Just like every year, this year also a traffic jam was witnessed in and around Sadarghat area of Silchar town of Assam’s Cachar district at 5 am in the morning of Monday.
Why shouldn’t it be, for, it’s Mahalaya, and the whole town woke up to march towards Sadarghat bridge, a tradition, nobody knows where from it got started, in the first place.
More than 20,000 residents of Silchar, young and the old, marched in unison for this place and stand for a few minutes right at the centre of this bridge, taking ‘selfies’, to register this moment.
Sudarshan Singh of Itkhola locality of Silchar, talking to Northeast Now, said, “I don’t know why everybody comes out here. I too come every year. Probably, coming out here makes us feel that Goddess Durga has come to us, and likewise, festivities begin.”
“I have come with my college friends to take selfies and send pictures back home, said, Monmee Tarafdar, a Silchar Medical College student.
Many others were witnessed offering ‘tarpan‘, a ritual to remember their forefathers and relatives for their departed soul, at the banks of river Barak.
SDRF teams have been pressed into service for this purpose, informed Deputy Commissioner, Cachar, Dr S Lakhsmanan.
Speaking to Northeast Now, Dr Lakhsmanan, said, “We had a bad experience just a month back during Manasa puja, where, even a life was lost during immersion. No chances can be taken this time round. Not only that, we have put additional forces on both sides and on the bridge, for not allowing any mishap to happen.”
He added, “I wish all the residents of Silchar on Mahalaya and hope that they all would have a grand festive season ahead.