The man who started Chhath Pujas in city

Mohan Mishra claims to have performed the first ever puja at Juhu beach in 1993

Mohan Mishra claims to have performed the first ever puja at Juhu beach in 1993

As thousands thronged to Juhu beach yesterday for Chhath Puja, one man remembered how it all began.

Mohan Mishra, of the Chhath Utsav Mahasangh Trust, claims to be one of the first devotees to have performed the ceremony on the beach.
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"In 1993, my family and I went to Juhu beach to perform the puja and we were the only devotees there.

First in Line: Mohan Mishra.

It was then that I thought that it was a good idea to start spreading the word about how we could perform the puja in Mumbai," he said.

However, Chhath Puja hasu00a0 become a ground for political one-upmanship. Politicians like Sanjay Nirupam have been holding pujas for several years.

"We have conducted the puja for 12 years and this is not a part ofu00a0 my political work," said Nirupam.

According to Uday Pratap Singh who runs an organisation of north Indians, "Mishra was the first person to start Chhath Puja at Juhu beach."

However, community me-mbers say no one person can be credited with starting puja celebrations in the city.
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Munna Tripathi of the Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad said, "This puja has been performed for 10 years and no one knew of it."







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Last year, when Raj Thackeray spoke up against Chhath Puja celebrations in Mumbai, Lalu Prasad Yadav had said he would hold the festival outside his home at Shivaji Park this year.