Patna: Cardiologist Niraj Bahadur Sinha has not been having non-vegetarian food since Diwali. He is on satvik bhojan (food without onion and garlic) in the run-up to four days of Chhath rituals.

Niraj, the in-charge at the Heart Hospital's intensive care unit, will visit his hospital only on Day One of the festival. The other three days he will devote to the Sun God.

Niraj has been observing the rituals along with his mother Shashi Sinha. Shashi is now a Chhath veteran with 20 years of rituals behind her. "I always helped my mother during Chhath and it used to leave me with a good feeling," said Niraj. "There wasn't any particular mannat (wish) in mind when I began observing Chhath myself eight years ago."

But over the years, he observed, whenever he or any family member faced a problem, the Sun God bailed them out. "No problem is too big for a Chhath devotee," Niraj said. "I also feel an inner strength through the year after observing Chhath. Like any other Chhath devotee, I am also conscious not to commit any mistake during the entire festival. Chhath rituals are tough. Not everybody can observe it."

Niraj is very particular as far as Chhath rituals are concerned. "You cannot wear stitched clothes," he said. "That is why women wear only saris and men dhotis during Chhath. I also sleep on the floor instead of the bed during the festival. My mother takes care of the prasad preparation while I arrange puja material and create an artificial pond on the rooftop, apart from looking after other festival-related things. I visit hospital only on Day One of the four-day fest. The other three days I totally devote myself to the festival."

On Tuesday, which is Nahay-Khay, Niraj went to Ganga Ghat to collect holy water. On the first day of the festival he had partaken of prasad prepared with the holy water.

His mother was particularly excited about observing Chhath this year. "I couldn't observe the festival last year," Shashi said. "I was running high fever and was diagnosed with chikungunya the last time. This year, both of us would observe it. Our relatives have arrived from outside the state to celebrate it with us."

Niraj's father Binay Bahadur Sinha, chairman of Red Cross Society's Bihar branch, said the family is very enthusiastic for Chhath and everybody takes charge of various aspects of the festival.