Rajrappa (Ramgarh), Aug. 17 -- Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Dishom Guru Shibu Soren was given a final farewell steeped in Santhal tradition on today, as his ashes were immersed in the sacred Damodar river at Rajrappa.
Chief Minister and the departed leader's son Hemant Soren, accompanied by his younger brother and MLA Basant Soren, family members, and villagers from Nemra, carried the urn from the ancestral home to the riverbank.
At the confluence of the Damodar and Bhairavi rivers, regarded by the Santhals as a holy site for last rites, a local pahan conducted the rituals in keeping with tribal customs. The practice, known as "Jiling Dahar" or "Damodar Jatra," is central to Santhal beliefs about the journey of the soul.
Hemant ...