Ya Devi Sarvabhooteshu Matruroopena Sansthita, Namastasyayi Namastasyayi, Namastasyayi, Namo Namah… — a chant that lights up several lives during Navratra is similar for different communities across the coal and steel belts (Dhanbad-Bokaro) of Jharkhand in their unique rituals.
Every community adds its own cultural ethics to puja celebrations across both the cities. Communities like Gujaratis, Nepalis, Maharashtrians, and Tamils offer prayers in their own way.
For the Gujarati families, Navratra or Durga Puja is a festival of dance (Dandiya). “We offer our prayers through Dandiya dance. Dandiya is basically a war dance performed to please the goddess,” said Meera Patel, a businesswoman and a member of Patel Samaj Dhanbad.
Tamils, who are working at Bokaro Steel Plant and residing in Sector areas, offer prayers to their divinities — Durga, lakshmi, and Saraswati for nine days and decorate their homes with clay figurines of animals and birds. The tenth day is considered auspicious for a child to begin learning letters. The ritual is called — Upnayana, said Raj Krishnan, a member of Aayappa Mandir Trust, at Bokaro Steel Plant.
The Maharastrians celebrate it with their community meditation function Sahjoga which aims at evoking the souls of the individuals. They perform Pujas by reading stories related to the different incarnations of their deity. They intake only vegetarian food during the festival and on the tenth day, they make Puranpholi — a dish prepared with lentil and sugar and seek blessings of their elders, Shankar Sambhu a BSl contract worker.
During Navratra, the Nepali community sacrifices several goats at Sector-1 Ram Mandir. The two-day ritual begins on the eighth day of puja.
Meanwhile, ahead of festivities, security has been strengthened at all Durga Puja spots, hospitals, cinema halls, railway stations, bus stands including sector market areas to nab the unsocial elements found involved in any mischievous actions.
Police have embarked upon conducting checking of two and four wheeler’s with the help of metal detectors in both the cities. “We are on move for foolproof security cover during puja,” said IG North Chhotanagpur laxman Prasad Singh.