Patna Archive

Bihar moots Rajghat-style makeover for neglected Prasad memorial

Published: October 23, 2009Posted in: National, PoliticsTags:

Patna, Oct 23 – After being neglected for decades, India’s first president Rajendra Prasad’s memorial in this Bihar capital is finally set for a makeover on the lines of Rajghat – the lush green, landscaped memorial dedicated to the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi in New Delhi.

‘The memorial to Rajendra Prasad will be developed on the lines of Rajghat jointly by the state government and the central government,’ official sources in the chief minister’s office told IANS here Friday.

A high-level meeting presided over by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was held here Thursday to chalk out the Bihar government’s plans for Prasad’s 125th birth anniversary on Dec 3. The aim is to take his ideas across the country and even to the diaspora abroad.

Nitish Kumar wants a memorial that will inspire generations to come, an official said. He would be writing to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for help to develop the picturesque site on the banks of the Ganges where Prasad was cremated in 1963.

Nitish Kumar had also told a delegation last week that the memorial would be developed on the lines of Rajghat. He also said that no initiative for this had been taken earlier.

Now, the state department of art, culture and youth affairs and tourism has prepared a detailed project report.

‘The government is serious about developing the memorial. We have initiated a move to develop it and make it a big tourist attraction,’ said state Chief Secretary Anup Mukherjee.

Till a few years ago, the memorial located in the heart of Patna was in shambles. Renovation work started three years ago, but even now it serves as a den for criminals and drug addicts at night – a far cry from Shantivan, dedicated to India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and Rajghat where thousands flock every day.

It is forgotten, barring two days a year – Prasad’s birth anniversary on Dec 3 and his death anniversary Feb 28 – when the governor, chief minister and top officials come calling.

Prasad was born Dec 3, 1884, at Zeradei in Bihar’s Siwan district and died Feb 28, 1963, in Patna. After 12 years as president – from 1950 to 1962 – he retired and was subsequently awarded the Bharat Ratna, the nation’s highest civilian honour. He spent the last months of his life at the Sadaqat Ashram in Patna.

Bihar jail officials make special arrangements for Chhath prayers

Published: October 23, 2009Posted in: National, ReligionTags:

Patna, Oct 23 – Over 100 prisoners, many of them women, have been performing Chhath puja inside jails across Bihar by fasting and praying to the sun god.

The popular four-day Chhath festival — symbolising purity — climaxes six days after Diwali. It began Thursday when devotees across the state bathed in a ritual called Nahai Khai. As per tradition, offerings of wheat, milk, sugarcane, bananas and coconuts were made to the sun god.

Jail authorities have made special arrangements for inmates performing Chhath.

Thirty eight prisoners in Patna’s Beur jail, including 29 women, were given new clothes, a part of the ceremony. Other material needed for the ritual — mango wood, hand-made earthen stoves, fruits, rice, sugar and coconuts — have also been provided.

‘We have made full arrangements for inmates performing Chhath inside jail. A pond inside the jail was cleaned so that they can offer their prayers to the setting and rising sun Saturday evening and Sunday morning to mark the end of Chhath,’ Beur jail superintendent Omprakash Gupta told IANS.

He added that during the four-day festival, prisoners could also receive the puja material from their relatives.

Dozens of prisoners including women have been performing Chhath puja in Bhagalpur, Gaya, Buxar, Nawada, Aurangabad and Muzaffarpur jails too, according to reports reaching here.

A Gaya jail official said some devotees were fasting for 36 hours as part of the ritual. Married women fast during Chhath.

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