Chhatt Puja - an offering to the Sun

'केलवा जे फरेला घवद से, ओह पर सुगा मे़ड़राय

काँच ही बाँस के बहंगिया, बहंगी लचकत जाए' है।

Sun is the biggest source of energy and that's the reason Indian mythology treats sun as God. Can you imagine life on earth without sun? It rises daily to give life to earth and to thank Sun, people from Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh celebrate Chhatt and this festival has been carried to all parts of India and some part of Mauritius and few Caribbean island by this migrants.

Chhatt Puja is celebrated on the sixth day from Diwali and in this the Sun god is worshiped. As it is in reverence to sun god it's celebrated with friends and relatives near a water body without any class distinction making it a Lokprava or community festival.

The preparation for celebrating Chhatt puja starts two day before, the first day is known as "nahaye khaye" meaning house cleaning, bath and eat, the next day is known as "Kharna" where the more devout observe a day long fast without even taking a drop of water, well this fast is mostly observed by the womenfolk for the betterment of their families. On kharna Kheer is made fron milk and jaggery and is distributed in the neighbourhood. This is the last time devotees have food and water before having a 36 hour fast. In the night of Kharna, Thekuan or Khajoor (Sweet made of wheat, sugar/jaggery deep fried in ghee) is made as a prasad (offering to god). The Thekuan made during Chhat has a special aroma and this taste and aroma is difficult to replicate if cooked during non festive occasion.

The third day of Chhatt is called "Sandhya Arag" in which people go to the water bodies to offer prayer- standing waist deep in water- to setting sun god. A basket made of bamboo is filled with offerings of fruit and sweets are made to the god along with Dia(earth lamp) is lit over it. The vratdhari (person who fasts) holds this basket facing the sun and other people pour milk and water on the basket. There is a proverb "People worship the rising sun" but in chhat the setting sun is worshipped first and then the rising sun. In the wee hours of next morning people return back to offer prayers to the rising sun and offer Arag to the rising sun which marks the end of the festival and prasad is distributed not only to near and dear ones but even to strangers.

As Chhatt puja being a community affair, the entire streets leading to the water body is cleaned and even a non Hindu community clean the street adjacent to the house giving it a secular colour.

The last 5-6 years have seen this festival grow in popularity and Delhi Government this year had made special arrangements like erection of tents, lights and sanitation at as many as 28 places including ghats at Yamuna at Kalindi Kunj, Wazirabad, Geeta Colony and ITO Bridge. Large numbers of devout throng these sites to offer prayers. Chandigar government had opened up a dedicated pond for this festival.But the politics of Raj Thakeray and his Anti North Indian campain has given it a more media attention. Slowly greed of politicians is creeping in Chhatt. In mumbai North Indian migrant gather along the baach (mainly Juhu) for Chhatt and politicians eye this gathering as a show of strength of migrant people which has made Bal and Raj Thackeray feel insecure.

This is my appeal to the Politician if India. Please stop politicising this festival. Let Chhatt be as pure and as sacred as a belief of a common man who has faith in sun god. In Bihar crime rate goes down to minimal during this festival even consumption of liquor goes to nil. Evan those hard core criminals fear for the faith people have in this festival. When will you change.