New Chhath video showcases heritage, aims to break stereotypes

New Delhi: Seeking to showcase the cultural heritage of Bihar and inspire the young generation to carry forward the tradition of Chhath Puja, a new video has been launched online. The over seven-minute video titled 'Kabahu Na Chhooti Chhath' ('Never Do I Miss Chhath'), directed by a National Award-winning filmmaker, is bound to trigger nostalgia and homesickness among people who have migrated from Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh to other states and abroad.

Nitin Chandra (37), who helmed the project that was partially crowd-funded, and shot over two days in Mumbai, says the idea was also to celebrate the four-day festival as well as to "break the stereotypes" surrounding it.

Chhath Puja is observed mainly in Bihar, Jharkhand and parts of Uttar Pradesh. This year, the festival will be celebrated from October 24 to 27.

"The festival is organic in its approach and rich in beauty, but many of the young generation, including those from Bihar, do not fully appreciate its importance," Chandra said.

"It is a beautiful festival, visually, culturally and scientifically. We wanted to capture and showcase that to a wider audience," he said. The Mumbai-based filmmaker, who hails from Patna, says his target audience, is specifically the "young, upper middle-class youth", and his aim is to bring them closer to their roots.

Singers Bharat Sharma Vyas and Alka Yagnik have lent their soulful voices to the title song, which is in Bhojpuri.

The video has got over 1.25 lakh views online ever since it was released on Friday.

"Last year, we had made the first Chhath video, featuring the voice of legendary Sharda Sinha and it has amassed 15 million views through various channels, from October 30, 2016 till date.

"So, we decided to bring out another video and the storyline continues from the previous installment," he said.

Actors Kranti Prakash Jha of 'M S Dhoni: The Untold Story' fame and Kristine Zedek reprise their roles of a Bihari husband and Punjabi wife in the second edition, with a twist.

The character played by Zedek is that of a pregnant woman and her husband decides to observe Chhath.

"Many people, including those from Bihar, after watching the video have told me that they did not know that men also observe the festival, which involves four days of rigour and fast," says Chandra, who has won the National Award for 'Mithila Makhaan'.

He asserts that Chhath Puja does not involve idol- worship, but it is to pays obeisance to the Sun God, the cosmic energy, and fruits and other natural products are offered.

"Besides, it involves sanitation and cleanliness of the city and ghats. It has so much of beauty but if you ask people outside of Bihar, especially in metro cities, about what Chhath Puja is, the reaction is not-so-welcoming.