On 4th of November the day of chhat
festival all roads in Mumbai lead to the Arabian Sea for the migrant
people of Bihar. Chhat puja is the most auspicious and revered
festival for the Biharis. Wherever they are, on any part of the
world, on this day the Biharis throng the nearest sea shore, and
river to pray to the Sun God. The women folk are draped in
colourful sarees with red vermillion smeared on their forehead and
carry plate full of fruits meant as offering to the Sun God.
This year in Mumbai chhat festival was celebrated
with equal fervor and pomp by tens of thousands of Biharis who
converged on the soft sand of Juhu Chowpatty. The migrant Biharis, come to
the city in search of green pastures. They are mostly self employed
working as milk vendors, carpenters, newspaper sellers, taxi
drivers and bhel puriwalas.
I was told that the crowd this year was less compared
to last years as some of them preferred to stay back due to the
atmosphere of fear prevalent in the city. Lately there is backlash
against the north Indians and the Biharis were at the receiving ends
at the hands of the local rightist parties propagating Sons of the
soil theory. They are protesting against the influx of migrants
coming from North India to Mumbai city in search of jobs thus
threatening the livelihood of locals. When I spoke to some of the
Biharis, they were brave enough to remain unfazed with the recent
controversy and hoped that better sense would prevail and they would
get accepted in the city. According to the Indian constitution
people of India is free to travel and stay in any part of India.
On the Chhat festival I was told
that it is celebrated six days after Diwali, another prominent
festival of lights celebrated by the Hindu population of India. The
Biharis consider the Sun God as most powerful and believe that
seeking his blessing acts as fulfillment of their wishes. One of the
legendary story is that Lord Rama on completion of fourteen year
of penance in the forest returns with his wife Janaki to Ayodhya to
be crowned as a king. Lord Rama prays to the Sun God to bless the
couple with a prodigious son. As a result they were blessed with
twins named Luv and kush. The Biharis fast on this day and spend
the evening on the Sea shore conduct pujas and make offering to Sun
God. After the Sun sets the devotees spend the whole night on sea
shore braving the chill wind, wait for next day’s sun rise to once
again worship the Sun God.
