The Labor Seekers Society of Bihar has introduced the great festival of Suryopasna to all the people not only in the country but also abroad. Today, according to government data, only in Delhi there are about 11 Chhath puja is performed at hundred Chhath ghats. Similarly Yamuna, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Juhu beach of Mumbai, The great festival of Chhath is being celebrated everywhere. Chhathi Maiya is worshiped on Chhath festival.
Since Dussehra, when the city, village and street start resonating with popular songs like ‘Kaanch Hi Baans Ki Bahangiya, Bahangi Lachkat Jaaye…’, a wonderful wave fills the body and mind with the purity of Chhath festival. In the national capital Delhi too, with the arrival of Chhath festival, along with cultural and social activities, political activity also intensifies. This time, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi requested the Delhi Government to declare Chhath festival as a public holiday and the good thing is that Delhi Government has also declared Chhath festival as a public holiday.
The AAP government of Delhi has provided its regular budget for about 1100 ghats. Also, the government has taken steps to build 70 model ghats in 70 assembly constituencies. After many years, permission has been given to celebrate Chhath festival in about 80 ponds located on the banks of Yamuna, which is commendable. BJP is also continuously raising questions to the government regarding Chhath festival. Overall, it can be said that keeping Chhath Vratis happy in Delhi is also a political activity which underlines the political importance of Chhath Vratis.
When the four-day grand ritual of Chhath festival spreads its positive energy with Nahay-Khay, Kharna, First Arghya and Second Arghya, then every member of the human race starts diving into the river of purity and sanctity. Describing the glory of Chhath, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that we all are worshipers of the rising sun, but Bihari society is such that it worships every form of the sun. Worshiping the setting sun is not possible without a unique ritual. Everyone worships the rising sun but worshiping every form of the sun and worshiping Chhath is wonderful in itself. Former President Ramnath Kovind had said in the centenary celebrations of Bihar Assembly that ‘Chhath Maiya is bowed down from Nawada to New Jersey and from Begusarai to Boston’. Entrepreneurs associated with Bihar across the world have made their place in the world. Wherever he has gone, he has taken his Chhath culture with him.
Chhath Mahaparva i.e. Surya Shashthi Vrat i.e. the great festival of sun worship is a great Sanatani cultural and religious event originating from the land of Bihar, but now this festival is no longer the festival of Bihar only. Now, apart from every corner of India, this cultural festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm in many countries of the world where Purbiya Sanatani community lives.
News of celebration of this festival is visible through media in many South African countries including America, Australia, England, Japan, Mauritius, Fiji, Guyana, Trinidad. Pictures of celebrating Chhath Puja are seen every year from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Surat, Raipur, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ludhiana, Jammu and almost every city of the country. Being a Purvanchali, my heart becomes happy after seeing and hearing this. Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand are the original places of this festival, but as the migrant Purvanchali community migrated to different parts of the country, the glory of this festival is increasing in the non-Purvanchali society also.
People of Purvanchali community, who left their birthplace of Bihar, UP and Jharkhand to earn a living and went to different states to support their families, have been raising the flag of their folk culture. Now even the non-Purvanchali community celebrates Chhath Mahaparva with the same enthusiasm and enthusiasm which reflects the vastness and expansion of Chhath festival. This labor seeking society has introduced the great festival of Suryopasana to all the people not only in the country but also abroad. Today, according to government data, Chhath Puja is performed at about 1100 small and big Chhath Ghats in Delhi alone. Similarly, the great festival of Chhath is being celebrated everywhere in Yamuna, Ganga, Brahmaputra, Juhu beach of Mumbai.
Chhathi Maiya is worshiped on Chhath festival. In Chhath Puja, Sun God is worshiped with great religious sentiments by standing in water. Chhath is a folk festival of worship. Chhath is a festival of sadhana. This is the festival of coordination. This is the practice of combining the essential energies of life. This is the penance of worshiping nature. It is also a ritual of pure scientific and folk faith, in which there is no priest host. There are no idols, no established gods. There is an outpouring of immense devotion towards Chhath Vrati among other people of the society. This festival is dedicated to Surya, the regulator of creation. There is a wonderful folk tradition of using seasonal botanical products in this festival. It is believed that the main source of the Sun’s powers are its rays Usha and Pratyusha. In Chhath, both the powers are worshiped along with Surya Narayan. This tradition of sun worship has been going on since the Rigveda period, which continues till today. The worship of Surya Narayana has been discussed in detail in Vishnu Purana, Bhagwat Purana and Brahmavaivarta Purana etc. The worship of Surya is mentioned for the first time in Rigveda. After this, it has been discussed prominently in Vedic texts like Vedas, Upanishads etc. Today this festival is celebrated not only in the country but all over the world as a reflection of the cultural richness of Purvanchal. (Ongoing)
(The author is the National President of World Bhojpuri Conference Organization and former Vice President of Maithili-Bhojpuri Academy Delhi and a thinker on subjects like socio-cultural language.)