Ihave been a part of Chhath Puja celebrations since my mother started observing it when I was still a child. This year was my first Chhath Puja away from home in Bihar's Siwan district. But the stark absence of Chhath songs playing at Delhi's Kalindi Kunj, on the banks of the Yamuna river where the annual celebrations take place, not only made me lose the excitement I had turned up there with but also made me feel a bit homesick.

One must, nevertheless, credit the devotees for making up for the lack of Chhath songs with their enthusiasm. Irrespective of the bad air and water quality, or the fact that the sun did not show up on the evening of 27 October or even the next morning, there was no pause in terms of celebration or rituals.

For my friend, Syed Abubakr, who accompanied me to the Y

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