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The begining of 'Studying' phase in human life is marked by 'Munj', in
traditional Indian life cycle. A bunch of cotton threads, worn like the name
strip in the beauty pageants, is worn starting this occasion - never to be
removed till death. Most of the urban people abandon it later anyway, but
even till date you will find millions of Indians sporting the thread. (Some
of the people tie their keybunch to it, so that neither is lost!)
This ceremony is typically done at the age of 8 to 14 years. A common
misconception, even among the traditional minded Indians, is that this
ceremony is meant only for Boys. At Manashakti Ashram, the Munj ceremony is
performed for both boys and girls to mark the beginning of their educational
career. 
Typically, for this ceremony, the boys shave off their heads, leaving a small, 3" circular island of hair with a long tail of hair in the centre. (Similar to an antenna!!) The scriptures even have an interesting story about a prominant king-maker who refused to untie the knot till he regained the control of an empire...). The boy is supposed to sport this hair style till the end of the learning phase - till he gets married. Of course, now a days, after the hair grows back, the head is not shaved again, the hair is cut as usual. The boy/girl undergoing this ceremony is known as a 'Batu' (meaning 'small' or 'minor'). The priest (or the father of the boy/girl) during the ceremony explains the child the importance of education and starts off the learning phase by teaching and reciting one of the prominent Mantras: The Gayatri Mantra. |
