More devotees to perform Chhath at artificial water bodies in Jamshedpur

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur, Nov 7: Since the COVID period, devotees have been restrained by the administration from going to river and pond banks to offer Argha during Chhath. With necessity being the mother of invention, people have found innovative ways to perform rituals required along water banks. As such, devotees have been offering prayers at artificial water bodies or huge tubs that have been installed in homes or at colonies. This year is going to be no different as  more devotees, concerned about personal health safety have decided to carry over the mode from the earlier year.

Many more devotees have now planned to offer Chhath Argha in artificial ponds dug in their homes or colonies and temporarily filled with water or use plastic or rubber tubs to cater to the rituals’ needs. Plastic bathtubs ranging from 4 feet to 12 feet in diameter are available in the Jamshedpur markets that are manufactured either in India or China. The price range is between Rs 1,000 and Rs 3,300. Bath tub dealers are on record as stating that earlier, the demand for these was few and far between and hence the stock was low. But since last year, during Chhath Puja, the demand for tubs has grown manifold as devotees prefer safer water bodies to stay out of infections’ way. Many devotees are opting for bath tubs that serve twin purposes of Chhat prayer rituals along water bodies and also for water storage at other times. As such the same shopkeepers and some more have stocked up on bath tubs of various sizes for devotees to pick from.

A case in point is that even after the COVID pandemic status has simmered down, reports of infections have started appearing slowly albeit steadily and this led the East Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner to appeal to devotees to perform Chhath Argha rituals from the safety of their homes and avoiding crowds. This has also had an impact on the people. There are many who dig pits in or around their home yards and after spreading plastic or polythene sheets at the bottom, fill these pits with water where they will offer Argha.