Alok Mishra
Gopalganj: The four- day Chhath Puja started with `nahai khai’ on Friday in Gopalganj district. The devotees or vratees took bath and later prepared the food of arwa chawal (rice) and vegetable of gourd with chana dal (pulse). Later, it was served to the family members.
On the second day of Chhath Puja on November 5, which is known as `Kharna’, the devotees would observe fast for whole day and in the evening they would prepare kheer and roti and offer puja. Later, the prasad would be distributed among the family members and neighbours.
Chhath songs “U je kelwa phare la ghawad se u par sugwa merarai,” “U ga he suraj mal arghya ke ber,” sung by renowned singer Sharda Sinha and other local artists have started playing in every nook and corner of the district. People also did brisk purchasing as the markets are full of fruits and other commodities used in the Chhath Puja. People from remote areas have started reaching the markets of Gopalganj town for purchasing puja materials.
For kids, it is an auspicious moment to get new dress. People were seen purchasing daura, soop, coconut, ginger, kosi materials. Though the prices of the commodities have gone up, it did not deter the devotees. Women devotees also thronged bangle shops. The prices of the bangles varied from Rs 15 to Rs 1,000.
The paper hawkers of Sidhwalia also cleaned different ghats in the locality and made arrangements for lighting for the devotees. A local hawker Baban Prasad, after selling newspaper, reached ghats and cleaned them with broom and spade. At shops at Mahammadpur, hundreds of people gathered to purchase coconuts. People from East and West Champaran also reach here to purchase coconuts.
A local trader Kishore said that coconuts are brought here from Assam, Bengal and Pudducherry. He said that each truck carries 20,000 coconuts and the price of every truck is Rs 4 to 5 lakh. “We hope to sell at least 20 trucks of coconuts here,” he said. Even traders of East and West Champaran, Basantpur, Barauli, Baikunthpur and Madarpur (Siwan) and Masrakh and Baniyapur (Saran) were seen purchasing coconuts in bulk.