Jamshedpur: Even though the industries in the city define the lifestyle of the people, which is increasingly leaning towards metropolitanism, festivals are still a major cultural binder for people in the Steel City.
Teej, a major festival for married women, was celebrated in a grand way on Wednesday in different societies in the city.
Different social organisations organized a function at Sakchi to mark the occasion. All these celebrations saw an active and enthusiastic participation by the residents.
Women all over the city celebrated the Teej Festival ‘Haritalika’ by fasting all the day and worshiping Lord Shiva wishing long life for their husbands.
Unmarried women worship Lord Shiva wishing to find an eligible groom.
Women put on bangles, necklaces made of glass beads and vermillion powder which are considered the symbols of good luck, and dress themselves up in red saris or other red outfits and adorn themselves with different kinds of ornaments.
Nishi Thakur who got married recently said :”Occasions like these give us an opportunity to connect with the people around and feel closer to our culture. Most of us are working so it is not every day that we get to attend a community festival”.
According to Radhika Agarwal, a homemaker Sonari, “The idea of Teej, in particular, is to get all the women together and celebrate beauty. All the women dress up in green and put henna on their palms and feet a day before the festival.”
Celebration of all major festivals with fervour has become a trend of sorts in the city. Be it the private plotted colonies or the condominiums, every residential apartment in the city organizes festival melas and cultural evenings within the society premises to get people together and celebrate.
�Such festivals are the best time for people living in isolated houses to get together and celebrate. Cultural evenings and the sports events within the condominiums also provide an opportunity to the kids to know each other. A lot of people attend these events with their families,” said a member of Pravasi Nepali Sangh , Jamshedpur