An Assamese song on Chhath Puja was released for the first time in Assam to popularise the festival that is now being observed by many communities.

The song Korisu puja aibaar (I am doing the puja this time) in Assamese, is sung by Ajay Choudhary to lyrics penned by Roshan Gupta and music by Abhinay Choudhary. The producer of the song said it was composed to spread the message of peace and brotherhood.

Chhath Puja, originally celebrated by people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, is now widely observed across Assam too. People from other communities, including Assamese, Bengalis and Rajasthanis, have started participating in the four-day festival directly or indirectly by observing fast or offering prasad through people who observe the rituals.

The puja is popular in Guwahati, Tinsukia, Jorhat, Dhubri, Barak Valley, Dhemaji, Tezpur and other places.

The Assamese song is borrowed from a popular Bhojpuri song Pahile pahil chhathi maiya, earlier rendered by Shardha Sinha, Anuradha Paudwal and Kalpana Patowary.

Originally a singer from Assam, Patowary is a household name in Bihar for her Bhojpuri songs and contribution to make Bhojpuri a scheduled language.

Bhojpuri is not included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution as it is considered a local dialect of Bihar and Hindi is the official language there.

A widespread movement to include Bhojpuri in the Eighth Schedule was started by intellectuals, including writers, in Bihar.

Gauhati Commerce College teacher Manik Talwar termed the Assamese song “a good start” for spreading popularity of Chhath among people in the state. “The song is the first one in Assamese. It is a good beginning. Rendering it will be better later,” he said.