Basant Panchami 2026: Are Schools, Colleges and Banks Closed Today? State-Wise Holiday List

Basant Panchami Holiday: Today, Friday, January 23, some states in the country will see banks, colleges, and schools closed in observance of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Jayanti, Saraswati Puja, Basant Panchami, and Veer Surendra Sai Jayanti. As per the RBI holiday calendar, bank branches in Agartala, Bhubaneswar, and Kolkata will not be open today. Customers in these cities won’t be able to handle branch-related tasks like cash withdrawals, cheque deposits, or passbook updates, but there’s no need to stress because net banking, mobile banking, UPI, and ATM services will still be available as usual. Only cheque clearance and counter services will be unavailable today.

Banks will be operating normally in the rest of the country, aside from these cities. Banks in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, and Haryana, among others, will be open for business as usual today. Customers can head to branches to take care of their important banking needs.

Holidays in January

January 23: Banks will be closed in Agartala, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, and Chennai due to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Jayanti, Saraswati Puja, and Veer Surendra Sai Jayanti.

– January 26 (Republic Day): Banks will be closed nationwide.

Bank Opening Hours

Most public sector banks like SBI, Bank of India, and PNB are open from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, while HDFC, ICICI, and Axis Bank usually operate from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Schools and Colleges Closed

Many states across the country will have schools closed today for Basant Panchami. In Uttar Pradesh, January 23, 2026, is an official holiday for government and many private schools. Schools and colleges in Bihar will also be closed for Saraswati Puja. Additionally, numerous private schools in West Bengal, Haryana, and Punjab will be closed, where Saraswati Puja is widely celebrated. In these states, schools won’t hold classes, and students will take part in pujas and cultural events.