Leaving a bittersweet note, Durga Puja celebrations concluded yeesterday with the Bijoya Dashami. Bangladeshi stars around the world shared the celebrations with their fans.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT DESK

Durga Puja, the most significant festival for Bangladesh’s Hindu community, concluded yesterday with Bijoya Dashami. This year, leading figures from film, television, and music observed the celebrations in diverse ways—across cities, on stage, and overseas.

Actress Bidya Sinha Saha Mim divided her time between Dhaka, her parental home in Rajshahi, and her in-laws’ residence in Cumilla. After Saptami in the capital, she travelled to Rajshahi to join her parents, later reuniting with her in-laws for Dashami. Alongside family visits, she appeared in multiple television and online programmes and shot new commercials.

Bappy Chowdhury spent his first Puja abroad, joining events in the United States. He is scheduled to appear at a Dashami celebration in New York’s Times Square. Reminiscing about childhood Puja in Narayanganj, he admitted missing the company of family and friends.

For actress Puja Cherry, the occasion carried a note of grief. Known for visiting mandaps with her mother, who passed away last year, she marked the festival with friends while sharing photos online during Mahashtami. Yet, she described her celebrations as incomplete without her mother’s presence.

Actress Mondera Chakroborty, who usually observes Puja in Khulna, remained in Dhaka due to professional commitments, visiting local mandaps with family but expressing nostalgia for her hometown festivities.

Singer Shithi Saha, whose family has organised Puja in Sirajganj for more than 150 years, performed at the Sharadiya Cultural Festival at Shilpakala Academy before returning to Sirajganj for the final day.

Meanwhile, producer and presenter Debashish Biswas began celebrations in Dhaka before travelling to the United States, also set to perform at Times Square. Actor Manoj Pramanik, currently studying in South Korea, extended greetings from Busan.

From Rajshahi to New York, this year’s Puja highlighted tradition, memory, and performance for Bangladesh’s cultural stars.