It was a sombre New Year for chief minister Nitish Kumar.

He went to his ancestral village, Kalyan Bigha in Nalanda district, around 70km southeast of Patna, to observe the death anniversary of his mother, Parmeshwari Devi. He met visitors at his residence in Patna, later.

The chief minister was accompanied by son Nishant Kumar, sister Usha Devi, brother Satish Kumar, sister-in-law Gita Sinha and several other relatives.

The family went to the memorial garden in the village, which has been established in the name of Nitish's father, Ram Lakhan Singh. They garlanded statues of his parents and his wife Manju Sinha.

Member of Legislative Council Ranbir Nandan, who was present, said Nitish visiting his village every New Year's day had become something of a ritual, because his mother had passed away on this day in 2011.

"Nitish has maintained the tradition of paying respect to his departed family members on their death anniversaries despite his busy schedule. This brings his sentimental temperament into light," he said.

Accompanied by several MLAs from neighbouring areas in Nalanda, the chief minister also went to a Shakti temple in the village and prayed for the peace and prosperity of the state. They all proceeded to his ancestral house in the village after prayers and he met other relatives and villagers there.

Nalanda MP Kaushalendra Kumar said the chief minister made it a point to talk to the residents to find out if there were any difficulties that they were facing or if they were in need of certain facilities. Many talked to him about their problems and also came up with suggestions. Nitish welcomed it all.

"The chief minister also took a walk to meet the villagers. He provided necessary instructions to the district magistrate on how to devise solutions to their problems," he said.

Chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh was also present.

Several hundred people arrived at the 7, Circular Road residence of Nitish Kumar with flowers and bouquets to greet him. Nitish returned to the state capital later and met visitors from various sectors, who had come to greet him on New Year at his residence. Bihar Legislative Council chairman Awadhesh Narayan Singh was also among them. A few leaders from RJD greeted the chief minister.

Nitish also released the Bihar diary and calendar, which is brought out by the information and public relations department.