PATNA, Nov. 15 -- As twilight descended on the Bihar capital this Saturday, the aroma of jaggery-laced rice pudding (rasiyaav) and freshly baked rotis simmering over mango-wood hearths signals the arrival of Kharna, the solemn second day of Chhath Puja. Following Friday's Nahay-Khay, vratis observed a day-long fast, preparing to break it after sunset with consecrated prasad before embarking on an arduous 36-hour nirjala (waterless) fast. While devotion remains unshakeable, conversations in households from Kankarbagh to Boring Road reflect a quiet tug-of-war between sacred tradition and steeply inflated market prices. For many devotees, offering arghya on the banks of the Ganga in Patna is a deeply personal pilgrimage that draws families back to the capital or anchors newcomers to its ghats. Sunita Devi, a 52-year-old homemaker originally from Chhapra in Saran district, decided to perform the rituals at Patna's Digha Ghat this year rather than travelling back to her ancestral village. "My son works in an IT firm in Bengaluru and could only get a three-day leave, so we decided Patna was the easiest hub for the entire family to gather," she explained while tending to her earthen stove. Echoing that sentiment is Rakesh Kumar Sinha, a 44-year-old bank employee hailing from Gaya, who has chosen to observe the fast alongside his wife at Collectorate Ghat. "We usually travel to Gaya every year, but after my father's recent knee surgery, the road journey felt too taxing for him," Sinha said, arranging freshly washed bamboo baskets. "When we saw how cleanly the administration had barricaded and lit up the Patna riverfront, we decided right then that Chhathi Maiya's call would be answered right here in the capital," he said. Yet, filling those bamboo soops and dauras has tested household budgets like never before. Across Patna's wholesale and retail hubs, from Bazar Samiti to Mithapur, essential ingredients have seen a sharp spike. Pure ghee, indispensable for preparing thekua and Kharna rotis, has climbed to Rs.655-Rs.800 per kilogram, while dry fruits, jaggery, and even bamboo baskets have grown 20 to 30 percent costlier than last year. The price pinch has forced families to recalibrate their shopping lists without compromising on ritual purity. "Last year, I bought five kilos of ghee and extra dry fruits to distribute thekua generously among neighbours; this year, with ghee touching Rs.800 and coconuts selling at Rs.60 a piece, we had to cut back on the quantity," admitted Sunita Devi, adding with a resilient smile, "We trimmed our personal festive clothing budget instead, because Chhathi Maiya looks at the purity of the heart, not the weight of the basket." Rakesh Sinha noted a similar adjustment in his household. "From bananas costing up to Rs.1,000 a bunch to dauras jumping by a quarter in price, every item pinches," he said. "We opted for smaller quantities of seasonal fruits like suthni and water chestnuts, ensuring nothing essential is missed. Inflation can shrink the size of our prasad packets, never the scale of our faith," said Sinha. Traders, meanwhile, attributed the steep festive shopping bills in Patna to rising wholesale costs. "Prices have risen across the board, and we have pared down our margins to give buyers some relief," said Chandan Pitaliya, a grocery store owner near Patna Junction. At the bustling Digha Market, vegetable vendor Chandan Nat added, "Vegetable rates have shot up dramatically over the last week." As night falls and vratis step into their 36-hour penance, Patna's riverbanks stand poised for Sunday's Sandhya Arghya - a testament to a community where devotion effortlessly outweighs economic strain....