Asian Photography — November 2017

NOVEMBER 2017 27

Partnered by

source. The festival is a long one and

usually lasts for about two days. Hordes

of people usually make themselves

comfortable for the night in and around

the beaches. The puja begins again the

next morning with the break of dawn and

usually continues until the sun comes up

in the sky completely. As Chhath Puja

involves worshipping the sun, people go

into waist deep waters and stand to pray

facing the East as the sun rises. Some

say that the enthusiasm with which

the festival is celebrated in Mumbai

has reduced over the years. However,

the festival will surely continue to be

celebrated in the years to come.

Exif Info:
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Shutter Speed: 1/64 sec
Aperture value: f/4.0
ISO: 3200
Focal Length: 24.0 mm
photo:

Abhishek DesAi

members wait to get the blessings from

the worshiper.

Early in the morning of the fourth day

(Paarun), devotees along with their family

and friends offer ‘Bihaniya Araghya’ at

the riverbank. Devotees end their festival

through breaking the fast by having the

Chhath Prashad.

In the city of Mumbai where most

festivals are celebrated with the equal

level of enthusiasm Chhath is celebrated

by a major section of people. Families

of residents visit during this time of

the year and take part in the puja. This

also constitutes a large number of

migrant workers and their families as

well. Geographically, the city of Mumbai

boasts of a long coast line and this

makes the perfect place for Chhath Puja.

The popular beaches like Juhu Beach

are visited by thousands and thousands

of people. Families usually draw a

boundary line on the sand, claiming a

section of the beach sand for themselves

on which they make a small sand idol by

hand. The boundary line usually makes

it easier to identify everyone’s personal

belongings and space.

The women usually prepare all the

prashad and offerings. Sugarcane is

of great signifi cance as every family

is seen carrying a bunch of long uncut

sugarcane which they erect in the sand

near their puja area. People who fast or

have kept wishes, crawl on the ground

and extend their hands to mark a line on

the ground. Then they advance only as

much as the line that they have drawn

and continue until near to the water

Exif Info:

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Shutter Speed: 1/800 sec

Aperture value: f/4.0

ISO: 640

Focal Length: 24.0 mm

TEXT: MRINMOY CHOUDHURY

photo:

Abhishek DesAi