Devoleena Bhattacharjee defends Karwa Chauth, says those who don't believe it shouldn't spoil happiness of others and bring feminism into it

Karwa Chauth is a traditional Hindu festival where married women observe a sunrise-to-moonrise fast, without food or water.

Television actor Devoleena Bhattacharjee has shared that although she has never kept a Karwa Chauth fast as a married woman, she would like to do that one day. The actor then defended the Hindu ritual and said that those who do not believe it should not judge others for doing so.

Devoleena Bhattacharjee shared that she has never kept a fast on Karwa Chauth.

Karwa Chauth is celebrated every year to seek marital harmony and longevity. It’s an important festival for married couples, symbolising devotion and love for each other. Married women observe a Nirjala Vrat, fasting without water, from sunrise to moonrise for the long life of their husbands.

What Devoleena shared

Taking to X, Devoleena wished a happy Karwa Chauth to all the women who are celebrating. She then added, "I’ve never kept a Karwa Chauth fast because, in Bengali and Assamese cultures, it isn’t a tradition. We may not have every ritual, but we celebrate so many festivals with all our hearts. So why not Karwa Chauth? Honestly, I do feel like keeping it someday. But I’m scared I won’t be able to manage a whole day without water! I fast every Monday and sometimes on Ekadashi, but water fasting? That’s a different story!”

Noting that for many couples, this tradition is like a love language, the actor shared, "I genuinely feel that for many couples, this is a love language. I’ve seen women celebrate it happily, and today, so many husbands fast alongside their wives. So why bring feminism, patriarchy and judgment into someone else’s celebration? You don’t believe in it? Don’t celebrate it. Nobody is judging you. But why spoil someone else’s happiness Mothers fast for their children, for their families. So if someone wishes to fast for her husband one day, why should that be a problem? As long as it’s a personal choice and nobody is forced into it, let people celebrate love the way they want to.”

Devoleena went on to share that although her husband, fitness trainer Shanawaz Shaikh is Muslim, he asks her every year if she is keeping a fast and she says next year. She added why and wrote, “I’m still breastfeeding, so hopefully next year! Because honestly, husbands deserve to feel special and loved too, don’t they? We do intermittent fasting, try keto and follow all kinds of diets for ourselves. But when it comes to fasting for a husband, suddenly everything becomes about patriarchy and feminism? Love is personal. Traditions are personal. Celebrations are personal. Let people choose what makes them happy.”

About Devoleena’s personal life

Devoleena tied the knot with her beau Shanawaz Shaikh, in December 2022 in a court wedding in Lonavala with only close friends in attendance. Devoleena and her husband, fitness trainer Shanawaz Shaikh, welcomed their baby boy on December 18, 2024.