remove all types of sufferings. This day also give you a chance to reduce all Shani and Mangal dosha. So, let's celebrate Bada Mangal with immense devotion and purity. Discover everything about astrology at the Times of India , including daily horoscopes for Aries , Taurus , Gemini , Cancer , Leo , Virgo , Libra , Scorpio , Sagittarius , Capricorn , Aquarius , and Pisces .

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store