Boys show coins recovered from the Ganga, at Gandhi Ghat in Patna on Sunday. Picture by Jai Prakash

Patna, Oct. 30: Chhath Puja is not just a season of benevolence for the devotees. Children who live in slums near the Ganga ghats make a killing during the four-day festival.

In the course of the puja, devotees offer a number of things, including coins, gold and silver tokens to earn blessing of the Sun God. The children collect these items from the Ganga, and use them to buy clothes or enjoy themselves.

Some of them also buy schoolbooks with the money, or save it for a rainy day.

Sources said around 20 to 25 boys are engaged in the activity. Roshan Kumar, one of these boys, said: “We come to the ghat for a swim. But we also collect coins that people throw into the river regularly.”

The 11-year-old resident of a slum near Gandhi Ghat added: “We often collect a large number of coins during Chhath Puja.”

Asked how much money his friends and he make during the festival, Roshan said: “We swim for two to three hours, and make around Rs 100 to Rs 150.”

He added: “We also get some metal items like diyas, silver and even gold. We collect and save them.”

So what do these boys do with their booty? “We have good food. Sometimes we buy clothes. We also give some money to our parents,” said Roshan.

Explaining the method of rescuing the offerings from the river, he said: “We throw a magnet, tied to a string, into the river. The items get stuck to the magnet and we pull it our of water.”

Nine-year-old Aditya who also comes to the ghat to collect money, said: “I come here so that I don’t have to ask my parents for money.

“I come here so that I can collect some money and spend it according to my needs. I also give some money to my parents. Chatth is a good time because we are able to collect more coins.”

Vishal Kumar, 12, made a killing when he found a gold earring. He said: “This morning, I found one gold earring. I have decided to give it to my mother and ask her to keep it safe. We can sell it later if we need money. Most of the times, we find coins. To get precious metals is very rare. It happens only during festivals like Chhath or Diwali.”

Not everyone is interested in glittering objects though. Vishal, 9, has a completely different plan.

“I have collected around Rs 300. There are still three more days to go. So, I expect to collect more than Rs 500. I will use this money to buy books,” he said.

Asked why he needs to brave the water of the river to get money for books, the boy said: “My father doesn’t have much money. I have five siblings. So, I have to support my family like this. If I can earn a little extra, it will help our expenses. I wish to use this money for my studies.”