Samadrita Bhowmik, a student at Jagannath University (JnU), has challenged long-standing social norms by serving as the priest for Saraswati Puja at a campus pavilion.
Bhowmik, who belongs to the 2018-19 academic session of the English Department, conducted the worship of the goddess of knowledge through rituals including Bani Archana, Arati, and Pushpanjali.
While women in the Hindu faith typically perform auxiliary tasks such as preparing incense and lamps, the role of the priest has historically remained a male-dominated domain.
Bhowmik shared that she first performed the role of a priest on the university campus in 2024 and that this occasion marks her third experience leading the ceremony. She noted that she has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from her peers, seniors, juniors, and teachers.
“In our society, many are still unaware that women can conduct pujas,” Bhowmik stated, adding that there is no prohibition against female priesthood in religious scriptures. She further encouraged more women to step forward into these roles.
Bidyut Sarkar, a student of the 16th batch of the English Department, mentioned that their department aims to organise something unique every year and confirmed that this is the third time Samadrita has led their rituals.
The initiative has also earned the support of university officials. Professor Rabindranath Mondal, president of the University Central Puja Celebration Committee, described the move as a highly positive development.
He remarked that while female priesthood may not have been common in local culture previously, the act of worship is universal.
Mondal emphasised that the responsibility of priesthood should not be limited to men but can be undertaken by anyone – man or woman – who possesses “Brahma-gyan” (divine knowledge).
This year, Saraswati Puja is being celebrated at 39 pavilions across the university, comprising 36 departments, two institutes, and one hall.
Formalities began in the morning at various sites, including the administrative building, the second gate, the Central Shaheed Minar, the Faculty of Arts, Sculpture Square, the Shahid Sajid Building, and the Faculties of Science and Social Science.
