Chhath Puja brings a slice of Bihar in Hyderabad

Devotees perform rituals during Chhath Puja, at the Hussain sagar lake in Hyderabad on October 30, 2022.
| Photo Credit: G. RAMAKRISHNA

Pop up markets selling sugarcane leaves, pineapples, and coconuts have become part of Hyderabad’s Chhath Puja landscape as there is an increasing influx of people from Bihar in the city. The celebration witnesses a surge in demand for these fruits.

The four-day Chhath Puja involves devotees tying together five to seven sugarcane stalks, creating a mandap (canopy) within their homes. Beneath these mandaps, 10 to 12 earthen lamps are lit as part of the sacred observance. Notably, the sugarcane used for this ritual differs from the common varieties, as it includes leaves.

While Hyderabad boasts numerous fruit and vegetable hotspots, only select vendors strategically cater to the Chhath Puja demands, attracting a dedicated customer base during the festive season.

Mohammad Rafiq, a fruit vendor at Bharat Nagar bazaar, shared his experience of entering the sugarcane market 15 years ago. Observing the rush of people from Bihar seeking sugarcane during Chhath Puja, he began selling it during the festive season and his customer base has been progressively growing over the years.

This year, Rafiq has secured two quintals of sugarcane exclusively for Chhath Puja and hopes to sell them all by Sunday evening. “I obtained it at a cost of approximately ₹800 to ₹900 per quintal and intend to sell the sugarcane at ₹40-50 per piece,” he stated.

At Sanathnagar Rythu Bazaar, a fruit vendor has two carts piled high with pineapples. Moinuddin, the cart vendor, strategically displayed 70 pineapples across two stalls in anticipation of heightened demand during Chhath Puja. He noted the significant presence of people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in the neighbourhood, receiving inquiries about required fruits a week before the festival and stocking up accordingly.

The Bihari population in Hyderabad acknowledged the positive shift, with Madhavendra Mishra of Bihar Association stating: “In my 20 years of living in Hyderabad, I can say that the things which were not available 10 years ago are now easily available in the market.”

Bureaucratic influence

In the early 2000s, only a handful of families would visit Hussainsagar Lake for Chhath Puja ceremonies. However, the popularity has gradually increased over the years, and bureaucrats hailing from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have acted as catalysts.

Around 2007, IPS officer Vinoy Kumar Singh, then holding the Inspector General rank, secured permission for Jan Seva Sangh to actively participate in the puja at the Lake. R.P. Singh from Jan Seva Sangh noted that in 2016, when S.P. Singh assumed the position of Chief Secretary of Telangana, he brought about the involvement of the Telangana government in organising the puja on a bigger scale. Since 2017, Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar has been instrumental in coordinating the puja through the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), he added.