Manjulika Ghosh might have been born in a Bengali family but for most of the past 26 years, she has been a steady fixture at Balu Ghat during Chhath.
The 62-year-old resident of Bhikhna Pahari has proved that devotion and faith have no boundaries. Born and brought up in Patna, she observes Chhath as every other Bihari ever since a family emergency 26 years ago.
“My husband Ajendra Krishna Ghosh had a paralytic attack while returning home from office. We consulted a good doctor but there was hardly any improvement in his health. I prayed to the Sun God that if my husband recovered, I would perform Chhath puja for nine years. It was my last hope and thankfully the Sun God listened to my prayers and my husband recovered,” says Manjulika.
Observing Chhath for Manjulika means complete devotion. She goes to the ghat for a bath in the Ganga on Day One of Chhath, Nahay Khay. She prepares the prasad for Kharna on mango-wood, fasts for two days and offers arghya to the setting and rising Sun.
“By fasting for two days during Chhath, a person is able to experience the same pangs of hunger and thirst that many people in this world experience,” she says.
Manjulika’s husband, a clerk in the office of the senior superintendent of police, passed away in 1993. But her prayers to the Sun God on Chhath have not stopped.
“I follow all the rituals even today. After all, the Sun God granted my wish that one time and he is still taking care of my every wish. My husband is no more but I perform Chhath puja for my son, his well-being,” she adds.
The sexagenarian loves how Chhath brings together friends and family. “The home where Chhath puja is being performed should be neat and clean. Every year when I perform Chhath, all my family members — my son, daughters and grandchildren — make it a point to clean the home and the surroundings. My grandchildren and neighbours are happy to take up the cleanliness drive in and around our home. You just need to see the smile on their faces when they work for Chhath. This festival brings my family together unlike any other festival,” says Manjulika.
Another high point of the state’s biggest festival for Manjulika is the joy of preparing the special prasad.
“We prepare thekua, a special prasad for Chhath puja. My grandchildren like it very much. I make it a point to prepare it in large quantities so that I can distribute it among family and friends. The more prasad you distribute, the more punya (blessings) you would earn,” she adds.
Not just distributing prasad, she believes asking for prasad also brings blessings.
Thirty-year-old Mauli Ghosh, Manjulika’s daughter-in-law, says: “Once she was going somewhere on a rickshaw with my father-in-law when she saw some women from the backward community distributing prasad among themselves. She went to them and asked for prasad, much to the shock of the devotees. When we asked her what was the need to ask for prasad from them, she told me it was important for her. She believes that the more you distribute or ask for prasad, the more punya (blessings) you earn. I am proud of her.”
“People usually have a narrow outlook towards the religious practices of others because they do not understand the deeper meaning associated with the rituals. Hats off to my mother-in-law, she has proved devotion is above all boundaries,” says Mauli.
Manjulika’s neighbour Vibha Sinha vouches for that. “Manjulika takes care of every minute detail. She does not allow her children and grandchildren to enter the prayer room with their shoes on and makes it a point to cook the prasad for Kharna only on mango-wood. The way Manjulika observes the rituals of Chhath, one would hardly believe that she is a Bengali. Woh puri Bihari lagti hai (She completely looks like a Bihari)!” Vibha says.
