Patna: All was quiet at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's house on Saturday as he gave Chhath - a Hindu festival of sun worship - a miss.
One, Anne Marg wore no festive look unlike in the days of his predecessor Rabri Devi who observed the Chhath festival with high-profile revelries at this address.
"Unlike here, there is festivity in their (Rabri Devi and husband Laloo Yadav's) new residence situated a few metres away," said a staff member from Nitish Kumar's home.
The Chhath festival is being celebrated on Saturday by millions of Hindus who converge to river banks, ponds and other water bodies to worship the setting sun.
They will also make an offering to the rising sun on Sunday to mark the end of Chhath, which is celebrated in Bihar six days after Diwali. Married women and middle-aged men lead the preparations and keep fasts.
"Nitish Kumar prefers not to celebrate Chhath. He usually keeps away from religious rituals. He even celebrated Diwali and Durga Puja with simplicity this year," another member of the chief minister's staff said.
According to official sources, Nitish Kumar was busy monitoring security arrangements during the festive season.
However, Rabri Devi's Chhath puja celebrations have always been gala affairs every year, attracting attention ever since she became chief minister in 1997.
Officials close to her said she prepares for the Chhath festival like any other ordinary housewife in Bihar. Despite being the state's most powerful woman till last year, she used to take care of all the arrangements personally, they added.
This year a special pond was erected in her new residence to worship the sun god. "She has been offering the rituals at her residence instead of going to any river due to the high pollution in the Ganges," a staff member at her residence said.
Over the years, the Chhath festival has emerged as a symbol of Bihari identity when people across villages and cities, cutting across caste, religious and party lines, join hands.
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