Janmashtami is a festival that honours the divine birth of Lord Krishna and encourages deep devotion. As the festival is celebrated across the country today, Jaya Bhattacharya, who plays Urmila in Sun Neo’s show Chhathi Maiyya Ki Bitiya, shared her love and devotion for Lord Krishna, her plans for the celebration this year and more.
Jaya Bhattacharya remembers Janmashtami celebrations during her childhood
Recalling her past Janmashtami celebrations, Jaya says, “Janmashtami is all about celebration and fun. When I was a child in Lucknow, we used to make jhankis, which are decorative displays. We used coloured sawdust to build scenes or thematic displays, similar to those made during Ganpati festivals. One of my favourite aspects of Janmashtami was the panjiri. It is a dry sweet made of whole wheat flour and nuts, different from halwa.”
“We had fun eating by taking big handfuls of it and blowing it out of our mouths while saying ‘Phoo Phaa’, making a mess and enjoying ourselves. Panjiri was traditionally offered as prasad and the celebrations continued all night. At midnight we had the ‘Jan Ka Utsav’ followed by a night of singing and dancing. These are really beautiful memories,” she continued.
The actress feels that the celebrations today are not quite the same. “Everything seems so artificial and fast-paced today. I am not sure if children still make jhankis, but back then almost every household did it, or family groups would come together to make them.”
Plans for this year’s Janmashtami
Sharing her Janmashtami plans this year, Jaya added, “This Janmashtami, I will be shooting for Sun Neo’s Chhathi Maiyya Ki Bitiya and we are already celebrating on the sets as we gear up for a special episode.”
She continued, “For me, my work is a kind of prayer. As Lord Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita, ‘You have the right to do your duty, but not the fruits of your actions.’ This means that I focus on doing my work well without worrying too much about the results. I try to act consciously and not harm others. Helping people comes naturally to me and I believe it runs in my family. I expect nothing in return for my efforts and often forget the details of what I have done. It is satisfying to know that I have made a difference, even if I do not remember every incident.”
About Chhathi Maiyya Ki Bitiya
Chhathi Maiyya Ki Bitiya is a heartfelt family drama about Vaishnavi (played by Brinda Dahal), an orphan who adores Chhathi Maiyya (played by Devoleena Bhattacharjee) as her mother. The show celebrates the triumph of good over evil and emphasises on faith and devotion in Chhathi Maiyya, who protects and guides her devotees through life. Chhathi Maiyya Ki Bitiya, starring Devoleena Bhattacharjee, Sara Khan, Jaya Bhattacharjee, Brinda Dahal and Ashish Dixit, airs every Monday to Saturday at 7 pm on Sun Neo.
