NEW DELHI: The festive spirit of Chhath Puja is spreading beyond homes and riverbanks to railway stations, trains and even prisons, with traditional devotional songs being played over public announcement systems at major railway stations and aboard several trains, while district administrations in Bihar are making special arrangements for inmates observing the festival.
As North India prepares to celebrate the Sun-worshipping festival from November 14 to 16, major railway stations, including New Delhi Railway Station, are resonating with traditional Chhath songs alongside routine announcements. With thousands of people travelling to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other northern states to celebrate the festival with their families, the railway network is witnessing a palpable surge in festive footfall.
On the Patna-bound Tejas Rajdhani Express (12310/09), for instance, Chhath compositions can be heard throughout the journey, both on trains departing from New Delhi and those travelling from Patna. Several other prestigious trains equipped with public announcement systems are also playing devotional melodies, lending a festive and spiritual character to passengers' journeys.
At New Delhi Railway Station, the familiar voices of celebrated Bhojpuri singers, including BJP MP Manoj Tiwari and other artistes of Bihar origin, fill the surroundings with devotional fervour. Their renditions evoke the traditions of Chhath and strike an emotional chord with passengers, particularly women, children and families travelling home for the festivities. Several trains are witnessing almost packed coaches as the festival-bound rush gathers momentum.
A senior railway official said the arrangement to play Chhath songs during the festive period immediately after Diwali was intended to create a special atmosphere for passengers travelling to Bihar and other northern states. The songs, the official said, help revive sacred sentiments and reconnect passengers with the ancient cultural and religious roots of Chhath.
"It reflects our culture rooted in the Chhath festival, which is dedicated to the worship of the Sun God and has a very scientific effect on Chhath vrat observants, who observe a fast and stand in water to offer prayers to the Sun," the official remarked.
The spirit of Chhath is also reaching prison premises in Bihar, where district administrations have made arrangements for women and other inmates who wish to observe the rigorous rituals despite being incarcerated.
In Vaishali, the district administration, headed by DM Varsha Singh, has prepared ponds within the district jail premises to enable inmates observing Chhath to offer arghya to the setting and rising Sun.
The arrangements reflect the festival's inclusiveness, with devotion transcending social and economic boundaries and reaching even those living behind prison walls. For devotees, Chhath is not merely a religious observance but an expression of gratitude to the Sun God, nature, family and the forces that sustain life.
From railway platforms and crowded Bihar-bound trains to riverbanks, household courtyards and prison ponds, Chhath Puja brings millions together in a shared celebration of faith, cultural heritage and collective devotion.
