Hundreds take part in Cheti Chand fete

As the lights went off, a group of six girls swayed to the tunes of ‘Ganesh vandana’ holding diyas . After a brief pause, women clad in long-flared colourful lehengas with matching choli and dupatta got on the dance floor to swirl around to the Dandiya beats, hitting the sticks against each other.

It was a visual treat for those who gathered at Sindhu Bhavan on Saturday to celebrate Cheti Chand, Sindhi New Year, and offer prayers to Lord Varuna, popularly known as Jhulelal . Roping in people of all age groups, the celebrations began here at 7 a.m. with abhishekam to Jhulelal for about an hour. Special puja , bhajans , cultural programmes and a procession till Beach Road formed part of the celebrations which concluded late in the night.

What plays an important role in the festivities is the bonding that takes place among family members and friends. “A lot of planning goes behind the scenes as we need to get the right costumes for the dance performances,” explains Jyothi Kalvani, a homemaker . Devotees worshipped Lord Varuna by offering b

ehrano , a sweet dish made of atta, sugar and ghee. “After the procession and an hour-long

bhajans , we immerse

behrano in the sea as an offering to fish which is a

vahan for Jhulelal,” says Laju Jhurani, an elderly woman. Singer Parmanand Warthwani treated the audience to a string of devotional songs . Hundreds of Sindhis took part in the event .