Makar Sankranti a low-key affair in Patna

PATNA: Amid the pandemic scare, the festival of Makar Sankranti was celebrated as a low-key affair on Friday. However, going by the astrological calculations, many people will celebrate it on Saturday.
There were very few people at the important Ganga ghats in the urban areas, which in normal times witnessed huge congregations of devotees for taking a holy dip in the river on this auspicious day.Policemen were seen maintaining vigil at the ghats while NDRF and SDRF personnel carried out river patrolling.
There were neither roadside fair, nor get-together of political leaders on ‘dahi-chura’ bhoj or cultural programmes to mark the occasion. Dr Nikhil Kumar Singh, principal of JNL College at Khagaul, said, “Our long family tradition of holding ‘Bramhan bhoj’ and offering them donations had a brake this time due to Covid fear. Not even the people in neighbourhoods stepped out of their homes to exchange greetings.”
Vijay Kumar of Naya Tola said it was the first time that his family members did not go for ‘Ganga snan’ due to the fear of virus infection.
Meanwhile, deputy CM Tarkishore Prasad celebrated the Makar Sankranti with a ‘dahi-chura bhoj' with NDA workers at his Katihar residence. He also extended greetings to people of the state on this occasion.
Former health minister Tej Pratap Yadav reached Delhi to celebrate the day with his father and RJD chief Lalu Prasad and others there.