Chhath Puja: Emotions flow high from Ganga to Marina

CHENNAI: Marina Beach is abuzz with festive fervours over the last couple of days, as dawn breaks and waves kiss the shore, women in red and yellow sarees are seen offering prayers to the sun god. The chants of “Chhathi maiya ki jai” blend with the sound of waves. Hundreds of Bihari families gather each year to celebrate Chhath Puja. “There’s no pandit,” says Aabha, a Chennai-based devotee who has been celebrating the festival with her husband Sanjay for eight years. “You do everything on your own. Every feeling, every emotion comes from the heart. That’s what makes Chhath pure.”

Their home transforms into a sacred space, days before the festival. As we are curious about the dishes, they get excited to talk to us about the thekua (deep fried sweet snack) and kheer and puri that are made from scratch. “Even the flour is ground at home,” Aabha says. “Everything used in the puja must be new and clean. We wash and prepare each item before offering it to the Sun.” The family sources all ingredients from Chennai’s Koyambedu market, a far cry from their hometown bazaar, yet the devotion remains the same. “On this day, we miss being in Bihar terribly,” Sanjay adds in a calm demeanour. “But when we stand at the Marina, chanting with our fellow community members, it feels like we are back at home.”

The four-day festival is all about faith and endurance. Devotees observe a 36-hour fast without food and water. On the evening of the third day, that is Sandhya Arghya, they offer prayers to the setting Sun, and before dawn the next morning, called as Usha Arghya, they repeat the ritual for the rising Sun. “The results of Chhath depend on your emotions,” Aabha says. “According to the legends surrounding the festival, if your heart is pure, your prayers are heard,” she adds. “This festival is passed on to us from generations to generations, we are the third generation following this here and as it is said the energy is so deep that the manifestation comes true,” adds Sanjay.

Behind these pompous celebrations in Chennai houses the Bihar Chaupal Chennai, the cultural wing of the Ekatvasutra India Foundation. Founded by Dr. Ashish, the group ensures that every Bihari in Tamil Nadu can celebrate their tradition away from home. “We started as a small community,” says Dr. Ashish, “but today, Chhath has become a bridge, not just for Biharis but for people from other states, who want to witness devotion and discipline.”

From setting up permissions and puja supplies to welcoming newcomers into the community, Bihar Chaupal Chennai turns what might otherwise seem like distance into togetherness. “We want every Bihari to feel that their roots are alive and celebrated even in Chennai,” Dr Ashish says. For many, Chhath in Chennai is beyond a festival. It’s an emotional reunion with their roots. The devotees’ faith, remembrance, and the enduring comfort of home gives them joy and warmth.