Missing maa this year: Shaan on Durga Puja

Singer Shaan opens up about missing his mum, who passed away earlier this year and what the Bengali festival means to him

Like any Bengali, Durga Puja holds a special place in Shaan’s heart, too. Every year, the singer celebrates the five-day festival with a lot of enthusiasm. But this time around, the festivity for him is mellow as he’s been missing his mum, Sonali Mukherjee, who passed away earlier this year.

Shaan with his mother, Sonali Mukherjee (Photo: Facebook/Shaan)

“I have been missing maa a lot during the pujas. She loved the spirit of Durga Puja. Every year, I would look forward to visiting various pandals with her during this time. It was always such a joyous experience,” shares Shaan.

But, a learning from his mum which the 50-year-old cherishes is that life goes on. He’s been performing at various Durga Puja pandals. “Even though the celebrations are low key, I am performing at a lot of pujas. In fact, I will be performing in Vashi (Navi Mumbai) today, Sanu da’s puja (singer Kumar Sanu) and Abhijeet da’s puja (singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya),” says Shaan, who has been performing at Durga Puja pandals “for the last 30 years”.

Sharing what the festival means to him, he adds, “I love the fact that I get to be with my family and visit the pandals with them. Like every other Bengali, it’s an extremely special time for me too.”