Durga Puja has many faces. On one hand, it’s synonymous with pandal-hopping, late-night adda sessions and soaking in the festive lights. For others, it is a quiet celebration of togetherness, family time and great food. But why not a mix of both?
For the Nandy sisters — Antara and Ankita — Durga Puja is all about recharging at home, lots of good food, non-stop phuchka, pandal-hopping, shopping, adda with friends, sing-along and dancing sessions — all packed with fun and no guilt.
Food, for Bengalis, is the cherry on top of the festive joy, and the pet pujo scene for the two sisters hits home.
“Now that we have to travel a lot for work, we seldom get to eat home-cooked meals. Most of the time, we eat outside. Now, at this age, if you ask us what we choose among dining out and homely meals, it will undeniably undoubtedly be the latter, and specifically food cooked by Ma,” Antara said, giving a nod to her mother Jui Nandy’s cooking.
Despite the diverse assortment of cuisines, the Nandy sisters would choose Bengali delicacies in a heartbeat. “There’s no two ways about it. If I was to choose, I am a Bheto-Bangali… Bheto-Mecho-Bangali. And Tuk-Tuk (Ankita) loves chicken. She also cooks really well these days,” Antara added with a smile.
Ankita’s cooking has a fan following at home. “When Tuk-Tuk makes chicken in laal jhol with bhaat, that’s my go-to,” Antara shared. “Out of what Tuk-Tuk cooks, I love everything Ma makes too — especially her shorshe ilish, jhinge shorshe posto, potol posto… the list could go on! And oh, I also love the bhuni khichuri with soya bean that Ma makes. It’s my ultimate comfort food.”
After a long tour, the sisters have a simple ritual to feel grounded again — “aloo-sheddo, dim-sheddo bhaat,” Antara added with a laugh.
Besides food, the siblings say their sense of fashion has also gone through its own evolution over the years. “Ma has always had a huge role to play in the clothes that we wear, whether it’s in front of the camera, on stage, or even just day-to-day. The one thing that has remained constant is that whatever we wear has to be comfortable and modest,” Antara explained.
“Comfortable because we’re on stage most of the time and have to sing and dance for hours. But we also love to experiment with our style. This Pujo, Ma has specially curated our tour looks for our US and Canada concerts, and we are really excited to wear them on stage,” she signed off, brimming with festive cheer.