28 September,2009 07:15 AM IST | | Upala KBR
Bips celebrates Durga puja on Ashtami with beau John and nephew and niece; but is depressed as parents are away
No matter how busy her schedule is there is one day in the year that Bipasha Basu keeps for Goddess Durgau00a0- Maha Ashtamiu00a0- when she fasts and does anjali (aarti).
Bips admits, "I always go for Ashtami Puja's anjali no matter how busy I am. It's been a childhood ritual.u00a0I fast in the mornings and then go and do aarti after which I would eat bhog."
Distressed
This year, she attended the Mukerji puja (in a Anamika Khanna sari) in Santa Cruz along with John (Abraham), her elder sister Bidisha and her, seven-year-old nephew Aniket and two-year-old niece Nia but is distressed about the absence of her mom and dad who are in Bristol with younger sister Bijoyeta.
"They have gone to drop her there. She will be studying political journalism there. She will study and work there. I am really missing them all... At least earlier, every Durga puja we would all of us meet up but now we won't. But I am very happy for Bijoyeta as she's a great writer."
Getting nostalgic
Bipasha has fond childhood memories of Durga Puja in Kolkata. "When we were young, my sister and I would get new clothes to wear for the morning and evenings. Nowadays, it's tough to go to the pujas in Kolkata as one gets mobbed. As a kid, I would do duty by being on the puja committee.
I would do everything from cutting fruits, arranging flowers, making sandalwood paste for the deity and distributing bhog or prasad to the people. In the evenings we would have plays or dance events where I would participate or catch with my sister's friends for gossip."
Breaking the ban
Like most Bengalis, the actress has a sweet tooth and loves eating the khichdi as bhog on Durga puja day. "I have been eating khichdi but have cut off from all sweets for a month. I will break the self-imposed ban on sweets on October 16 which is also my mother's birthday. My next film All The Best also releases on the same day so I shall celebrate both the events by eating lots of sweets."
