Bhog, music and community spirit: Shreya Ghoshal’s Durga Puja memories

As Durga Puja festivities light up the city, singer Shreya Ghoshal speaks exclusively to Bombay Times about her fondest memories of the festival, right from her childhood in Rajasthan’s Rawatbhata to the traditions she continues to follow in Mumbai.

In an exclusive conversation, she shared why Durga Puja remains one of her most cherished celebrations and how she hopes to pass on its spirit to her son.


‘My initial Durga Puja memories are of Rawatbhata’
“I was raised in Rajasthan, near Kota, and I have memories of some of my first Durga Pujas there. When I was around two months old, my parents moved to Rawatbhata in Chittorgarh district. My dad was posted at the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited, that operates the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station. So, we had a nuclear site, where there was a reactor, and it was a township of scientists and engineers. I grew up there and lived in Rawatbhata till I was 13, before moving to Mumbai. So, most of my childhood I spent in Rajasthan, and we would do small-scale Durga Pujas there.”

‘We used to be the ones making the bhog for Maa Durga’
Shreya recalls the warmth of community celebrations. “I miss those days because in Rawatbhata we had a community Durga Puja. Everyone participated; right from creating the murti of Durga Maa to the decoration. All the ornamentations and decor were made at home, and we ourselves were participants. We made the bhog for Maa Durga, took part in song competitions and in different programs. That was so real and involving for me as I was growing up. I remember Durga Puja like that.”

She feels the nature of festivities has changed. “In Mumbai, it doesn’t happen like that anymore. For most pandals the scale is very big, and some even feel like corporate events. In Kolkata too, the celebrations are grand.”

‘That is a puja for the puja and not for the celeb or VIP culture’
Though her shows often keep her away, she makes it a point to attend at least a few pujas in Mumbai. “I go to my Anushakti Nagar Durga Puja — Mumbai ka mera purana ghar hai Anushakti Nagar mein — so I continue to go there every year, if I’m in town. I also go to the Ramkrishna Mission Khar Durga Puja, because it is very traditional and beautiful. That is a puja for the puja and not for the celeb or VIP culture. You get to sit with everyone and watch the rituals. It is so pure and devoted to Durga Maa. You can see her up close, it’s really beautiful.”

'Mera roots Bengali hai and I follow rituals as much as I can’
For Shreya, the festive season is a blend of cultures. “Durga Puja meets Navratri in Mumbai. You get to celebrate the season 360 degrees! I live in a building where everyone is Gujarati, so there is dandiya happening every day.”

But her Bengali roots remain strong. “Bengal toh Bengal hi hai, mera roots wohi hai and I follow rituals as much as I can. My mother, on Shoshti (the first day of Durga Puja), does a complete uposh — fasting the entire day — and she makes me do it along with her. Durga Puja of course means a lot to me, and I’m really looking forward to it. This festival is a very big thing for all Bengalis.”

Passing on traditions
While she has introduced her son Devyaan to pandals, she wishes he could experience Durga Puja the way she once did. “I haven’t had the opportunity to take my son to full-fledged celebrations. I have taken him to pandals, but it’s not the same anymore. In Mumbai, Durga Puja has become very crowded.”

For Shreya, Durga Puja is not just a festival but an emotion — a reminder of her roots, her childhood, and the enduring devotion to Maa Durga.