Women clean Dulli Ghat in Patna City on Sunday. Picture by Sachin

Patna, Oct. 30: Ghat cleaning during Chhath Puja is a sacred service. The authorities responsible for cleaning up the ghats may find it a huge task with a short deadline but there are groups of people who volunteer to organise facilities for the festival, clean up roads and ghats and help the devotees perform the puja without taking any credit for the hard work.

They do not work for money or any personal gain but because of their devotion towards. The Telegraph spoke to some of these people who are part of Chhath Puja samitis, involved in organising the festivities in Patna for more than 50 years, and are currently busy with just one work — clean the ghats ahead of pehli arghya.

Ninety-year-old Brijnandan Yadav, a resident of Alamganj and president of Kedarnath Mathh Samiti, has cleaned ghats for the past 60 years. This year, too, he is involved in the holy work despite his deteriorating health. Brijnandan said: “My mother inspired me to take the initiative. She told me Chhathi Maiya would be happy if I help the devotees. It’s a social work. I got involved with Chhath festivities 60 years ago and will do this holy work till my last breath.”

He further said, “Now, I have become very old and my body does not allow me to enter the river. So, my three sons and some other members help me clean the Kedarnath ghat for devotees. The cleaning process includes taking out waste material from the water and sweeping the ghat. It gives my immense satisfaction when I do this work.”

Prabhat Jaislwal (48), who is running an organisation named Nav Yuvak Vikas Sewa Samiti, got involved in the cleaning work at the age of 10 and continues to pitch in in the preparations till today.

“I particularly look after Keshav Rai ghat in Patna City. Cleaning the ghats during Chhath puja is the biggest help one can extend to the devotees. We do not get any funds from outside and hence have to work with our own tools. We extend selfless service because of our total devotion in the festival,” said Prabhat.

He further said: “After completing my graduation from Patna University, I became more involved in the festival preparations. My wife also supported me in the service as she believes cleaning the ghats during Chhath festival is a noble work.”

58-year-old Lallu Sharma has been involved in ghat cleaning work for the past 35 years. “I work to clean the ghats not only during Chhath but also during Durga Puja when ghats get dirty after the immersion of the idols. Providing neat and clean surrounding to devotees is of course a good work,” he said.

He is at present the president of Sri Nav Yuvak Sewa Samiti Bhadra Ghat. “The administration and other government bodies do their work and we do ours. If everybody becomes conscious about the maintenance of the ghats, then I do not think we will need to make so much effort every year during Chhath,” Lalu said.

Sixty-year-old Arjun Prasad is not only cleaning the ghats but also making people aware of the importance of keeping the river banks clean.

“Being the president of Maa Ganga Sewa Samiti, I have been doing this work for the past 30 years. I request the devotees not to litter the ghats and help the authorities maintain its cleanliness all through the year,” said Arjun.