Devotees at Uniworld City worshipped the sun god from the convenience of their housing complex for the fifth year in a row. And this year, the number of vratis (who fast for 36 hours and do the puja) has significantly increased, from 15 last year to 25.
“We have started creating artificial waterbodies in inflatable pools since 2018. Over the first three years, many of the people who used to go to Subhas Sarobar, Babughat or the Visarjan Ghat in New Town gradually started using our pools. Now even those who used to get back to their ancestral places in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh or Jharkhand are staying back. Why, some are even inviting their relatives over, promising better facilities!” said Pritesh Kumar, a member of the complex’s Chhat puja organising committee.
A rangoli dedicated to Chhathi maiya, the sun god’s sister
The biggest problem in any public waterbody is crowding. “It is a custom back home to send the children hours ahead of sunset with the sugarcane and the coconuts to block a spot at the water’s edge. While the sunset may take place at 5pm, all the good spots thus get taken by 3.30pm,” said Kumar.
In contrast, the number of pools is planned keeping the total number of vratis in mind at the complex. “They don’t even need to share tubs,” said Kumar.Usha Singh has been keeping the fast on Chhath for 18 years now, having started at their native place in Bihar. “We have begun using the facilities at Uniworld for five years, ever since they started,” said Upendra Kishore Singh, her husband. Now he also calls his brother’s family from Uttarpara to celebrate together.
Puja debut on terrace
Women offer Chhath prayers on the HB Block terrace
An HB Block home observed Chhath puja for the first time on the terrace this year. About 70 of their friends — all originally from Jharkhand — joined them along with curious Bengali neighbours who had but one prayer on their lips: “thekua jeno payi!”
“We have been living in Salt Lake since 1992 and would go over to Subhash Sarobar in Beleghata initially for Chhath puja. But it got uncomfortably crowded and the water was unclean so we moved to New Town’s Upasana Ghat. That started having the same problems so this time we decided to make arrangements on our own terrace,” says Partha Sarathi Upadhaya.
Upadhaya’s wife Itu became the vrati and observed long fasts for the puja. Upadhaya and their two sons had to maintain extreme hygiene and follow a no-onion garlic diet throughout the four-day puja.
As for the arrangements, they used an inflatable pool chipped in by Kestopur-based family friend, whose wife Bina Misra was also a vrati. Petals were sprinkled on the water, dalas were decorated with sindur, diyas, fruits and finally showered with milk when the vratis prayed with them.
Devotees in the inflatable pool on the terrace
Tens of devotees dropped by — friends, neighbours, colleagues. “This puja makes no discrimination. A commissioner and peon are both equally welcome,” says Upadhaya. Many Bengali neighbours dropped by too, asking about rituals, praying to Chhathi maiya and relishing the most popular prasad of Chhath puja — the thekua.
“We made thekuas with some 25kg of flour, besides wheat and dry fruits. We distributed them all over the block,” smiles Upadhaya, adding that they would continue the puja at home henceforth.