I really miss Amma during Puja

 
Says Riya Sen about her grandmother, Suchitra Sen, as she does a special Puja shoot for CT wearing the legendary actress' saris and jewellery Riya Sen, who isn't sure yet whether she'll be in Kolkata during Durga Puja, is busy painting her festive gifts for her parents, in-laws and sister Raima. "Ma usually gifts me jewellery every Puja and my in-laws also spoil me with gifts. But I really miss Amma (Suchitra Sen) during Puja. We had so much fun with her," said the actress during a special shoot with CT.

Riya, who was looking resplendent in her grandmother's saris and jewellery during the shoot, said, "Wearing Amma's clothes still gives me goosebumps. And I'm so happy to be wearing all her heirloom saris and jewellery for a shoot celebrating her. All her belongings are a treasure to our family. I wore her jewellery even during my wedding. And what's more, for this shoot, mummy (Moon Moon Sen) has done my styling. From selecting the saris to the jewellery, she did it all."

Remembering her childhood with Suchitra Sen, Riya said, "Durga Puja meant pampering from her. Just before the puja, she used to take Raima and me to the market and we used to literally buy whole shops! She never used to say no to anything. On Mahalaya morning, we used to hear the Chandipath on the radio in Amma's house and start wearing new dresses right from that day. She had a parrot green Ambassador car and she used to take us out on Puja mornings for pandal hopping. Ballygunge Cultural, Maddox Square, Mudiali used to be on the must-visit list. Then she stopped appearing in public and we used to drive around Puja pandals in the car and never get down. Amma used to go out in a simple cotton sari or salwar kameez with hardly any makeup, but we sisters used to deck up. She was our partner in crime and used to indulge us. Puja dinners used to be at her house. Amma used to make amazing Bengali food. The way she used to make a simple Rohu dish is something we still miss and the mutton curry used to be delicious! I also miss the way she made the simplest sheddho bhaat. It used to be delicious!"

I am very happy to see Riya wear Ma's saris and jewellery for this shoot. All of ma's belongings are extremely precious to us. Ma would have been so happy to see her. Ma was a very fashionable person. She started the style of wearing three-quarter blouses with collars and a lot more. Her favourites used to be cotton saris, Benarais and chiffons. There was a time when she used to wear a lot of white cotton saris with beautifully structured blouses. She used to love wearing long earrings, bangles, large finger rings, a gold crystal or a gold mob chain. Shocking pink and orange lipsticks were her favourites too.

As for her food choices, it would be chicken kebab from a Park Street restaurant. But she preferred to cook on her own for her guests. She was a wonderful cook and used to make amazing Bengali cuisine. Once we celebrated Kali Puja at home and she used to do everything, right from cooking bhog, decorating the idol with new sari and jewellery to cutting fruits. I used to give alpona.