Dugga elo! Come Pujo and pandals across the Capital are welcoming visitors with intricate alpanas and stalls offering scrumptious Bong food. However, nothing can match the pujor hullor of Chittaranjan Park aka the Mini Kolkata of Delhi.
“This is our first time at a pujo pandal. My friend (Pratham Walia) and I decided to dress up in the spirit of the festivities and keep a lookout for dhunuchi naach, dhaak beats and alsovibe to Bengali songs. We don’t understand the language but then, who needs it to have fun!” says Yashika Garg, resident of Shakti Nagar.
The flavours of impeccable Bengali food is something that everybody seeks at Pujo pandals. “This year, I’ve brought Paan Rabri to the pandal. On day one, I brought around 20kg of it and set up the stall at around 7pm. By 10pm, I was left with nothing to serve! It’s considered auspicious if we offer sweets placed on paan to Maa, and thus I decided to make my own version of a dessert that has paan flavour as well as rooh afza, makhane, kishmish and kesar," shares Madhu Biswas, at Kali Mandir Durga Puja pandal, Block K.
{{/usCountry}}The flavours of impeccable Bengali food is something that everybody seeks at Pujo pandals. “This year, I’ve brought Paan Rabri to the pandal. On day one, I brought around 20kg of it and set up the stall at around 7pm. By 10pm, I was left with nothing to serve! It’s considered auspicious if we offer sweets placed on paan to Maa, and thus I decided to make my own version of a dessert that has paan flavour as well as rooh afza, makhane, kishmish and kesar," shares Madhu Biswas, at Kali Mandir Durga Puja pandal, Block K.
{{/usCountry}}Similarly, Paromina Ghosh, a home chef is busy serving a “plate of love” to everyone who visits her stall at Durgotsav, Block B Ground. Ghosh adds, “I’m serving home-made Kolkata-style chicken biryani with raita... For me, it’s a plate of love. This dish has been prepared using mustard oil, shahjeera (caraway seeds), kababchini (a type of pepper) and boiled potatoes, which are central to Bengali biryani.”
The fashion game is also on point at this year's Durga Puja as Anushka Verma, resident of Green Park, shares, “I asked my friend in Kolkata to send me Durga-themed jewellery that goes with my attire... I got the skirt designed by a local tailor, who added a border with mirror work for the festive feel.”
What's your Pujo scene like?