It's a Kolkata tradition to kick off the Pujos by gifting these special Pujo magazines to family and friends. No clue what we are talking about? Read on to know what they are and where you can get them.
Right about now people will be picking up Pujo barshikis – the annual Pujo specials brought out by the big media houses of Bengal. While there are several brought out by Bengal's media houses, the most popular are the ones published by the ABP Group (or Ananda Bazar Patrika). Look out for their Desh special (a popular Bengali cultural magazine) known for a curated collection of fiction, poetry and some brilliant art by established and upcoming local artists.
Looking for something lighter? The same group's Anandamela mag is a favourite with kids and the young at heart with assorted detective fiction, puzzles, and comics by local artists. These thick tomes full of excellent reading material by some of Bengal's best writers make for great gifts (in fact they are a Pujo tradition).
Pick up your copies soon as they disappear really fast. You can ask your newspaper vendor to get you copies or hit up the bigger newsstands around Kolkata markets (such as Lake Market, Gariahat, Baithakkhana, Jadavpur Market). Oxford Bookstore and Ananda bookstores will also stock them.