India News | West Bengal Celebrates Bhai Phota; Sovan, Mukul at 'Didi' Mamata's House

Kolkata, Oct 27 (PTI) Bhai Phota was celebrated with usual enthusiasm amid festive fervour in West Bengal on Thursday as sisters prayed for the long lives of their brothers.

After two years of muted celebrations due to the pandemic, the festive spirit was visible on the streets as long queues were seen outside sweet shops, while restaurants in Kolkata and nearby towns also recorded high footfall.

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Cinema halls and multiplexes recorded housefull shows as people sought to make the most of the day with which the nearly-a-month-long festivities that started during the Durga Puja are usually considered to conclude.

On the occasion, women prepare lavish Bengali meals for their brothers who break their fasts after the rituals, while many also visit restaurants for the customary lunch.

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At the India-Bangladesh border in Dakshin Dinajpur, women celebrated Bhai Phota with BSF personnel.

Leaders of different political parties were also seen in a festive mood as they reached out to the people on the occasion.

State minister Sobhandeb Chatterjee, TMC MPs Sougata Roy and Mimi Chakraborty, TMC MLA Tapas Roy, BJP's vice-president Dilip Ghosh and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari took part in the Bhai Phota rituals.

The most notable political development during the day was former Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee visiting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence in Kalighat to get 'phota' from her.

Chatterjee had joined BJP in 2019 following a fallout with Banerjee, but quit the opposition party in 2021 after its defeat in the assembly elections.

"My ties with 'Didi' are decades old. She affectionately calls me Kanon as her younger brother," Chatterjee, who was accompanied by his friend Baisakhi Banerjee, said.

Veteran politician Mukul Roy, who returned to TMC from the BJP last year, was also given 'phota' by the chief minister at her residence.

Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari tweeted, "Greetings to all the sisters and brothers on the special occasion of Bhai Phonta or Bhai Dooj. May God bless you all with happiness and strengthen your sacred sibling bond."

Bengali superstar Prasenjit Chatterjee, and actors Dwitipriya Roy and Pallabi Chatterjee were among those seen participating in the rituals.

Bhai Phota is celebrated by some on 'Pratipad' and some on 'Dwitiya', just after Kali Puja.

Many big-budget community Kali Puja committees in Barasat, Madhyamgram and Naihati in North 24 Parganas district immersed their idols during the day.

"This year, it was more like the pre-pandemic days. In 2020, we could not visit each other's homes while in 2021, there was not much crowd on the streets. Visiting a cinema hall was out of the question," said Subham Das in the food court of a shopping mall in the Dumdum area as his sister smiled.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)