National
Festivity in air across Bihar as Chhath festival begins
Patna, Oct 24 (IANS) With Chhath, the most popular Hindu festival in Bihar, beginning on Tuesday, markets across the state are flooded with traditional items like earthen lamps, clay stoves and a cleanliness drive is underway on mission mode in villages and towns.
For the four-day Chhath, locally known as “Mahaparv”, devotees are busy buying dry wood of mango trees, “soop” and “tokri”, locally known as daura – made up of bamboo, “mitti ka chulha” (earthen stove), earthen utensils, earthen lamps, “August ka phool”, “lauki” (gourd), “ghaagar nimbu”, sugarcane stems and other products.
“Natural products have flooded market as devotees have to use them only during Chhath. These items are mandatory to pray and worship the setting and rising Sun God and to observe fast,” said Manju Devi, a housewife, who has been celebrating the festival for over three decades.
Melodious devotional folk songs by popular singers, including Sharda Sinha, Devi and Kalpanna, are being played loudly at market places.
People have been making special efforts to clean homes and lanes connecting to the Ganga ghats and ponds.
Shopkeepers and vendors selling the Chhath items are hopeful of earning extra money due to the high demand.
In different parts of Bihar, particularly in Patna, hundreds of roadside temporary shops have sprung up where the vendors, mostly poor men and women, are selling these items. Besides, big shops are also selling such items.
Roadside vendors are also selling “baddhi”, “aiya”, “alta”, “sindur”, “kapur” and “chandan” besides other small but essential items for devotees.
The dry wood of mango trees is used as fuel for cooking the traditional meal of boiled rice and lauki (gourd) on Tuesday, the first day of Chhath, known as “Nahay Khay”.
It is believed that mango wood helps the food cook properly because of its low flame.
“August ka phool” is being sold at Rs 800-1,000 per kg, in view of the demand.
“Lauki” (gourd) is selling at Rs 50 to 80 per piece due to high demand.
“Devotees cannot cook any other vegetable. ‘Lauki’ has been consumed on ‘Nahay Khay’ for ages. It is good for the stomach,” said Saket Kumar, whose aunty follows this ritual every year.
Devotees, mainly mainly married women, throng river banks and different water bodies for a bath before preparing the food known as “Nahai Khay” that marks the beginning of Chhath.
Banana is an essential fruit offered to the Sun God during Chhath. In view of its high demand, bananas from Andhra Pradesh have flooded the market.
Besides banana, ‘ghaagar nimbu’, coconut, apple, orange and sugarcane are also bought for the ritual.
The administration, along with dozens of voluntary organisations, is working round-the-clock to manage the crowds and keep the areas around river banks clean.
Chhath is a festival associated with faith, purity and devotion to the Sun God. Married women observe fast during the festival.
–IANS
ik/rn
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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