Gorakhpur: Basant Panchami and Saraswati Puja were celebrated with full traditional rituals at Sharada Sangeetalaya, Aryanagar, on Friday. The programme, dedicated to knowledge, music and culture, conveyed the joyous message of the arrival of spring in an atmosphere filled with devotion and enthusiasm.On the occasion, institution president Sakshi Srivastava welcomed artistes, students and guests by applying abeer-gulal, spreading the vibrant colours of spring and highlighting the spirit of harmony and cultural awareness.Students of Sharada Sangeetalaya—Anita Singh, Seema Rai, Ekta Shukla, Radha Madhesia, Anima Srivastava, Laxmi Gupta, Pawan Kumar and Pradeep Singh—presented soulful devotional songs, earning appreciation from the audience. Renowned singer Veer Sen Sufi further mesmerised listeners with his melodious bhajan renditions. Eminent tabla exponent Pandit Tripurari Mishra accompanied the performances, adding depth and grace to the programme. TNN