Chhath Mahaparva in Bihar is not just a religious festival, but is a part of people's emotions, memories and connection with family. It is not easy to express in words its importance in the life of a Bihari. Today lakhs of people of Bihar live in different cities of the country for job and other reasons. Due to being away from the village, many people are unable to reach home on Chhath.
In such a situation, for them this festival is not just a puja but also the name of all those memories which they want to live every year. Prajwal Raj has shared some similar feelings through his videos on social media. Some of his videos make us laugh, while others bring tears to our eyes. He has told one by one what Chhath is for a Bihari and what things he misses the most when he is away from the village.
'I will tell you the customs, but I will not be able to explain what Chhath is.'
Prajwal says that he can tell someone the customs and traditions of Chhath, but cannot explain what Chhath actually is. For this, one has to feel the emotions that a Bihari has regarding this festival. He says that he misses the tradition of drying wheat in the village. Thekua made during Chhath is prepared from flour and this flour is not procured from the market or from Blinkit, but is made by grinding wheat at home.
The whole family together dries wheat with the help of bamboo. During this time, there is also the responsibility of driving away the crows, even though sometimes there is no crow there. To see and do all this, people come to the village from outside and take regular leave. But for those who remain in the city, now all this has to be seen only on video call.
Prajwal explains this situation in a humorous manner that now he sits on video calls only with his Z Plus security on. Let's call my sister and see who has come home. The answer is that everyone has come except you. Then the phone gets disconnected and the sister has to go to give Prasad.
Grandma's phone call and memory of pumpkin curry
Prajwal tells that during Chhath in the village, a call comes from grandmother. She asks, should I disconnect your phone, son? Then she herself says, 'Please disconnect the phone, aunt, everything is crazy, busy and tense.'
After this she tells that look, the pumpkin is growing and the Prasad of Nahay-Khay is being made. Prajwal says that now he has to watch pumpkins being made on the phone. He remembers the wood stove of the village. He misses the entire atmosphere in which family members come together to make preparations for Chhath.
Take a dip in Ganga and bless with wet lap
According to Prajwal, the most emotional feeling of Chhath is when the fasting women take a dip in the Ganga and then wipe the faces of the family members with their wet lapels. They wish that the entire family remains healthy and that Chhathi Maiya blesses everyone. He says that he misses the blessings of the fasts very much.
After this they also remember the tradition of giving thekua. When a child grows up in the village and returns after a long time, the people around look at him and say that the son has grown so much. Prajwal says that he misses this warmth and greetings of the people very much. A different kind of peace is visible on every face in the village, which is difficult to feel while living in cities.
You get taunted for being a Bihari, but Chhath connects you with the family.
Prajwal also expresses his views on the comments and hatred towards Bihar and Biharis. He says that being a Bihari, you are given a thousand reasons throughout the year, but not one reason is found which inspires people to connect with Bihar and understand it.
He says that Bihar itself tells everything about itself. In such a situation, how can you hate your family? According to him, without Chhath, Bihari is not Bihari at all. He describes Chhath as the last road which leads to Bihar. If this path is missed, many things will be missed.
For Prajwal, Chhath is beyond the identities of Hindu-Muslim, theist-atheist. This is a festival that connects people. Even in the songs of Chhath, one hears the feeling of waiting for someone and returning home.
Mild cold, fog and the entire village glowing with lamps
Prajwal says that he misses the slight cold and fog of the village during Chhath. At night the entire village glows with the light of lamps. Everywhere people are going towards the ghat. The people of the village leave together and meet after reaching the ghat. This is the atmosphere which is not easy to experience again while living in the city.
Nowadays, reels related to Chhath are seen a lot on Instagram. Traditional songs like 'Sitli Piriya' can be heard in these. The same music and the same emotions are seen in one reel after another. Prajwal says that no one wants this trend to change. It seems that people somehow want to include this music within themselves.
People reach Bihar directly due to Sharda Sinha's songs.
Prajwal considers the music of Chhath as the backbone of this festival. Especially the Chhath songs sung in the voice of Sharda Sinha seem very special to him. According to him, there is such sweetness in Sharda Sinha's voice that after listening to her songs, a person goes straight to Bihar and his village.
For those who are away from home, these songs are like a path through which they can reach between their family and village for a few moments. Chhath songs are not just music, but memories of those who are unable to reach home for the festival.
The struggle to get a ticket to go home on Chhath is no less.
Prajwal has also mentioned the difficulties of returning home during Chhath. He tells that the ticket of one of his friends was not confirmed and he got worried at the station. During festival times, trains are so crowded that people feel as if they are trying to return home for the first time after Partition. Someone is entering through the window, while someone is getting pushed out.
He tells another interesting story. Brother had to call from Pune to Patna, but the ticket price had reached Rs 38 thousand. Comparing it to a ticket to London worth Rs 32,000, he jokingly said that the brother replied that Elizabeth will celebrate Chhath with grandmother and she will pick up the soup.
In this way, Prajwal has woven small memories related to Chhath, closeness of family, village atmosphere, traditional songs and the struggle to reach home in his video. There is laughter in his words and somewhere there is pain of being away from home. He says that Chhath is not just a festival, but a bond with Bihar, which a Bihari does not want to break under any circumstances.
Who is Prajwal Rai?
Prajwal Raj is a content creator active on social media, who shares stories related to Bihar, Bihari culture, village life and traditions through his videos. Along with humor, emotional aspects are also often seen in his videos. Especially in his special style, he presents the memories of the people living outside Bihar, the connection with the family and the importance of Chhath festival.