President offers puja at ancestral home, takes part in rituals

President Pranab Mukherjee today travelled to his ancestral house in Mirati and performed rituals on the occasion of 'Durga Mahasaptami puja' there.

Mukherjee had arrived at Kirnahar yesterday on a four-day visit and had said "Durga puja is not only a religious programme, it is a social festival. On this occasion my best wishes for all and I cordially invite all for the festival at my house."

The President participated in the rituals during the 'Durga Mahasaptami puja' in his house for over three hours and later on interacted with other family members and local residents.

He drove back to Kirnahar to the house of his elder sister Annapurna Banerjee here in Birbhum district, where he is putting up and returned to Mirati in the evening to perform the 'Aarti'.

This is the third Durga puja for Mukherjee after being sworn in as the President.
The President will pay floral tributes at the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri at Kirnahar Shib Chandra High School tomorrow on Gandhi Jayanti.

He will also mark the day by flagging off children squads belonging to the school on 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' cleanliness drive.