This Is What Ankush Hazra’s Durga Puja Looked Like As A Child

Our latest episode of Tere Gully Mein was far from usual. This wasn’t just about exploring streets and indulging in street food; it was about diving deep into the Durga Puja spirit in Kolkata. We were joined by none other than Bengali superstar Ankush Hazra, who took us pandal hopping, shared all about Durga Puja traditions, and introduced us to iconic street food dishes in the City of Joy. During this food trail, we also learnt a lot about his life, his journey to becoming an actor, what Durga Puja looked like for him as a child, and much more. Read on to know all about it.

Pandal Hopping With Ankush Hazra

As we were about to enter our first pandal in Kolkata, Ankush Hazra told us that when people start preparing for Durga Puja, the streets get covered in all things decorative. But on usual days, these same streets are filled with endless traffic. According to him, the best way to make the most of the Durga Puja celebration is to hop from pandal to pandal on foot. When Ankush Hazra was a child in Bardhaman, his core memory of celebrating Durga Puja was just walking around town.

Comparing the celebrations in Bardhaman to those in Kolkata, Ankush Hazra revealed that while the festival in Kolkata is all about extravagance, with numerous pandals in every corner, each showcasing something unique and depicting Durga Maa in a different way, in Bardhaman, the scale was smaller, but the emotion was just as big. His town also had some of the most extravagant pandals. Now that he is a celebrity, he has the option of simply calling somebody up and getting VIP entry into pandals, but the joy of exploring every corner on foot is irreplaceable.

While most people stay on a diet throughout the year, Ankush Hazra says that during these four to five days, they have the freedom to simply enjoy and indulge in as much food as they want. Something in the air changes, and every street gets decorated. There is joy everywhere. Truly, the energy during Durga Puja, not just in Kolkata but in various towns of Bengal, is palpable and something everyone must experience at least once in their lives.

Also Read: “He Has Never Called Me By My Name,” Geeta Basra Reveals What Harbhajan Singh Calls Her

Phuchkas In Kolkata Are A Must

While discovering more Durga Puja traditions, we also got a chance to enjoy some of the most iconic street foods of Kolkata with Ankush Hazra. And of course, our first stop was a phuchka stall. One bite of the original phuchka and you instantly know that it’s not your usual golgappa or pani puri. There’s something different about this preparation; the spice, the tanginess, and the authenticity above all win the heart.

As we were enjoying these phuchkas, he added that it may seem simple for most people to prepare the spicy aloo mash filling and the spiced water for phuchka, but it actually isn’t. That fact makes it harder for people in different places to replicate the original flavour of phuchka that you find in Kolkata.

To learn more about Durga Puja in Kolkata and the iconic dishes we tried with Ankush Hazra, watch the full episode on the Curly Tales YouTube channel!

Cover Image Courtesy: Internal