Kartik Shukla Paksha Dwitiya falls on Wednesday. There was confusion regarding the date of worship on Govardhan Puja, which is celebrated on the first day of the month, but there is no doubt about the worship on the second day. Chitragupta Puja and Bhai Dooj will be observed on the second day of Kartik Shukla Paksha. Lord Chitragupta is considered the creator of the Kayastha community, but it is believed that everyone who earns their livelihood through writing should also perform this puja. Bihar will witness the largest social event on this occasion, where the Chief Minister of the state, Nitish Kumar, will be present as usual. People from all castes, and even people from other religions, attend this event.
According to experts in rituals, Bhai Dooj and Chitragupta Puja mark the end of the festival of Diwali. After this, preparations for the grand festival of Chhath, which holds great significance in Bihar, will begin. Bhai Dooj is observed by women of various castes in the Hindu community. Unmarried girls or married women, everyone celebrates Bhai Dooj. According to the tradition of the Kayastha community, married women want their brothers to come to their in-laws’ house and perform the puja of Lord Chitragupta, and after Bhai Dooj, they share a meal prepared by their own hands. Pandit Shashikant Mishra explains, “Kartik Shukla Paksha Dwitiya is a festival for both occasions. Despite being a pandit by caste, we also perform the puja of Lord Chitragupta in our house because we are also involved in the art of writing. Whoever is involved in writing should definitely perform the puja of Lord Chitragupta. Apart from the Kayastha community, Brahmins and Bhumihars in Bihar, people from other castes are also becoming aware and participating in the puja.”
Ishita Kishor, who secured the top rank in the examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), had her grandfather, the late Banvir Prasad, as the organizer of the Chitragupta Puja Committee and the first president of the Vasant Durga Puja Committee in Gardanibagh Thakurbari. The biggest social event in the state on the occasion of Chitragupta Puja is held in Gardanibagh Thakurbari itself. Professor Ranveer Nandan, the chairman of the Gardanibagh Thakurbari Management Trust and former councilor, says, “Every year, the Kayastha community has the largest gathering here during Chitragupta Puja, and people from other castes also participate the most in this event. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, along with other prominent politicians, regardless of their party or caste, attend this event. This year, a blood donation camp is also being organized here to spread awareness about the importance of blood donation in society.”
