02 October,2024 06:58 AM IST | Mumbai | Bohni Bandyopadhyay
Actress Rituparna Sengupta
Actress Rituparna Sengupta will be having a busy Durga Puja this year, dividing time between Kolkata and Mumbai. The actress has been associated with the DN Nagar Durga Puja for many years, and will be actively participating in its organisation this year, too.
Talking about her association with the Puja, she tells Mid-day, "It's been a very long time that I have been associated with this puja. The organisers are like extended family to me. I have been associated with the DN Nagar Durga Puja for so long that it feels like my own, my home puja."
This year, the organisers are paying a special tribute to late composer Aadesh Srivastava - his wife and actress Vijayta Pandit will be performing.
"The puja is being organized at a large scale at Chitrakoot Gardens this year, people are very excited to come and join. A lot of prominent stars have visited it over the years, like Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. We have had wonderful performances too, alongwith dhunuchi naach. This year we are paying tribute to Aadesh Srivastava," Rituparna shares.
She admits though Mumbai can't match the vibes of Kolkata, the festival is celebrated extensively here. "You cannot match the vibes of Kolkata, because Kolkata has got its own own charm and its own basic ownership of this festival. Obviously, everything has emanated from West Bengal and Kolkata, but the puja vibes are very strong among expats now. And in Mumbai, there are so many places where Durga Puja is organized that you can barely tell that this is a different city," she emphasises.
"The best part is that people from various communities come together to celebrate this festival. You will get some Navaratri vibes also, since both the festivals coincide. Durga Puja is for everyone," she adds.
How is she planning to attend Durga Puja in both cities?
"I will be dividing time between Kolkata and Mumbai, because I have some work in Kolkata, too. I have been invited to another Puja in Mumbai in BKC. Rohit Verma has invited me to his Puja in Goregaon. I will also visit the North Bombay Sarbajanin Puja organized by the Mukerji family. But this DN Nagar puja remains most special because it feels part of the family. Durga Puja is an emotion for Bengalis and for me, DN Nagar Puja will always be very special," she insists.
