For music director and National Award winner filmmaker Indraadip Dasgupta, whose film Grihapravesh has won hearts of critics and movie lovers alike, Durga Puja has never meant pandal hopping. It has rather, always been spending time with friends, enjoying parar pujo, and if not anything else, just being with oneself.
Indraadip explains, "On my to-do list, going around to visit various Durga puja pandals, never existed. It was always staying the entire day at parar pujo, refusing to return home at night, shooting cap pistols and listening o Pujo'r gaan (puja songs), sometimes film songs, sometimes non-film songs." He mentions how one time songs of Md Rafi became very popular, one year it was Kishore Kumar's Shey jeno amar pashe aaj o boshe ache; then, Chokher joler hoyna kono rong, it was the songs of Anusandhan once, and so on.
"Another very important thing was to get 10 outfits for the five days of puja," quips Indraadip, "From Sasthi to Dashami, two outfits per day, one for day time, and one for evening. Getting a new shoe was also a must, and I remember sleeping with my new show by the bedside, and to check it the first thing in the morning.
"By Navami evening, all of us used to be sad...not just because the pujo is coming to an end but also because we have to get back to our studies," the music director added. When we asked about one nostalgic memory that he cannot get back, he said, "Baba (father), maa (mother) and I offering anjali at the mandap...I cannot get it back."
"Parar pujo is still my first love during Durga Puja. I have to visit a few friends and attend invitations, I mean those are like rituals, but even after everything I come back to my para. Pujo ashche (Pujas are coming) is the best feeling, because once it arrives, the days just slip by! But I really look forward to how the city and the people gets into a festive mood, dressing up, and celebraating," he concludes.
For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.