Pooja loves to shop for festive occasions and checks out the local markets often — be it in Mumbai or her home town Ahmedabad. “I love the fact that you have so many options and you find everything at one place,” says the actor, adding the hustle bustle in the market adds to the festive fervour. “There are several shops for Rakhi shopping with so many designs. And it’s always good to shop locally. The colourful Rakhis are so eye-catching and each year there are the usual ones, with beads and threads and then there are designs that go viral. Like this year, I see a lot of evil eye rakhis in the market,” she states.

From home made sweets to 14 cousins in Ahmedabad, Raksha bandhan is always about fun with fam. Not just receiving gifts from her brother, she, too, gives Naman gifts on Rakhi. “Raksha bandhan in Ahmedabad is far more fun as I get a lot of gifts and money. My cousins write beautiful messages to me with gifts which I cherish. When we were younger, gifts would often be soft toys, jewellery or dresses. In fact, Naman and I both get each other gifts for Raksha bandhan. Last year, I got him a Playstation game and this year, as he is into reading, I have bought him some non-fiction books.”

Talking about the relationship she shares with her brother, she admits that “Naman and I are like usual siblings”. “We don’t say I love you [all the time] but end up pulling each other’s leg often. This year, I will go to Ahmedabad for Rakhi with Naman. She recalls celebrating the festival during the pandemic made her realise, “how important family really is. I think, the takeaway for everyone was loving your family and importance of close bonds.”

Any festival is incomplete without sweets and buying freshly made mithai is a bonus for Pooja “as nothing tastes better than fresh mithai”. “In fact, several sweet vendors experiment and prepare different kinds of mithai — be it inventive moulds for barfis or a new flavour combo- which is always appealing. It’s always good to go to markets where you have tons of options,” she says, adding, “I love eating Doodh Pak, Mohan Thal and Sukhdi, a gur papdi sweet, which is essential for us on rakhi and healthy too as it is made of gur not sugar.”

Any festival is incomplete without sweets and buying freshly made mithai is a bonus for Pooja “as nothing tastes better than fresh mithai”. “In fact, several sweet vendors experiment and prepare different kinds of mithai — be it inventive moulds for barfis or a new flavour combo — which is always appealing. It’s always good to go to markets where you have tons of options,” she says, adding, “I love eating Doodh Pak, Mohan Thal and Sukhdi, a gur papdi sweet, which is essential for us on Rakhi and healthy too as it is made of gur.”