“I am going to miss being in Kolkata this year for Durga Puja” – Shantanu Maheshwari

Having been born and brought up in Kolkata, Durga Puja festivities have been an integral part of actor and International dancer Shantanu Maheshwari’s life.

From pandal hopping to gorging on Bengali delicacies and meeting up with relatives and friends while being out and about on the streets all night, each year of the festival has been quite memorable for Shantanu.

While Shantanu likes going back home every year to Kolkata during Durga Puja to enjoy the festival , he has not been able to go back this year due to the pandemic, so going down memory lane Shantanu recalls some of his favourite anecdotes He shares,” I am going to miss being in Kolkata this year for Durga Puja. Being born and brought up there, the festival has been a very big part of my childhood and growing up years. From extensive pandal hopping, to being on the streets all night with friends and relatives and gorging on yummy chinese food and rolls and getting to see the city all lit up at its absolute best, is something that I have been lucky to experience over the years. The whole vibe and essence of Durga Puja is so beautiful, and I feel that it truly brings people in Kolkata together at that time, making the city an even more wonderful place to be in!”.

“The celebrations might be low key this year due to the pandemic scare, but the spirit is still very much alive as everyone back home is still ensuring that they celebrate the festival in their own small way, keeping the tradition going strong, but at the same time ensuring their own safety measures in place. Though what I feel is a bit unfortunate this year is the craftsmen who create idols getting affected with their jobs because of the entire situation at hand, which I really hope is compensated in someway or the other for them.”