Passengers brave crowded trains to reach Bihar for Chhath

Bihar-bound trains from Delhi are witnessing a huge rush with passengers jostling for space to reach home for the state's biggest festival Chhath, even as special trains are being run to ease the burden.
From software engineers, government employees and people living in Delhi looking to reunite with their families, people of Bihar are heading home, with their faith in the cultural tradition overpowering the pains the journey may bring.
The sleeper coaches of Delhi-Patna Sampoorna Kranti Express were crowded at the New Delhi Railway Station itself. The passengers jostled for space, with some even hanging on to the doors.

Other Bihar-bound trains including Magadh Express, Shramjeevi Express presented a similar picture.
Those who found a corner near the lavatories found themselves lucky, while the unlucky ones risked penalties and ventured into AC compartments and spent the entire night by the toilet doors.
Families were seen squatting on the floor, kids sleeping on the luggage.

In the AC compartments, the ones who had confirmed tickets were seen rubbing shoulders with the passengers on the waiting list.
The East Central Railway (ECR), however, has introduced 32 pairs of special trains on different routes from Bihar on the occasion, ECR Chief Public Relations Officer Amitabh Prabhakar said.

The special trains are being run on the Patna-Delhi, Patna-Mumbai, Darbhanga-Delhi, Patna-Jabalpur, Patna-Howrah, Patna-Ahmedabad, Gaya-Delhi, Muzaffarpur-Delhi and other routes to cater to the festive rush.
Shamsher Singh (36), a resident of Vaishali district, who has been living in Delhi for 20 years now, says, no matter what happens, he goes home for Chhath ever year.
"I was down with dengue and was admitted in ICU days before Diwali, but we are still going home for Chhath. My little daughter has seen the Ganga in books and on TV only; this will be her first Chhath in Bihar," Shamsher told PTI, as he tried to catch some sleep on the floor in the Sampoorna Kranti Express yesterday.

Abhishek Ranjan, a software professional who had a booked ticket more than a month ago with a hope that it will be confirmed by the date of journey, shared space with Shamsher.
"I was hoping my ticket would be confirmed. But, it doesn't matter.Hardships we face in the train are nothing compared to the joy of being with family and loved ones on the occasion," Abhishek said.
The four-day Chhath festival, during which people worship the Sun, is celebrated mostly in Bihar and eastern UP.
The festival began yesterday with "Nahai-Khai" where devotees take a bath in the Ganga River and is followed by "Kharna", which falls today.

Duirng the last two days devotees offer "Arghya" or offerings to the setting and the rising sun successively.