Smriti Kalra: This is my first Durga puja in Delhi

Smriti Kalra could be from a Punjabi family, but she sure is a Bengali by heart, who loves and adores every bit of the culture. And this time, when she was in Delhi ahead of the Durga puja celebrations, the actor good a trip to CR Park, which hosts one of the biggest Durga puja pandals of the city.

Dressed up in Lal Par Sada, the actor visited Kali Bari, where the preparations were in full swing. “I have been visiting Kolkata for Durga Puja since 2018. I fly down just for a day to enjoy the festivities. But this year I thought that I would visit my parents in Delhi and check put the Durga puja scene in the capital. So this is my first Durga puja in Delhi,” she shares and goes on to speak about how it’s fascinating for her. “Kumortuli is a potter’s locality in Kolkata where idols are made and I always make sure that I visit the place whenever in the city. And its equivalent in Delhi is Kalibari where I got to witness the artisans making Durga puja idols. I also interacted with them. They are from Kolkata and it was a sheer joy to see them working for festival,” she shares.

Her first brush with bengali culture happened when “a very dear bengali friend Abhijit Das”, who is also a director, introduced her to pujo customs and overall bengali culture. "Through him, I made several bengali friends and eventually fell in love with their rituals and traditions. And today, I can't help but celebrate the festival in the best way possible. The reason why I hold a deep appreciation for celebrating this festival is because it serves as a tribute to women, their power, beauty, grace, and numerous other qualities.

Beginning the festival with Mahalaya to visiting the temples, listening to Dhaak and dancing to its beats, Kalra tells us how she enjoys every bit of the festival. “The whole atmosphere is invigorating,” she says. The Suvreen Guggal actor goes on to talk about how she loves sindoor khela, which takes place on Vijayadashmi. “Though it’s something that only married women participate in, I had also joined in at a pandal in Kolkata and I would like to partake in it again,” she shares.

No mention of Durga puja is complete without the mention of delicacies one gets to relish at gatherings. “I look forward to Bengali thaali which has luchi, aloor dom, shukto, chop-cutlet, bhaat, dal, bhaja, shobji, pulao and of course sandesh. I am a foodie and Delhi is heaven for people like us. So enjoying bengali cuisine in the capital, which is known for it’s food, is very exciting for me,” she wraps up.

Wrapping up, the actor would like to make more trips to Delhi in the coming years “What I love the most about the city is that every festival is celebrated on such a grand scale by everyone. Now that I see how pujo is celebrated here, I will visit Delhi for Durga Puja next year too,” says the actor.