by Ashis Sinha :
Keeping with the ongoing festival spirit of Navratra or Durga Puja devotees at Bokaro on a novel crusade, spreading message Beti Bachao by performing ‘Kanya Puja’.
Blurring the religious lines not only Hindu but Muslim woman also conducting ‘Kanya Puja’ drive across the district to spread the message and to be aware of the mass.
Under this campaign, several groups of people organised ‘Kanya Pujan’ at different on Tuesday and Wednesday while few groups scheduled it for Thursday.
The function involves worshipping girls as part of the Navratri celebrations with a message to save the girl child. On Tuesday, over 251 tiny girls were first worshiped in a function organised Ojha Memorial Trust at Marafari while Vanvasi Kalyan Kendra Bokaro organised a girl felicitation function at Crescent Public School Sector 6 where more than 101 tiny girls were first worshiped and later served food and gifts.
The district committee of JVM (P) also organised the same function at Sector 3 to spread the message and planted saplings on the occasion on Wednesday.
It is said that without observing Kanya Pujan, the sadhana (puja) of Maa Durga during Navratri is considered incomplete, said Punam Sinha, a member of Bang Bharti club at Sector 3 in Bokaro Steel City.
“Because the festival of Navratri is a celebration of worshipping feminine divinity in the form of Shakti (Durga) and virgin girls (Kanya) or young girls (below the age of puberty) are considered Shakti incarnate. So during Navratri there is a ritual to worship young girls who are 3 to 9 years of age,” she added.
On this occasion, she washed the feet of the minor girls and worshipped as Goddess Durga incarnate.
“The tradition inspires us to value women power,” said Pradeep Kumar Sarkar president of the puja committee.
According to our Hindu mythology, Kanya Puja has great importance. Although Hinduism says that God resides in every child but young girls are especially believed to be a form of Goddess Durga, said Mamta Singh another devotee.
“As per our beliefs, inviting and worshipping of young girls will give us different blessings includes good fortune, perception and salvation, merit, blessed with authority, knowledge, six types of Siddhis, a power of kingdom, wealth and supremacy,” added Mamta.
Aiming to curb female infanticide and promote the education of girl child, ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ campaign was started by the Modi government recently.
