For singer Shaan and his wife, entrepreneur Radhika Mukherji, this Karwa Chauth is extremely special. Why? “It’s our 25th Karwa Chauth together”, says Shaan, as he and Radhika shoot for HT City to mark their landmark “day of love”. For Radhika, this day holds a lot of value. “It’s the only day of the year when I dress up like a bride. I enjoy doing all the shringaar, doing the pooja, reciting the katha and praying for my husband. Our love for each other has only grown over the years and this day definitely plays a role in keeping us grounded,” she says.

For Shaan, too, Karwa Chauth holds a lot of value: “Initially, after our marriage, I would find it very filmi. Being a Bengali, we never had the culture of celebrating Karwa Chauth at home. But over the years, this day has meant so much for us. It reiterates that there’s someone in your life who’s doing something as intense as fasting to pray for your well-being. Irrespective of whether I am at home or travelling for shows, I try my best to keep my wife company by not eating anything. But I do have water or coffee.”

Radhika adds, “I just have a glass of masala milk in the morning for sargi and then go waterless until moonrise. For me, it’s a day of gratitude, when I thank God for blessing me with a life partner like Shaan. While I fast for him, he gets so anxious by the evening that he keeps tracking the moonrise and has a childlike excitement the moment he spots the moon. When we do the puja, our sons act as our photographers. I love the looking at the moon through the channi and then looking at your partner ritual. There’s something so romantic about it.”

As Shaan hums the romantic number Tere Mere Sapne from Guide (1965) for Radhika, we ask if he has any Karwa Chauth gift planned for his wife. “I don’t really wait for occasions to pamper her, but I would love to gift her whatever she wishes for,” he replies, as Radhika immediately adds, “I want a chaandi ki payal from you.”

Our most memorable Karwa Chauth

“It was our first Karwa Chauth after marriage and Radhika excitedly fasted for me. After breaking the fast, she threw up. I thought it was due to hyperacidity,” says Shaan. Radhika recalls, “I threw up a couple of times and a friend suggested I took a pregnancy test. I tested positive when I checked the next morning, and by next Karwa Chauth, we had our son Soham with us.” Hence, our first Karwa Chauth after marriage continues to be our most memorable one.”