With the beginning of the season of our beloved kash phool, we queued up in the melodious and blissful hoichoi of our Pujor bajaar. We shared a feeling of togetherness and brotherhood without even knowing each other and invited Ma to our homes. May Ma shower her blessings on us was all that we prayed for as we hopped from pandal to pandal just to get a glance of Ma Durga. That’s the prettiest part of our grand Puja celebration.
Ananya Chatterjee
For Calcuttans, pandal-hopping this Durga Puja commenced even before Mahalaya, as chief minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated three big star pujas of the City of Joy a few days before that special day. Before this year, I never got the chance of watching thakur at puja pandals this early. Like many others, I too visited those three hugely famous puja pandals of Sreebhumi Sporting Club, FD Block Sarbojonin of Salt Lake and Tala Prattoy and saw their thakurs before Mahalaya. And so, for me, this rare opportunity was the most memorable thing about Durga
Puja this year.
Sourish Misra
This year, a visit to Sreebhumi and Lake Town Puja pandals, eating out, dressing up and reading in a relaxing mode were the most memorable things about Durga Puja.The stay home for two years had suppressed the joy but this year undoubtedly made up for the past!
Ilma Nathani
Although the sound of dhaak has faded rhythmically, yet I bore the memories of the gala time . This year, the vibe, the poem and the enthusiasm was back after the catastrophic pandemic. The most memorable thing about Durga Puja this year was that even the footpath dwellers and the hawkers celebrated it unlike the last two years. Family get-togethers and even getting in touch with old friends really made my Puja special. The world is composed with peace again. Trying different cuisines was also memorable enough for me. Spending time with your loved ones, donating daily necessities to the poor children, dhunuchi naach and even the pious smoke of dhunuchi will remain with me as undaunted memories until the next Puja knocks on our door.
Swastika Roy
Witnessing the revival of old festive vibe after a wait of two long years was memorable for me. It was really heartening to see people were getting back to pandal-hopping, kids buying ice cream from street vendors, people devouring snacks from streetside eateries. In a nutshell, seeing everyone happy from buyers to sellers like old days; is the happiest memory of this year's puja.
Nilutpal Maitra
I think this year’s Durga Puja brought the usual happiness on everyone’s face after two years of the Covid pandemic. From the idolmakers to the pandal visitors everybody made sure that they enjoyed at their level best.
Kathakali Haldar
