Karwa Chauth or Karak Chaturthi is an auspicious Hindu festival celebrated with enormous zeal across the country. This year, the festival will be observed on November 1. Married women fast for their husband’s safety and well being from sunrise to moonrise.

Also Read | Karwa Chauth 2023: Do’s And Don’ts For Those Fasting

This day is celebrated to strengthen the bonds between a couple. On this day, women dress traditionally, apply henna on their hands, receive gifts, and get together to enjoy the auspicious day.  

Most women, especially Punjabis, receive sargi from their mother-in-law. Here’s what you need to know about the Karwa Chauth fast.

What is Sargi?

A sargi is a pre-dawn meal traditionally prepared by mothers-in-law to bestow blessings upon their daughters-in-law for a joyful and prosperous marriage. This custom is prevalent among women in northern India, particularly in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana. It involves women rising before sunrise, typically around 4-5 am, and consuming a plate filled with a variety of savory and sweet dishes to sustain them throughout the day without food or water. According to the ritual, the mother-in-law presents her daughter-in-law with a thali (plate) containing sweets, snacks, dried fruits, coconut, matthri, and various gifts such as sarees and jewelry.

Also Read | Can Unmarried Women Also Observe Karwa Chauth Fast? All You Need To Know

What Goes Into The Sargi Thali?

Sargi comprises a selection of scrumptious and delightful foods believed to assist women in sustaining their fast throughout the day. Here’s what goes into the sargi thali:

Fruits: Fruits have a high water content that will help keep you hydrated during the nirjala vrat. Moreover, they are rich in fibre content that will keep you fuller for longer. Fibre takes time to digest, hence, keeping you off from feeling hungry.

Dry fruits: Raisins, almonds, cashews and pistachios are given, considering they come packed with numerous nutrients that will give you energy and keep you active through the day.

Sweets: Eating anything sweet before you start something is considered auspicious. So a few sweets are kept to lift your spirits and complete the fast on a positive note.

Light-cooked foods: Generally, light-cooked foods are prepared that are nutritious and filling at the same time. Heavy foods will only make you sluggish and lethargic through the day.

Importance of Sargi?

The Sargi is considered a special thali containing different food items and gifts, it is prepared by mother-in-law.

Several buses parked at a garage in Bengaluru caught fire this morning and firefighting teams are trying to put off the flames. Visuals showed around five-six buses burning under a metal structure and plumes of black smoke engulfing the sky.

The incident was reported from Veerbhadra Nagar.

It is suspected that the fire started from the garage and later spread to the buses, but the cause is yet to be ascertained.

“The buses were parked at the garage. Our fire-fighters are at the spot trying to put off the fire. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained,” a senior Fire department official said.

No casualties or injuries have been reported so far.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday said a three-member committee of experts will be set up to advise the state government on submission of a proposed curative petition in the Supreme Court in connection with the Maratha quota issue.

Members of the Maratha community have been staging protests seeking reservation in government jobs and education under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.

The agitation intensified after quota activist Manoj Jarange sat on an indefinite fast from October 25 at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district as part of the second phase of the protest.

Speaking to reporters here, Mr Shinde said, “An expert committee will be formed which will advise the state government for a proposed curative petition, which the state will file before the Supreme Court. The expert committee will have three retired judges.” “I do not want to go into the details of why the previous government failed to retain the Maratha reservation in the state. The Supreme Court has struck down the reservation upheld by the Bombay High Court,” he said.

The state government has already formed a committee, headed by retired judge Sandeep Shinde, to submit a report on how to issue Kunbi caste certificates to the Maratha community.

“The committee will submit its report tomorrow and it will be discussed in the cabinet meeting,” CM Shinde said.

Activist Jarange has announced that fast-unto-death protests will begin in villages across Maharashtra if the state government fails to act on the pending demand of the Maratha community.

The Maharashtra government’s stated position is that it is committed to granting reservations to the Maratha community which stands legal scrutiny.