Thousands of toddlers were initiated into the world of letters on Tuesday as Vidyarambham (beginning of education) was celebrated across Kerala on the occasion of Vijayadashami.

In Kerala, the ‘Vidyarambham’ usually falls on the last day of Navaratri. It is an occasion to introduce children to the world of learning and knowledge.

Litterateurs, teachers, bureaucrats and politicians are among those who helped the children to write their first letters. They also ‘wrote’ a word on every child’s tongue with a gold ring.

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan initiated kids into the world of letters at a function held at the Raj Bhavan. He guided 61 children from various districts of the state to write their first letters. Seated on their parents’ laps, the little ones were helped by the governor in writing their first letters with the index fingers on a platter of rice grains.

Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somnath initiated tiny tots into the world of letters as a ‘Vidyarambham’ ritual at the Pournami Kavu temple in Thiruvananthapuram.

“I came here this morning on the occasion of ‘Vijaya Dashmi’. ‘Vidyarambham’ ritual, wherein we worship alphabets as gods and goddesses, we initiate young children into education. We make sure that they get exposed to the new regime of education through the process of worshipping literature, which is done by the ‘Gurus,” said Somnath.

The temples dedicated to Saraswathi, the goddess of learning and art, like Panachikkadu Saraswathi Temple in the Kottayam district, witnessed a heavy rush of kids on Tuesday.

Thunjan Parambu at Tirur in Malappuram,  birth place of Thunchath Ezhuthachan, father of the Malayalam language, Thunchan Smaraka Samithi at Iranikuttam in Thiruvananthapuram, Saraswathi Mandapam, Poojappura, Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Attukal Bhagavathy Temple  and Sree Krishna temple, Guruvayoor were  among the prominent centres where Vidyarambham ceremonies held.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Congress MP Sashi Tharoor and filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan were among those who turned up to take the role of teachers (gurus) to initiate kids into the world of letters and knowledge.