My Alexa Post 7 – Durga Puja in Berhampore/Kolkata
For the past four years, I have spent every Durga Puja in Berhampore, a place where I grew up and also happens to be my husband’s home town. Last year, we decided to explore puja in Kolkata for a couple of days before heading to Berhampore on the sixth day of the puja.
In Berhampore, the puja near my house smells of childhood nostalgia. It was a delight to see my son soaking in the festivity and ambience, just like I would relish these four days in my childhood. My husband and his school friends started a new Durga Puja in 2018. The experience of watching grandeur unfold in front of my eyes, and showing my son the strength of sustainable friendship was mesmerizing.
This post will take you on a tour of my puja experience in 2018. Happy Maha Ashtami to you and your family.
“I am taking my blog to the next level with Blogchatter’s My Friend Alexa 2020″ campaign. This is my seventh blog post, and you can read the previous six articles here.
An alumnus of Presidency College (Kolkata), Delhi University, and XIME (Bangalore), Sonia Chatterjee holds two post-graduate degrees in Chemistry and Management and an MFA in creative writing from Writer's Village University. With eight years of experience in the banking sector as a Branch Head, she took a sabbatical from the corporate world to start her blog soniasmusings.com. Her blog consistently featured in the Top Indian Blogs list from 2019 to 2024.
Her articles have been published on various digital platforms such as Women's Web, Youth Ki Awaaz, Tuck's Magazine, and Period Magazine. She was invited as a speaker at the Breaking Barriers, Kolkata 2018 event by the Women's Web, at the Women Writer’s Fest, Kolkata, 2020, and the Crime Writers Festival, Kolkata,2025.
Sonia has written two detective thrillers titled ‘Deal of Death – Introducing Raya Ray’ (2019) and ‘Diary, Deceit, and Death – A Raya Ray Adventure’ (Vishwakarma Publications, 2024) and a non-fiction book on true crime titled ‘The Sanyasi Who Became a King’ (Sristhi Publishers, 2025). Her book ‘Diary, Deceit, and Death’ was shortlisted for the PVLF Awards 2024-25 in the Best Fiction Category.
Sonia lives in Kolkata with her doctor husband and nine-and-a-half-year-old son.
View all posts by Sonia Chatterjee
9 thoughts on “My Alexa Post 7 – Durga Puja in Berhampore/Kolkata”
I have been missing the Navratri and Durga Pujo craze in 2020 because of the pandemic. Your post made me smile. Thank you so much 🙂
I just don’t like to recall 2020 even in my life, the whole year is wasted and the festivities are dampened too. I so much miss the festive vibes here in Mumbai.
2020 really was not a year for festivals..I too missed doing so much in eid but both eid’s this year went so fikhi. 😭 Even sheer kurma could not add the sweetness to the festival..
soniasmusings 
I have been missing the Navratri and Durga Pujo craze in 2020 because of the pandemic. Your post made me smile. Thank you so much 🙂
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I just don’t like to recall 2020 even in my life, the whole year is wasted and the festivities are dampened too. I so much miss the festive vibes here in Mumbai.
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Pujo this year is surreal for me. It was nice reading about your pujo experiences.
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Very true. Yesterday day o saw some pictures of the police quarter durga puja where I spent my childhood. It was so nostalgic for me.
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I am sure the grandeur would be a wonderful watch, it’s my wish to be at Kolkata once for Durga Puja.
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2020 really was not a year for festivals..I too missed doing so much in eid but both eid’s this year went so fikhi. 😭 Even sheer kurma could not add the sweetness to the festival..
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I always wanted to be in Kolkata for the puja days and so far it didn’t happen! Maybe soon, or maybe through your posts!
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I am sure you have some lovely memories to revisit. 2020 has changed the meaning of celebrating festivities
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Such heartfelt experiences with Durga Puja is indeed worth reading.
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