As an important Hindu festival, Chhath Puja is widely celebrated in Bihar, Jharkhand, and UP, along with people (from these regions) now working or settled in other parts of India and abroad remembering their traditional values and culture.
The four-day festival begins after DIWALI and it includes holy bathing, fasting, standing in water and offering prayers to the SUN representing GOD - the creator of this universe. SUN - that is believed to be a healer for the diseased, representing happiness, prosperity and well-being of all residents of the planet earth.
An eco-friendly Hindu festival, Chhath Puja has now gained more popularity inspiring many migrants living away from their home post the social networking revolution in the country. As a result many appreciable works are being done in Bhojpuri media too, spreading the right message of universal harmony and equality that always has been the key feature of India as a country of diverse religions and culture.
Sharing two meaningful works on the subject here, the first is “Kabahun Naa Chhooti Chhath” from the team of Champaran Talkies sung by Alka Yagnik with music by Ashutosh Singh. The video directed by Nitin Neera Chandra pleasantly also features an elderly Sikh couple participating in the family celebrations of Chhath Puja, beautifully representing the cultural and religious amalgamation in the present new-age India. Kranti Prakash Jha, Kristine Zedek, Ranjana Singh and Kuldeep Kundan Pragya play the key characters in the video emoting on the lyrics by Ashok Sheopuri.
The second is a short film/video from Puruaa Productions titled DHIYA POOTA featuring veteran Seema Biswas in the lead role of a lonely mother eager to see her family getting together on the occasion of Chhath Puja. Along with the festival celebrations, this short film with a song also thoughtfully points towards the age-old issue of preference given to the male child in our families ignoring the more caring and responsible ‘daughters’.
Directed by Amit Jha, DHIYA POOTA means Daughter and Son in Bhojpuri and it also has Satyakam Anand, Mona Ray, Prakash Pandit, Raju Upadhayay and Vijaya Soni playing the key roles. The film has music by Sudhakar Sneh, lyrics by Kundan Singh and Raju Upadhayay, and the song recorded in the voice of Megha Sriram Dalton.
Hope the two videos shared are able to add much more to your Chhath Puja celebrations and may it also help to change the current perception towards Bhojpuri entertainment and cinema in a much needed positive way.
Music Videos/Films Links
1. “Kabahun Naa Chhooti Chhath” by Champaran Talkies
2. “Dhiya Poota” by Puruaa Productions
HIS BLESSINGS
(The article also got featured in UC-News Mobile App in October 2017)
