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India and ASEAN nations strengthened their bond at the 22nd ASEAN-India Summit on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur. Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted key areas for collaboration—counter—terrorism, early review of the ASEAN-India FTA, maritime security, among others.

The Prime Minister stated that terrorism poses a serious challenge to global peace and security and stressed the importance of unity in the fight against it, according to the Ministry of External Affairs press release.

PM Modi participated virtually in the Summit. The Prime Minister and ASEAN leaders jointly reviewed progress in ASEAN-India relations and discussed initiatives to strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This was the Prime Minister’s 12th participation in the India-ASEAN Summit.

Prime Minister Modi Emphasized that early review of the ASEAN-India FTA (AITIGA) can unleash the full economic potential of our relationship for the benefit of our peoples and further strengthen regional cooperation. (ANI)

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 2, 000 per tola in the domestic market on Monday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 239, 900 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 241, 900 per tola on Sunday.

Similarly, the price of silver has dropped by Rs 35 and is being traded at Rs 2, 980 per tola.

Chhath, an important festival of the people of Tarai-Madhes that aims to increase human interest in non-violence and encourage compassion for all living beings, is in full swing. Devotees are busy celebrating Chhath in the districts of Tarai-Madhes, including in the religio-cultural capital of Janakpurdham.

Preparations for Chhath, which is a festival of special hardship for the women of Mithilani, Tharu and Bhojpuri among the main festivals of Tarai-Madhes, are in full swing in the districts of Tarai-Madhes. 

The public is currently busy buying and purchasing the materials required for Chhath, which is a common culture celebrated with rules, integrity and rituals. The general public is busy shopping in the market to buy coconuts, sugarcane, bamboo baskets, nanglo, dhakiya, and clay materials, including coconuts and sugarcane.

This four-day festival of worshipping the Sun, the source of all power, will conclude with a ritual bath on the first day, followed by a ritual offering to the setting sun on the second day, and an offering to the rising sun on the third and rising sun on the fourth day. During the Chhath festival, it is customary to offer fish, meat, garlic, onions, millet, lentils and boiled rice as food items, according to Ram Bharosh Kapadi, president of Madhes Pragya Pratishthan and culture expert. “The purity of the items offered during Chhath has made this festival different from other festivals. In this festival, rice and wheat are carefully examined, washed, dried and ground, not in general, and this special aspect of cleanliness has made this festival different from other festivals,” said cultural expert Kapadi.

This important festival, which has been celebrated among the Madhesi community, has also become popular among the hill communities here for the past few years. Rita Lama of Bardibas says that along with the Mithila women who celebrate Chhath every year, women from the Nepali community have also started celebrating Chhath.

To give grandeur to the Chhath festival, which is mainly celebrated for the purpose of procreation, disease cure and family welfare, dozens of ponds and lakes including the historical Gangasagar, Dhanushsagar, Angrajsar, Maharaj Sagar, Agnikunda, Ratnasagar, Valmiki Sar, Dasharath Talau in Janakpur have been cleaned by various organizations and youth clubs and arrangements have been made for electricity, pandals and other facilities, says Sushal Karna, a youth from Janaki Chowk.

During Chhath, which is celebrated to worship Lord Surya Dev, there is a tradition of offering bananas, sugarcane, a vat, milk, clay elephants and lids as per vows. On the sixth day of the Chhath festival, which is considered the main day of the festival, the devotees who have observed a fast by bathing and washing themselves in the morning have a tradition of offering Argha to the setting sun in the evening by standing in water bodies. In the Tarai-Madhes, this ritual is called the evening Argha or ‘Sazhuka Argha’.

There is a tradition of staying awake all night at a ghat decorated with tents and garlands at water bodies like ponds, wells, lakes and rivers, and offering Argha to the rising sun in the morning on the seventh day. The Argha offered to the rising sun in the morning is called ‘Bhorka Argha’. After offering Argha to the rising sun in this way, Chaiti Chhath is formally completed.

The festival of Chhath, which typically begins six days after Diwali-- the festival of lights-- is not only a celebration of devotion but also a symbolic act of fighting against water pollution. Devotees stand and take dips in the water while offering prayers to the Sun god, believing that their closeness to water connects them with the divine and that the benevolent Sun God blesses their families.

As a matter of fact, Chhath aims to unite people in the fight against the environmental hazards. The four-day long festival, which observes the third day as Sandhya Arghya (evening offering), and the final day of Usha Arghya (morning offering), is celebrated on the banks of rivers or ponds. The very essence of this festival rests on the cleanliness of the surroundings, the Ghat and the water. The devotees undertake a rigorous fast of more than 36 hours, offering prayers to both the setting and the rising Sun while standing in the water. They take holy dips and present Prasad to the Sun during both offerings. 

Selection and cleanliness of Ghat

The male members of every family have a solemn duty to reserve an area at the Ghat, the bank of watercourse, by drawing a circle or square in the sand in which their respective family members could take shelter (in sitting mode) on the third and fourth day, that is on the day of evening and morning prayers.  

As there is fair struggle among devotees to secure the best spots, every family reaches with broom and hoe tools to clean and reserve an area at the Ghat. The Chhath spots come alive with the sparkle of hundreds of lit earthen lamps and bulbs used in well-designed tents. 

It has become a common practice to use Sound boxes and other musical instruments to play devotional songs and music to please the gods. However, the devotional songs do not necessarily cause disturbance in society. In Nepal, there have been no cases filed against Chhath Puja organizers for causing noise pollution or disturbance due to these songs. However, in Mumbai, India, every year some members of society file cases against Chhath organizers for audible disturbances caused to residents near Juhu Beach argues Kathryn C Hardy in her work Indian Sound Cultures, Indian Sound Citizenship (2020) published by University of Chicago Press.  

In Nepal's Terai/Madhesh, it is considered auspicious to use cow dung to purify the sand or worshiping spot. Cow dung is valued for its purifying properties, cleansing the area and preparing it perfectly for worshiping the gods. 

Among many values associated with the festival, the value of ‘Suddhi’ (cleanliness) stands out as a fundamental principle, deeply woven into the spiritual and social fabric of the celebration.  Cleanliness, or 'Shuddhi' in Sanskrit, is not merely a physical state but a spiritual and moral concept. It encompasses purity of mind, body, and environment, reflecting a holistic approach to living in harmony with oneself and the cosmos. This principle finds profound expression during the festival, which serve as occasions to purify and rejuvenate both the individual and the community. 

Honouring pure waters 

The Chhath festival glorifies the importance of pure waters. It exemplifies how clean water is central to this festival. Millions of devotees converge at the confluences of sacred rivers and ponds to observe the festival and to offer their prayers to the Sun god. 

The devotees take dip in the holy waters, believing it cleanses them of sins and purifies their souls. This spiritual cleansing is complemented by the meticulous efforts to keep the sites clean and environmentally sustainable, reflecting the deep-rooted connection between spiritual purity and environmental stewardship. 

The festival not only emphasizes on maintaining pollution-free waters but it also advocates for the conservation of soil to sustain life.  During the Chhath festival, there is a message to stand for soil conservation so that it remains fertile for future generations, ensuring abundant crop production globally to prevent famine and malnutrition. Devotees are seen worshiping God to bless them with fertile land so their households can be abundantly nourished with food. 

SDGs

The festival advocates for pollution-free soil and water, cleanliness of ponds and rivers, prayers for agricultural productivity, equality among devotees, and the use of organic foods in Prasad. Women play a central role throughout the festivities. In one way or another, these practices support and reinforce the goals of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including "No poverty", "Good Health and Well-being", "Clean water and Sanitation", "Sustainable cities and Communities", "Gender equality" and "Empowering women in decision making process." 

Eco-friendly 

This eco-friendly festival strictly prohibits the use of non-biodegradable materials. For example, bamboo products, crucial for the ceremonies, are preferred for their biodegradability, showing devotees' deep commitment to environmental sustainability,' argues Akanksha Yadav and Vinita Chandra, in their journal article titled “Chhathi Mai in popular imagination: Exploring narratives, worship and rituals in North India”, published in Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary studies in Humanities.  

The devotees believe that their prayers reach and are addressed by the God when they offer them standing in pure waters. They feel their devotion is incomplete unless they pray while standing in clean water.  The link between Chhath festival and cleanliness extends beyond ritualistic practices to societal norms and values. Cleanliness is not only encouraged for personal well-being but also as a mark of respect for others and the environment. This ethos is reflected while preparing offering food ('Prasad') to deity and then consuming it as a divine blessing, underscoring the sanctity of cleanliness in all aspects of life.

Way forward 

Although its been nowhere prescribed for bombarding of crackers to celebrate Chhath, these days people are seen cracking crackers and ultimately contributing in air pollution. This could be taken as adverse impact of modernization on Chhath. 

The festival serves as powerful reminders of the importance of cleanliness as both a spiritual practice and a social responsibility. Through rituals, customs, and everyday behaviours, the devotees ought to uphold the principle of cleanliness as integral to their way of life, fostering harmony within themselves, their communities, and the natural world.

Its high time we uphold the purity principle of the Chhathfestival throughout the year, keeping our waters and soil clean and actively combating environmental hazards. 

(Jha is author of Beneath the Sun: Equality for Everyone, The Spirit of Chhath Festival)