?Cheti Chand? celebrations begin

Significant festival of Sindhi community 'Cheti Chand' marked by worshipping of deity Jhulelal started from Tuesday.

Altogether 15,000 community members residing in the city started the three-day celebrations with the worship of their deity amidst Vedic rituals.

Marked  with pomp and gaiety, the festival is celebrated in honour of the birth of Ishtadeva Uderolal, popularly known as Jhulelal, the patron saint of the Sindhis.

On this day people also worship water, the elixir of life and new ventures are also started.

According to Purushottam Rangani, secretary of Ranjhudayali Trust, Sindhi Dharmashala, Jhulelal Nagar (Lukerganj), the festival will be celebrated for three days in which the puja and cultural events will take place in the evening and on the last day (March 30), a procession or 'Shobha Yatra' of Jhulelal will be taken out from Jhulelal Nagar which will take the route of Khuldabad, Roshan Bagh, Nakhas Kohna, Chowk, Bahadurganj, Kothaparcha, Bai-ka-Bagh, Alopibagh and culminate at Saraswati ghat where the immersion of idol of Jhulelal will be held.

A langar will also be organised on the occasion.

"According to the Hindu calendar, Cheti Chand is celebrated on the first day of Chaitra month known as Chet in Sindhi, hence it is known as Cheti Chand and it is the Sindhi New Year Day", said Rangani.     

"We also celebrate other festivals but this is considered to be the most auspicious one for us", he added.

"Besides the Sindhi community, people belonging to other communities also attend the function.

The cultural events usually relate to the life history of Jhulelal and devotional songs are sung by the devotees. This year artistes from Jaipur have been invited to render their performance on the occasion", he added.

"The most significant part of worshipping is the lamp which is known as Jyot Jagan and it is kept lighted day and night for the entire year in the temple of Jhulelal", he added.