From a Quieter Pujo to Ektu Beshi Bangaliyana: Our Journey from 2021 to 2026

A Pujo story · 2021 to 2026

In 2021, we searched for ways to feel close to Pujo when the familiar crowds and carefree adda were out of reach. Five years later, the dhaak and dhol are calling again. This year, we want ektu beshi Bangaliyana — a little more of the warmth, food and togetherness that make the season ours.

The Pujo we remember

Think of Kolkata dressed in light, new clothes waiting to be worn, familiar faces calling out across a para and an adda that never seems to end. The aromas tell their own story: hot shorsher tel, a fresh kathi roll, fish curry, mishti and tea served in a clay bhar.

Morning begins with radhaballabhi and cholar dal. Lunch might bring maacher jhol and bhaat, luchi with aloo bhaja or posto bora, and kosha mangsho for those who want to linger at the table. On bhog days, khichuri and labra take centre stage. Later come arati, fish fingers, rolls, Kolkata biryani with its beloved potato, and another round of stories.

What 2021 taught us

When we wrote about Pujo in 2021, COVID had changed the way we gathered. We missed pandal hopping, spontaneous visits and the sound of friends arriving at the door. Yet even a smaller meal at home could carry a memory of Kolkata. Cooking a favourite dish, sending food to someone we missed or sitting together for bhog became its own way of celebrating.

This article began as a 2021 Pujo memory. That year’s restrictions and menus are part of its history, not current arrangements.

In 2026, the dhaak sounds different

We have emerged from those quieter years, though the world has changed a little. Perhaps we now value the easy things more: being able to meet without hesitation, pulling up another chair, hearing the dhol, sharing a plate of bhaja and staying for one more adda. Dhaak, dhol, bhaja — ektu alada, ektu beshi Bangaliyana.

Singapore is home, and we love the life we have built here. Kolkata Beckons is our way of bringing a little of that Pujo feeling into it: familiar Bengali flavours, space for friends and family, and a celebration that welcomes anyone curious to join the table.

For Durga Pujo 2026, our Bengali bhoj runs from 17 to 25 October, with a different menu each day and both Niramish (vegetarian) and Aamish (non-vegetarian) choices. We are carrying the spirit forward with five extended days of Bijaya, through the weekend ending 25 October — more time to visit, eat together and keep the good wishes going. See the current menus and booking details through the link below.

Tell us your Pujo memory

What dish takes you straight back to a Pujo day? Did 2021 change the way you celebrate now? Tell us in the comments. When we share this article on Facebook, bring a memory or photograph of your own to the conversation there.