Madhureeta Mukherjee (BOMBAY TIMES; October 5, 2019)

You can hear the echoes of the conch. The waft of traditional Bengali khichudi is filling the air. And revellers are wrapped in fineries in reds, whites and all colours of celebration. It is Durga Puja, a time when all Bengalis in the city come out in large numbers to offer their prayers, bond with family, hop from one pandal to another, binge on their favourite delicacies, and keep binging as much as they can. Like Rani Mukerji rightly says, “For Bengalis, every celebration is about eating good food!”

Bombay Times met up with the actress, at the famous ‘Mukherjees’ puja pandal, which has changed by leaps since the time it started, 72 years ago. Yet, what remains the same is the love and commitment with which the family has kept the tradition alive through generations. Rani tells us, “For me, Durga pujo always brings back fond childhood memories. It is an important time for us, as this is one festival where Bengalis go all out and celebrate. We hang out with our families, eat our hearts out and soak in our culture. If you look beyond the festivities, in most pandals, you can see the kind of amazing art work and creativity that go into it. Even in the cultural events that happen on all days of pujo, we come together to perform dance dramas and plays. It’s a great cultural exchange for Bengalis, especially for probashi Bengalis like us (who live outside of West Bengal). I have been a part of the festivities since childhood, and luckily, we always had our family pujo (North Bombay Sarbojanin Durga Puja), so it was easier for our parents to make us feel closer to our tradition and culture.”

“In fact, I got to know and learn about Rabindra Sangeet through the various dance dramas and cultural performances that we would stage during our childhood days. Today, everything that I know about my culture, and my ‘Bengaliness’ is all because of Durga Puja.”

Festivals bring families together, and for the Mukherjee clan, who have been deeply involved in putting together such a large-scale sarvajanik celebration, it’s no different. “This is a great event for the entire family and during the five days of pujo, we are all under one roof. Everyone is usually busy with their own lives, and with time, our friend circle has also changed. So, Durga pujo is like a meeting ground for all of us, and this is the one place where we pick up from where we had left the previous year,” explains the actress.

Talking about her strong connect with her family puja, she adds, “I feel deeply rooted to this, and the participation of both my parents, along with Debu kaka (Deb Mukherjee) and all other kakus and kakimas (aunts and uncles) have made this pujo what it is today. There are people who are not part of the family, but yet, they have been an integral part of the celebrations and planning for years now. Earlier, it was more intimate and close-knit, and yes, I miss that, but from then to where we are now, it has been a huge leap. People from not just Mumbai, but even outside the city come to our pujo in large numbers. Ask her if she’s ever gone pandal hopping, before she became a movie star, and she reveals, “Of course, when we were younger, we would go pandal hopping every year. My strongest memories of pandal hopping are of going to the pandal at Shivaji Park, because there were so many food stalls spread across a huge area. At night, we would go there to eat machher chop (fish chops), mughlai rolls and more. For Bengalis, every celebration is about eating good food! I can’t go pandal hopping now, but I don’t miss it because our family pujo is quite large-scale and we have so many food stalls. I can binge right here! I often go online and watch how some of the pandals in Kolkata create the sets, décor and artistic themes. It’s a treat to watch them.”

Another essential part of the festival, as per their family tradition, is that they personally serve bhog to all the Durga puja revellers who visit the pandal. So, Rani chooses a day during the five-day festival, when she takes on the food-serving duties with pleasure. She excitedly says, “The bhog tastes divine during pujo, and if you try making it during some other time of the year, it does not taste the same. I think that it is the magic and miracle of the festival.” Ask her what her favourites are, and she’s quick to tell us, “Khichudi, paayesh (kheer), sandesh (mithai), beguni (batterfried brinjal) and cholaar dal (chana dal).”

Looking gorgeous in a pink silk sari, accessorised with light jewellery, the actress is soaking in the spirit of the festival. We go on to talk about how she handpicks her saris for each day of the festival. For Bengalis, flaunting their finest saris and jewellery on Durga puja is one of the highlights. Sharing some memories from her childhood, Rani says, “When we were younger, this was the only time of the year when we would buy clothes. My parents would buy us five-six sets of clothes, which we would wear all round the year. I don’t exactly shop before pujo, rather, I keep shopping for pujo throughout the year (laughs!). Whenever I see something that I like, I say, “Eta pujoi porbo.” (I will wear this during pujo).

Adira, her daughter, is gradually being introduced to the Bengali culture and festivities. “She is just about four and this year, I am trying to introduce her to the pujo. I’ve to request everyone to not click her pictures and I will have to try to bring her to the pandal at a time when the crowd is less,” she says. Does she see Adira perform on stage, just the way she used to perform as a child? “I think it is too early for her to be on stage. My brother’s (Raja) children are older and they participate in the cultural events,” she explains.

Durga puja festivities are incomplete without sindoor khela, an age-old tradition — which has seen a huge change over the years — that happens on dashami (the last day of the festival). “Even as a kid, I would play sindoor khela on dashami day, every year. Now, I participate as a married woman, the celebration has always been a lot of fun.”