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Chhath Puja returns to Gomti ghats with old flavour
District magistrate Surya Pal Gangwar visited the ghat on Saturday morning to inspect the cleaning of the water and the banks.“Work is on to remove the sediment in the river bed and we are also bleaching the water to ensure that it is clean,” he said..
LUCKNOW: After nearly two years of staying home and celebrating Chhath with limitations, devotees have returned in flocks to the ghats to observe the puja the way it is meant to be done. On the second day of celebrations, rows of women were squatting on the ground by the ghat making their clay altars (bedis), and lighting their diyas, while their friends and children surrounded them. Off to the side were merry-go-rounds and rides for children to enjoy and a group of singers and instrumentalists dressed up in festive attire was singing devotional songs, while a crowd of spectators enjoyed the musical presentation.
National president, Akhil Bharatiya Bhojpuri Samaj and organiser of Chhath puja celebrations at Lakshman Mela grounds, Prabhu Nath Rai said, “Nearly 1.5 lakh people are expected to gather on the banks of the river here for the Chhath puja rituals. There will be an 18-hour non-stop cultural programme by artistes drawn from Mumbai, Varanasi, Gorakhpur and other parts of the state. It will continue from Sunday evening till sunrise on Monday morning. The chief minister is expected to arrive at 4PM. He too will join the rituals and address the gathering.”
Kanti Lodh, a resident of Vinay Khand, said that she was celebrating Chhath puja in her house for the past two years “I arranged a tub of water at home, invited the women from my locality and we made do with that. At home it went over well, but there is a different enthusiasm in coming to the ghat to offer prayers.”
“The specialty of Chhath is that we come and pray by the river, so that element was certainly missing,” she added. “I am about to go home and make thekua (a sweet dish made specially for Chhath puja),” she added.
There were several police officers on duty at the Lakshman Mela grounds too, so as to maintain decorum and safety, while the stage was being set for the chief minister who is to grace the event on Sunday. Starting from Friday, people have been arriving at the Lakshman Mela grounds close to sunset to offer their prayers by the Gomti river.
Dolly Mishra, one of the youngest in the musical group, said that she first started singing in Class 8 in 2015 at this ghat, since her mother is a devout observer of Chhath puja. Mishra too is excited to be back at the Lakshman Mela ghat and to perform on stage.
“We all missed celebrating together in 2021, but due to the big crowds it was not safe. Even then we tried to visit the ghats with our masks on,” she said. “Usually, many artistes will come to perform at these locations for Chhath puja, but none of that happened last year,” she said.
“I don’t do the puja, I only accompany my friends from our neighbourhood in Sikandernagar, who are in the habit of praying and fasting on these four days,” said Kanchan Chaurasia. “Many of our friends observe the puja, so whosoever has time comes along with them. During Covid also we tried to come to the ghats every day, but the usual crowds were missing and it was not very safe,” she added.
District magistrate Surya Pal Gangwar visited the ghat on Saturday morning to inspect the cleaning of the water and the banks.“Work is on to remove the sediment in the river bed and we are also bleaching the water to ensure that it is clean. In keeping with this year’s theme of Swachh Chhath Puja, we have been cleaning up all the ghats, and we appeal to the public to not litter these areas and use dustbins,” he said.
