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(482, 1, '2010-03-24 14:39:58', '2010-03-24 18:39:58', '<p>by</p>  <h4><strong>Amitava Sen</strong></h4>  <p>On one of our earlier visits to Calcutta, we met her at a dinner party. She was sitting in a corner somewhat aloof. As we entered, the party was in full swing with whisky flowing freely. After we were duly introduced the party got back to its boisterous self and everybody went back to loudly vocalizing their opinion on all subjects under the sun and in the process ignoring everybody else’s, Bengali style. The forlorn looking lady in the corner unobtrusively got up and stood behind us. &quot;Do you live outside the country?” She asked. She knew the answer; for that she did not have to be clairvoyant. We just arrived a few days ago, not long enough for the sun and dust to work on our faces. She pulled a chair and sat down next to us. First thing I noticed that she was not at ease with the environment, but not because of other people around her were not accepting her or were not friendly. The detachment appeared to be by choice on her part, but her marked openness with us also was hard not to be noticed. We talked about the amazing varieties of fish in Gariahat market , about sarees in Park Street, about a couple of common acquaintances we discovered we shared; subjects of America did not come up at all.</p> \n<!--more-->\n  <p></p>  <p>She was waiting to tell us her story outside the earshot of others in the party, at the dinner time when we congregated in small groups. After having lived in the United States for twenty-seven years she and her husband returned to India with the intention of living here permanently, about six months ago. Both of them had their parents in Calcutta and they wanted to be closer to the family. </p>  <p>It didn’t work out quite that way.</p>  <p>The lady did not particularly miss the comfort and amenities of living in the United States, at least so she said. That was fine with her. What made her depressed was the company of the people she was made to keep. “I feel suffocated, can’t adjust and as a result I am resented and that in turn makes me nostalgic about my life back in America.” She got teary eyed. I inquired what was bothering her. Was it the traffic, the filth, the pollution, health care issues? “Not so much, only if I have had people to talk to. Sister-in laws suddenly arrive at the doorstep unannounced and when they come they walk right into my bedroom. And I do not know what to talk to them about in the intimate setting of the bedroom.” It appeared that she was living with relatives in Calcutta, she could not relate to; and it was amusing that she had been living among the people whose collective passion was to talk and argue endlessly but she had no one to talk to. With us she was behaving like at long last she found other humanoids in the planet Krypton. </p>  <p>We exchanged telephone numbers with a promise to keep in touch.</p>  <p>We, here in the United States and possibly in other Diasporas around the world have relationship between us, which defies the conventional definition of family, if not linguistically but emotively. But I will keep my narrative here confined to us, we Bengalees, because I am not sure, the people with different cultural and social disposition feel the same way. </p>  <p>It is interesting if not perplexing how we act with our friends and acquaintances in the new world and react with our relatives and old friends from our past. Family in a conventional sense is collection of set of relatives. “A person who is connected with another or others by blood or marriage” this is how the Random House dictionary defines the word “relative”. Samsad Bangla Abhidan and Chalantika (of Rajsekhar Bosu) define the Bengali word “Atmiya” (literally: relative) more broadly: “one’s own person or a person close to another-self (Atman).”</p>  <p>Etymologically, the English dictionary definition is too restrictive; the word relative is derived from the word relate, and should mean a person you can relate to. On the other hand, whatever the derivative definition of Atmiya is, use-wise, it means relation by birth or marriage. But the words in both languages have same connotation. By extension, we may choose to define family as a collection of a set of people who we can relate to and who are close to our “self” by birth, marriage, proximity or mentality.</p>  <p>My musings ceased to be an abstraction and hit home when a week later a friend from America called soon after he landed in Calcutta. “Come over or I can come.” We just saw each other a month ago in USA, indeed there we did not meet that often, so what was the rush and really what was the point? But curiously it dawned on me that I was eager to meet him too. To talk about what? Weather in New Jersey, Sarah Palin? Not really, indeed the subject of America may not come up in our talk when we meet. </p>  <p>I realized that it’s not the word; it’s the vibe that mattered. Communication is not only words, it has nuances too. I doubt that the bonding or relationship is solely a matter of love or blood. It is more to do with our personal comfort level and need to be understood in our daily lives.</p>  <p>Then, during our last visit, there was this woman one morning on Tara TV program where renowned singers were invited to sing and be interviewed. She was splendid, indeed equal or better than any of the locally famous singers I had watched on this daily morning show. My cousin who was sitting next to me was impressed and indeed surprised. “Does she really live in America?” That was how he expressed his amazement, “Of course she does. Her name is Mitali Bhawmik, a friend”, I gloated. . My claim of friendship was a little stretch; I hardly had ever spoken to her. She made me proud and I wanted to add a personal touch to it. But the feeling of kinship was genuine at that moment.</p>  <p>The lady in the party did not quite know why she had a feeling of closeness to us either and why she was feeling like an alien in her own home. She did not think it was the absence of the material stuff, but in a way it was, at least partly. It was not only her relatives and friends that got under her skin, I surmised; unbeknown to her, the traffic, the pollution, the decaying infrastructure and the uncertain health care were factors too contributing to her aversion towards life in India. But at the same time, for many returnees the cultural and family ties that draw them back may feel strained by local human dynamics that may feel foreign and may be frustrating. The general absence of ethical behavior and lack of openness in daily interaction do not help in establishing meaningful relationship, or even reviving the old ones. </p>  <p>Chandra Ghosh of London who I met in a record store was a case in point. “Do you feel people; your friends; your relatives are a little strange here?” Chandra Babu inquired at one point. “My brother has a big house. I put up with him for a couple of days. My brother and his family were very nice and quite caring. I had no complaint. But I felt I was intruding. More importantly we were uncomfortable, an uneasy and unfamiliar environment really. But now I find it more relaxing and enjoyable in Ramakrishna Mission Institute at Golpark. We have met a family from Manchester who are staying here and we are having fun time together.” It sounded like his brother had no problem; the problem was with Chandra Babu, the NRI. “So who is strange here?” I interjected “You or your brother?”</p>  <p>Is this alienation due to a long absence; has the attitude towards our relatives in India and our old friends changed for losing touch over a period of time? But that cannot explain the bond and fondness we feel for our Diaspora-friends and the affinity we have developed between us. The fact of the matter is that we have adopted the foreign land as our home and adapted ourselves to that society while we have been exiled from our birth country. We have chosen soul over blood, which surfaces in stark relief when we are back in our old country. We discover that we have a new family.</p>  <p>Indeed Chandra Babu had not known his new found friend back in England and the relationship I had with my friend who wanted to meet me promptly after his arrival could hardly be called close or Mitali Bhawmik was not a friend in a real sense of the word. What has brought us together is the backdrop of our “Desh”, a now- alien land and its now-alien culture.</p>  <p>P.S. Six months after we had met her, back home in USA, we received a call from Boston; the lady at the party and her husband were back, with no plans of returning to India to live there, in foreseeable future.</p>  <p>Amitava Sen</p>', 'FAMILY-REDUX', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'family-redux', '', '', '2010-03-24 14:39:58', '2010-03-24 18:39:58', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/archives/482', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(483, 1, '2010-03-25 22:37:09', '2010-03-26 02:37:09', '<div><span><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">GAUHATI,  India (AP) - The Indian military has a new weapon against terrorism:  the world''s hottest chili.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: black;">\r\n\r\n<span style="font-size: small;"><span>After conducting  tests, the military has decided to use the thumb-sized "bhut jolokia,"  or "ghost chili," to make tear gas-like hand grenades to immobilize  suspects, defense officials said Tuesday.</span></span>\r\n\r\n<span>The bhut  jolokia was accepted by Guinness World Records in 2007 as the world''s  spiciest chili. It is grown and eaten in India''s northeast for its  taste, as a cure for stomach troubles and a way to fight the crippling  summer heat.</span>\r\n\r\n<span>It has more than 1,000,000 Scoville  units, the scientific measurement of a chili''s  spiciness. Classic Tabasco sauce ranges from 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville  units, while jalapeno peppers measure anywhere from 2,500 to 8,000.</span>\r\n\r\n<span>"The  chili grenade has been found fit for use after trials in Indian defense  laboratories, a fact confirmed by scientists at the Defense Research  and Development Organization," Col. R. Kalia, a defense spokesman in the  northeastern state of Assam, told The Associated Press.</span>\r\n\r\n<span>"This  is definitely going to be an effective nontoxic weapon because its  pungent smell can choke terrorists and force them out of their  hide-outs," R. B. Srivastava, the director of the Life Sciences  Department at the New Delhi headquarters of the DRDO said.</span>\r\n\r\n<span>Srivastava,  who led a defense research laboratory in Assam, said trials are also on  to produce bhut jolokia-based aerosol sprays to be used by women  against attackers  and for the police to control and disperse mobs</span>\r\n\r\n</span></div>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>', 'Bhoot Jolokia - World''s Hottest Chili Pepper ', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'bhoot-jolokia-worlds-hottest-chili', '', '', '2010-03-25 22:37:43', '2010-03-26 02:37:43', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=483', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(501, 1, '2010-07-17 13:19:51', '2010-07-17 17:19:51', '', 'anwesha_abhijeet', 0, 'Anwesha and Abhijeet at NABC 2010', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'anwesha_abhijeet', '', '', '2010-07-17 13:19:51', '2010-07-17 17:19:51', '', 500, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/anwesha_abhijeet.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(502, 1, '2010-07-20 21:17:41', '2010-07-21 01:17:41', 'by Amitava Sen\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal">Kallol has done it again, a very successful and thoroughly enjoyable Banga Sammelan and Kallol deserves our gratitude. We needed it, a three days’ escape from humdrum of the life and for some of us from depressing economic uncertainty.<span> </span>Do not forget that this is a very difficult economic time in America, never encountered since thirties.<span> </span>It is never far from our minds.<span> </span>To venture into such a huge undertaking at this difficult time takes courage and boldness; Kallol accepted the challenge and succeeded under the very able leadership of Timir Hore, Sudhir Nag and Soumen Roy. Thank you.</p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal">In contrast with all other places around the country space and accommodations are at a premium in this New York metropolitan neighborhood, holding a convention here is hugely costly proposition.<span> </span>Compared to other years the attendance was sparse. No surprise. Foresight and wisdom on the part of the organizers contained the event to a manageable and economically viable limit.<!--more--></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal">Discipline and skill of management were noticeable even before the convention started. No e-mail was un-answered, no inquiry was un-responded. The hotel check-in and the registration were uneventful and flawless. All it required was the presentation of a letter issued by Kallol in advance to the reception at hotel desk.<span> </span>Chaotic check-in, lost registration has so far been the rule in most Banga Sammelans.</p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal">Innovative ideas were noticeable in many other areas; food service for example. Self-service was a new concept; it eliminated the vendor’s inclination to spoon out skimpy amount with the intention of limiting supply, saving money and leaving our stomach half full after paying full price.<span> </span>Morning program started late morning, giving the attendees time to sleep off their late night adda exhaustion. Very considerate on the part of the organizers. Selection of overseas performers was well thought of.<span> </span>Who knew about Sahaj Ma? Wasn’t she a breeze of fresh air? She carried the day on her own. Her unique stage presence, delightful personality, penetrating music have never been experienced by many or most of us before.<span> </span>Aneek Dhar is an established singer, we have heard before; but here he made it like a one to one connection with individual listener.<span> </span>His subtle intimacy with the audience touched our heart. It speaks well of the judgment and cultural taste of the organizers to get artist like Bari Siddique. The emcee Biswanath Basu was a disappointment though. He sounded more like a court jester with his dull commentary and tasteless, stale jokes.</p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal">Usually Banga Sammelan authorities in different states invite a drama group from Calcutta; they at times adopt out of touch scripts from ancient times, fifties, sixties or seventies or some times they choose relatively contemporary plays or shall I say, riddles the main purpose of which is to leave the audience confused and befuddled.<span> </span>That is what in Bengalee parlance is called “intellectual” stuff. General idea is unless the group is imported from Calcutta, Banga Sammelan crowd will not be attracted.<span> </span>The 2010 Banga Sammelan committee made a bold exception.<span> </span>They recognized that there was talents right here under our nose. More intelligent, more entertaining, more thought provoking plays are being produced locally. Our own Sudipta Bhawmik is one such talent.<span> </span>His production, We Live in a Village was well accepted and appreciated by all who saw it and if I may add, a much superior production to what I have seen in commercial stage of Calcutta.</p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal">The movie section of the Sammelan was well organized under the leadership of Ajit Rakhit.<span> </span>The combination of movies and documentaries were selected thoughtfully.<span> </span>We had the opportunity to watch certain films, which we would not normally come across during our trips to Calcutta.<span> </span>The screenings were nicely and systematically organized without a glitch.</p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal">In most Banga Sammelan distinguished award comes dime a dozen.<span> </span>Kallol authorities decided to make it worth its name. They awarded it to one single rightly deserving person.<span> </span>The rest were recognition for their services to the communities through Kallol or their services to Kallol.<span> </span>This I think is the right model.</p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal">To give this award the prestige and dignity that it deserves Cultural Association’s central administration may ponder over it in their award choices.<span> </span>In all the CAB award plaques the operative word was “demonstrated” achievement.<span> </span>In the list of the recipients from CAB there were not too many demonstrated talents. The list in part sounded like a mutual appreciation vehicle. It is possible that their list contained potential achievers, but it is not the same as demonstrated.</p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal">Whenever I attend a Banga Sammelan one person is never far from my thought, the architect of Banga Sammelan, and still the force behind it, Prabir Roy.<span> </span>As a Bengalee I acknowledge the monumental task he has accomplished, building up a stable and continuing institution, which adds to the quality of life of the entire Bengali population of North America and has grown to be a part of their lives.</p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal">On the financial side of the event, living in the United States, the richest country in the world and being a part of the most affluent Bengali Diaspora among all the other countries of the world, it is quite anomalous that we have to depend on economic assistance from Calcutta. Besides, this is not sustainable over long period of time. Response to vendors from Calcutta has been poor this time.<span> </span>Some of them complained loudly. I doubt many of them will keep coming back. Real estate demand from US residents of Bengali origin has peaked out.<span> </span>With gold at $1,100.00 it is hard to believe that jewelry sale is flourishing either.<span> </span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal">We have to pay our own way.<span> </span>Depending on the projected cost the registration fees can be raised and why not? Many of us pay $200.00 for three hours A.R. Rahman concert. The slogan “Bengali culture in the world court” of this Sammelan has somewhat been tarnished by the highlight of the event, Bollywood mega-music by Abhijeet. It is plausible that Bombay artists enhance the attendance.<span> </span>But do the authorities have a scientific study to prove that premise?<span> </span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal">Indeed, it will be quite in order for the Banga Sammelan authority to appoint a blue-ribbon committee to study, survey and report on the basic ideas and values of the convention and its mechanics. A guideline can be laid out for the future meets as to why people come, to meet old acquaintances? How much weightage on Bollywood singer, how much on Calcutta artist? Do they come for a vacation with friends, for fun and frolics? How many attend literary seminars, how many for business forums and how many for art and crafts. Or how many people have read the literary journal that every Banga Sammelan brings out at a considerable cost? That will establish the cost effectiveness of each section. How far they are willing to travel and what amount they are willing to spend? Choices of food, Bengali food, Mughlai food, Chinese or American? There are many other issues. It is a job for a professional to design the survey and ask the right questions.</p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal">God speed to Banga Sammelan.</p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal">Amitava Sen</p>\r\n<!--EndFragment-->', 'Banga Sammelan 2010: A Review and Some Views', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'banga-sammelan-2010-a-review-and-some-views', '', '', '2010-07-20 21:18:26', '2010-07-21 01:18:26', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=502', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(485, 1, '2010-04-21 20:02:57', '2010-04-22 00:02:57', 'Mark your calendars for ECTA''s latest productions to be staged on June\r\n12 and June 13 2010 at Edison Valley Playhouse, Edison, NJ. Each\r\nevening you''ll see two plays of different flavors.\r\n\r\n"Musical Chair" - a short play by Sudipta Bhawmik\r\nDirected by Keka Sirkar\r\n"Five women of different ages and social backgrounds get into a game\r\nof Musical chair. They circle around the chairs with the sole\r\nobjective of winning their prize seats at any cost. But when the music\r\nstops, one has to lose and leave the game. But the game keeps going on\r\nand on....."\r\n\r\n"Ekti Gnaye Thaki"\r\nWritten and directed by Sudipta Bhawmik\r\nThe play tells the story about the eternal bond between a brother and\r\nsister that bridges all kinds of divisions, distances and conflicts.\r\nThe play highlights the fact that we all can live together in\r\nuniversal love and brotherhood irrespective of the differences between\r\nus, if we so desire. The name of the play is borrowed from the poem\r\n"Ek Ganye" by Rabindranath Tagore and was made famous by Sombhu Mitra\r\nand Tripti Mitra in Bidhayak Bhattacharya''s well known radio play\r\n"Tahar Naamti Ranjana".\r\n\r\nAs you know, Edison Valley Playhouse has limited seating. So please\r\nbook your tickets in advance. Tickets are $20.00 (for two plays) and\r\nas always, members get a 20% discount.', 'ECTA Presents Two Plays', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'ecta-presents-two-plays', '', '', '2010-04-21 20:03:34', '2010-04-22 00:03:34', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=485', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(486, 1, '2010-05-05 00:44:48', '2010-05-05 04:44:48', '<img class="alignleft" style="float: left; margin: 5px;" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/music_chair.jpg" alt="Musical Chair" width="234" height="193" />I wrote the play "Musical Chair" couple of years ago for a local magazine. That time I had no intention of staging the play, rather it was written more as a piece to be read rather than acted. The theatrical format did consider the staging related logistics, but the play demanded a lot from the actors and the director. Keka Sircar took up the challenge and we decided to stage the play along with "Ekti Gnaye Thaki".  A women director can bring to a play a perspective that is unique and for a play like "Musical Chair" it is almost essential.  Since all the speaking characters in this play are women,  the actors too can present the material in a form that we are not accustomed to in a male dominated stage. The way the play gets interpreted and presented by the women actors can never be achieved from a male perspective.\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\nJayeeta Ganguly performs one of the key role in this play and this is what she had to say about the play.\r\n\r\n<em>“Musical Chair” intricately weaves the lives of five women who are in  the game for winning something more than the prize. Life has dished out a  fair slice of unfairness to each one of them, and today they are  prepared to get even with it. They are all very different- different  when it comes to their age and their social, economic, and intellectual  stature; however, one thing is common to all five- their battle with  insecurities. So be it a gnawing fear of fading youth and degeneration,  or the constant throttling of spririt by an overbearing husband, or the  disloyalty and rejection by a fickle partner, they are all victims of  circumstances beyond their control. And this despair and dejection  lashes out in a passion to win the “chair”. The “chair” ofcourse means  different things to each of them. While one sees in it the path to beat  the young and to takeover, the other sees in it a medium to regain her  lost self-esteem. Two of them even see the chair as their object of  desire, as an answer to their power-struggle over one man. But the best  part is that the picture of all these struggles and battles is painted  hilariously, and that the characters are extremely real. One can  identify a Konkona, Malini or a Suchismita in every social group. Coming  back to the game and the chair, round and round the characters walk,  eyeing the chair closely, and waiting for the music to stop. The chair  is ruthless, just like Life. Only the fittest person will survive...</em>\r\n\r\nIn the coming weeks, I wish to bring to you some more view points from the actors and the director.\r\n\r\nI am waiting eagerly to see the play during its staging at the <a href="http://ectainc.org">Edison Valley Playhouse</a> on the 12th and 13th of June. I hope you are waiting too.', 'Musical Chair : An Actor''s Perspective ', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'musical-chair-an-actors-perspective', '', '', '2010-05-05 00:44:48', '2010-05-05 04:44:48', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=486', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(487, 1, '2010-05-05 00:40:13', '2010-05-05 04:40:13', '', 'Musical Chair', 0, 'Musical Chair a Play by Sudipta Bhawmik', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'music_chair', '', '', '2010-05-05 00:40:13', '2010-05-05 04:40:13', '', 486, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/music_chair.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(488, 1, '2010-05-10 11:34:32', '2010-05-10 15:34:32', '', 'ektignaye-norm.jpg', 0, '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'ektignaye-normjpg', '', '', '2010-05-10 11:34:32', '2010-05-10 15:34:32', '', 490, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/ektignaye-norm.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(489, 1, '2010-05-10 11:34:33', '2010-05-10 15:34:33', '', 'ektignaye-norm-thumb.jpg', 0, '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'ektignaye-norm-thumbjpg', '', '', '2010-05-10 11:34:33', '2010-05-10 15:34:33', '', 490, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/ektignaye-norm-thumb.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(490, 1, '2010-05-10 11:34:34', '2010-05-10 15:34:34', '<h4><span style="color: #0000ff;">Simanti Dasgupta</span></h4>\r\n<a rel="thumbnail" href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/ektignaye-norm.jpg"><img style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 10px 5px 5px 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" title="ektignaye_norm" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/ektignaye-norm-thumb.jpg" border="0" alt="ektignaye_norm" width="195" height="240" align="left" /></a> Many of us will intuitively link the title of the play to Rabindranath Tagore’s well know poem, “Ek Gnaye” and correctly so. Sambhu Mitra and Tripti Mitra particularly immortalized the poem in their rendition of it in Bidhayak Bhattacharya’s celebrated radio play, “Tahar Naamti Ranjana”. “Ekti Gnaye Thaki”, written and directed by Sudipta Bhawmik, is the story of a sister, Ranjana and her brother, Rajat, reuniting after fourteen years. Rajat immigrates to the US with his family after Ranjana sponsors their green cards. The reunion is marked by its usual excitement followed by nostalgia for their “gnya” they left both behind. Rajat becomes a critical link for Ranjana to relive her past, while Ranjana helps him come to terms with his decision to abandon his familiar world in Gobindapur. Ranjana is also ill and Rajat’s presence offers a long-awaited emollient. As the brother and the sister often slip into the past, the rest of the characters are excited at the prospects of their future in the US, especially Rajat’s son, Rajib.\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\nLife gradually settles down and a quotidian harmony evolves. Yet from the beginning, the script occasionally and quite subliminally alludes to an underlying subplot that threatens the apparent calm between the two families. Eventually, through a set of related incidents, the undisclosed piece- a rather disconcerting one- is revealed. The disclosure, as one would expect tears the growing assurance of the families’ suburban life. It also and more importantly, sets in motion a drift into the past that interrogates those relationships that were deemed normal. Though this interrogation fractures a happy picture, however, it is through this fracture, we are invited to revisit something more important: the attachment between human beings. The play above all, irrespective of its specificities of time and place, is a commentary on what it means to be a human being in relation to those we hold dear in our lives. Sudipta Bhawmik, an auteurist playwright and director, has long dealt with issues that inflect our condition of <em>parabaas</em> in several modes. Like his other plays, this play too explores life our lives in this country as a muddle of time that simply refuses to leave the past behind even when we have crossed thousands of miles.\r\n\r\nMost of us, who live in the US, two continents and two oceans away from India, journey back and forth between the two counties. However, the journey is not necessarily always physical or has to be so. Rather, it is more often than not in our imagination as we brew the morning cup of tea or have <em>machher jhol</em> for dinner or pine for a <em>phuchkawala</em> while returning from work. Whether one has a temporary visa, a green card or even citizenship in the US, the journey never ceases. It is a drift: a going away to gather new things, but also treasuring what we had when we first began. In fact, the drift constitutes our <em>parabaas</em>. It is never complete. We inhabit this drift as a continual negotiation but we seldom reach a resolution, especially in the realm of values since we in effect reference two cultural systems.\r\n\r\nHowever, there comes a time when, like all drifts, we too pause to assess what we gathered over time. “Ekti Gnaye Thaki” is one such pause, one, which we may not have all experienced but will nonetheless, recognize. It is a pause that makes us realize that apparent differences and distances that seem insurmountable are in fact not so and neither should they be. As the script reveals, the refusal to let differences alone inform our values makes our <em>parabaas</em> more humane. It is possibly in this refusal, that we reinvent ourselves as human beings who cannot be limited territorially through our passports and green cards. The title of this play is a wonderful reminder that in belonging to the heritage of Tagore, in the end we belong to “Ek Gnaye” somewhere, which like his philosophy folds in the universe even in its contradictions.\r\n\r\n<strong>The play will be staged on June 12 and 13, 2010 at the Edison Valley Playhouse, 2196 Oak Tree Road, Edison, NJ. Visit </strong><a onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/ectainc.org?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/'');pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/ectainc.org?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/archives/490'');" href="http://ectainc.org"><strong>http://ectainc.org</strong></a><strong> for details.</strong>', '&ldquo;Ekti Gnaye Thaki&rdquo; : A Preview', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'ekti-gnaye-thaki-a-preview', '', '', '2010-05-19 18:17:17', '2010-05-19 22:17:17', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/archives/490', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(491, 1, '2010-05-19 18:13:48', '2010-05-19 22:13:48', 'Harrice Miller Entertainment Presents\r\nA Hindustani Classical Jugalbandi\r\n\r\nFeaturing\r\n\r\nVocalist Mitali Banerjee Bhawmik\r\nand\r\nFlutist Steve Gorn\r\n\r\nPerforming together for the first time.\r\n\r\nTabla accompaniment by Dibyarka Chatterjee\r\n\r\nSunday June 6, 2010 7.00pm\r\nNadia Jinnah Gallery\r\n500 West 52nd Street at 10th Avenue\r\nNew York, NY  10019', 'Hindustani Vocal and Bansuri Jugalbandi', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'hindustani-vocal-and-bansuri-jugalbandi', '', '', '2010-05-19 18:13:48', '2010-05-19 22:13:48', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=491', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(492, 1, '2010-05-26 18:15:35', '2010-05-26 22:15:35', 'Music and NABC go hand  in hand together. Most of the events that happen at any NABC are  related to music, and NABC 2010 is no exception either. A slew of  musicians, like Abhijeet, Monomoy, Anik, Anwesha, Indrani Sen, Sahaj Ma,  Utpal Fakir and many others will be performing at the 2010 NABC at the  Atlantic City Convention center. Each performer will enchant the  audiences with their solo performances on the grand stages of the  convention center. However, this year the host organization Kallol of  New Jersey is planning something special with these popular and talented  musicians. Named as "Surer Ei Jhar Jhar Jharna", this program will  bring on stage all the musicians together to perform some of the most  popular songs over the last fifty years of Bengali music. Starting with  the haunting melodies of the sixties to the band music of the  contemporary Bengali youth, the program will take its audience through  an audio-visual journey that has never been experienced before. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nPlanned  and designed by Pinaki Datta, the program, for the first time, opens the  choice of songs to the music loving Bengalis of the World by offering  them an option to vote for their favorite tune through the internet.  Visit the NABC 2010 website at <a onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/www.nabc2010.org/anurodher-ashor.html?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/archives/492'');" href="http://www.nabc2010.org/anurodher-ashor.html">http://www.nabc2010.org/anurodher-ashor.html</a> and  vote for your favorite song. The musicians will perform those which  gets the highest vote. And if the song you vote becomes the most popular  choice, you may even win a prize. The performers will include Indrani  Sen, Monomoy, Anik Dhar, Anwesha, Sahaj Ma, Utpal Phakir and Nirmalya.  This program will undoubtedly be one of the most popular attractions at  the NABC 2010.\r\n<div>The songs on the list are:</div>\r\n<table class="zeroBorder" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="100%">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td colspan="3" align="left" valign="top"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: #660000; font-size: x-small;">2001-  2010</span></strong></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width="4%" align="left" valign="top"></td>\r\n<td width="46%" align="left" valign="top"><img src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/majhire.jpg" alt="" width="180" height="23" /></td>\r\n<td width="50%" align="left" valign="top"><img usemap="#Map19" src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/speaker.jpg" border="0" alt="" width="31" height="23" /></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/dekhechoki.jpg" alt="" width="197" height="23" /></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img usemap="#Map19Map" src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/speaker.jpg" border="0" alt="" width="31" height="23" /></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/aye-aye.jpg" alt="" width="219" height="23" /></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img usemap="#Map19Map2" src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/speaker.jpg" border="0" alt="" width="31" height="23" /></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td colspan="3" align="left" valign="top"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: #660000; font-size: x-small;">1991- 2000</span></strong></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/tomakechai.jpg" alt="" width="148" height="23" /></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img usemap="#Map19Map3" src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/speaker.jpg" border="0" alt="" width="31" height="23" /></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/jokhon-somoy.jpg" alt="" width="251" height="23" /></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img usemap="#Map19Map4" src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/speaker.jpg" border="0" alt="" width="31" height="23" /></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/firiye-dao.jpg" alt="" width="156" height="23" /></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img usemap="#Map19Map5" src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/speaker.jpg" border="0" alt="" width="31" height="23" /></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td colspan="3" align="left" valign="top"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: #660000; font-size: x-small;">1981- 1990</span></strong></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/chirodini-tumi.jpg" alt="" width="263" height="23" /></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img usemap="#Map19Map6" src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/speaker.jpg" border="0" alt="" width="31" height="23" /></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/aaj-ei-dintake.jpg" alt="" width="213" height="23" /></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img usemap="#Map19Map7" src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/speaker.jpg" border="0" alt="" width="31" height="23" /></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/kothha-hoyechhilo.jpg" alt="" width="141" height="23" /></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img usemap="#Map19Map8" src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/speaker.jpg" border="0" alt="" width="31" height="23" /></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td colspan="3" align="left" valign="top"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: #660000; font-size: x-small;">1971- 1980</span></strong></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/prithibi-bodle-gachhe.jpg" alt="" width="246" height="23" /></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img usemap="#Map19Map9" src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/speaker.jpg" border="0" alt="" width="31" height="23" /></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/baje-go-bina.jpg" alt="" width="232" height="23" /></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img usemap="#Map19Map10" src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/speaker.jpg" border="0" alt="" width="31" height="23" /></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td colspan="3" align="left" valign="top"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: #660000; font-size: x-small;">1961- 1970</span></strong></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/kon-she-alor.jpg" alt="" width="319" height="46" /></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img usemap="#Map19Map11" src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/speaker.jpg" border="0" alt="" width="31" height="23" /></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/o-kokila.jpg" alt="" width="260" height="23" /></td>\r\n<td align="left" valign="top"><img usemap="#Map19Map12" src="http://www.nabc2010.org/images/anurodher-ashore/speaker.jpg" border="0" alt="" width="31" height="23" /></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody></table>', 'NABC 2010: A Novel Musical Program', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'nabc-2010-a-novel-musical-programme', '', '', '2010-05-26 18:21:27', '2010-05-26 22:21:27', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=492', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(493, 1, '2010-05-26 18:19:38', '2010-05-26 22:19:38', '<span class="il">Raag</span>-<span class="il">Rang</span> presents an  afternoon of Hindustani Classical vocal music\r\n\r\nby\r\n\r\n<strong>Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan.</strong>\r\n\r\nShree Dibyarka Chatterjee will accompany him on tabla and Shree Madhu Vora will accompany him on Harmonium.\r\n\r\nConcert will start with a short vocal rendition by Smt Anindita Sikidar\r\n\r\nVenue: Balaji Temple, Bridgewater.\r\n\r\nDonation : $15.00 for non-members, $12.00 for members.\r\n\r\n$10.00 for the kids(non-member), $7.00 for members.\r\n\r\nRSVP will be appreciated.\r\n\r\nContact details: (908)-429-1120, (609)-890-4890, (908)-707-8582.\r\n\r\nOr email at <a href="mailto:bhawmikm@gmail.com">bhawmikm@gmail.com</a>,\r\n\r\n<a href="mailto:mayuresh.khare@gmail.com">mayuresh.khare@gmail.com</a>, <a href="mailto:devang42@yahoo.com">devang42@yahoo.com</a>', 'Raag-Rang Presents Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'raag-rang-presents-ustad-mashkoor-ali-khan', '', '', '2010-05-26 18:19:38', '2010-05-26 22:19:38', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=493', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(494, 1, '2010-06-16 23:11:03', '2010-06-17 03:11:03', 'Since 1989 I have been involved with Bangla Theater in USA. Over the years I have worked with several groups, several associations and have been involved with several theater productions. My theater journey in this country started with the theater group Sansaptak with their production "Sabda Moho Bandhane". The play was directed by Sakti Sengupta.  Being involved with theater since my childhood, I was a bit skeptic about the theater scenario in USA when I first arrived in this country.  But my first experience was not only a pleasant surprise but an extremely enjoyable one.  All the stereo typical notions of expatriate Bengali theater were shattered with that production.  Sakti-da took us through a complete production development process of a new play. The script was developed based on Shirshendu Mukherjee''s short stories, Sunil Ganguly and Sakti Chattopadhyay''s poems.  It was not a simple narrative, but rather a complex collage of character''s, their relationships, their dreams and disillusionment. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nThe play was not an easy one, and we had to struggle to develop the characters. Sakti-da worked hard with us, tried to help us understand the characters and their motivations. Since the play was continuously evolving, the characters too were evolving, and that made the task more difficult.  The show was well appreciated by the audience but for many it was quite tough nut to crack.    The play was staged at the Parish Player''s theater in Plainfield and we staged three shows. The  cast included Dhriti Bagchi, Omkar Goswami, Kasturi Dasgupta, Sadhan  Mondol, Soumendu Bhattacharya and myself.\r\n\r\nUnfortunately, after this play Sakti Sengupta stopped doing Bengali plays for a while and his theater group Sansaptak became kind of defunct. Many of the cast members are still involved with theater. Omkar Goswami went back to India. Sakti-da came back to Bengali theater after many years, but unfortunately I did not have the pleasure of working with him again.  I hope someday we''ll be able to collaborate on a new play together.', 'Bengali Theater in North America : My First Experience ', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'bengali-theater-in-north-america-my-first-experience', '', '', '2010-06-16 23:11:03', '2010-06-17 03:11:03', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=494', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(495, 1, '2010-06-16 23:16:09', '2010-06-17 03:16:09', '<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/td3HNa0nIsU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/td3HNa0nIsU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>\r\n\r\nSaturday, July 10, 6.00pm at Banga Mancha (Hall A)', 'NABC 2010: Ekti Gnaye Thaki Promo Video', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'nabc-2010-ekti-gnaye-thaki-promo-video', '', '', '2010-06-16 23:20:42', '2010-06-17 03:20:42', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=495', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(496, 1, '2010-06-23 23:46:27', '2010-06-24 03:46:27', 'Databazar Media Ventures presents\r\na special screening of \r\n"The Japanese Wife"\r\nA Film by Aparna Sen\r\n\r\nBig Cinemas Movie City 8\r\n1655 Oak Tree Road\r\nEdison, NJ 08820\r\n\r\nJuly 3, 2010 4.00pm\r\n', 'The Japanese Wife', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-japanese-wife', '', '', '2010-06-23 23:46:27', '2010-06-24 03:46:27', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=496', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(497, 1, '2010-06-23 23:51:44', '2010-06-24 03:51:44', 'On the Occasion of NABC2010\r\nKallol of NJ presents\r\n\r\n"EKTI GNAYE THAKI" \r\n(We Live in a Village)\r\n\r\nA Play by Sudipta Bhawmik\r\n\r\nCast: Abhijit Neogy, Sankar Ghoshal, Lilabati Majumdar, Indranil Mukherjee, Aparajita Das, Raja Roy, Debiprosad Palit\r\nMusic: Samya Goswami\r\nLights: Subhodev Das, Chandan Sen\r\n\r\nSynopsis: “Ekti Gnaye Thaki” is the story of Ranjana and her brother, Rajat, reuniting after fourteen years. Rajat immigrates to the US with his family after Ranjana sponsors their green cards. The reunion is marked by its usual excitement followed by nostalgia for their hometown Gobindapur they both left behind. Rajat becomes a critical link for Ranjana to relive her past, while Ranjana helps him come to terms with his decision to abandon his familiar world in Gobindapur. Ranjana is also ill and Rajat’s presence offers a long-awaited emollient. As the brother and the sister often slip into the past, the rest of the characters are excited at the prospects of their future in the US, especially Rajat’s son, Rajib. Life gradually settles down and a quotidian harmony evolves. Yet from the beginning, the play occasionally and quite subliminally alludes to an underlying subplot that threatens the apparent calm between the two families. Eventually, through a set of related incidents, the undisclosed piece - a rather disconcerting one - is revealed. The disclosure tears apart the growing assurance of the families’ suburban life, and more importantly, sets in motion a drift into the past that interrogates those relationships that were deemed normal. Though this interrogation\r\nfractures a happy picture, however, it is through this fracture, we areinvited to revisit something more important - the attachment betweenhuman beings. The play above all, irrespective of its specificities of time and place, is a commentary on what it means to be a human being in relation to those we hold dear in our lives.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHall A - Banga Mancha, Atlantic City Convention Center\r\n6.00pm,  Saturday, July 10, 2010 \r\n\r\n\r\n', 'NABC 2010: "Ekti Gnaye Thaki"', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'nabc-2010-ekti-gnaye-thaki', '', '', '2010-06-23 23:57:14', '2010-06-24 03:57:14', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=497', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(498, 1, '2010-07-02 00:52:53', '2010-07-02 04:52:53', 'Last Friday night a horrific incident took place in an otherwise decent neighborhood in Old Bridge New Jersey. Dr. Divyendu Sinha, a forty nine year old Computer scientist, was having a walk outside his house with his wife and two sons when five teenagers came out of their car and started beating Dr. Sinha for no apparent reason. Dr. Sinha was severely injured and was later taken to the hospital where he died on Sunday morning.  The brutality of this incident shocked not only the entire Indian American community, but also the society at large. The local law enforcement have arrested all the five perpetrators and have charged them with murder although their names have been withheld due to their age (between 16 and 17).   Early reports classified this as a random incident, but according to recent statements from the County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan,  bias crime charges will not be ruled out.  In a recent meeting with the township officials, the Asian Indian community members have expressed that they have been harassed regularly by the local teenagers, and this is not a random incident at all. The township officials have instructed the community members that they should inform the police whenever they experience such behavior. I hope that the legal process takes due action and the criminals pay the highest price for their dastardly act.  <!--more-->\r\n\r\nBut this will not bring back the father of two young boys, who had to undergo the trauma of watching their father being brutally assaulted by five thugs. Nor it will bring back the husband of a woman who saw how her entire life was shattered by some cruel and mindless criminals.  My heart goes out to them. Divyendu was one of us. He was a graduate from IIT Kharagpur (1982 Computer Science, Nehru Hall), the college where I graduated from, and I must have crossed paths with him several times in the campus. My sons are of the same age as his. It could have happened to me, or to anybody for that matter. What kind of hatred and rage was burning within these five kids who could kill a man with their bare hands? What''s happening to this society? Are we losing all civility?  What are our schools teaching to our kids?  It is true that all schools have few rotten apples, but how could they muster so much courage as to beat up and murder any man on the street they like?\r\nWe should all wake up now and realize that we can no longer afford to stay isolated and mind our own business. We should get involved in our communities, school boards and local administration and policy  making bodies. We must make a conscious attempt to inculcate our values and ideals within our community and make a positive impact to the society. Let''s make sure that we don''t lose any other Divyendu in the future.', 'Divyendu Sinha : A Life Lost to Teenage Brutality', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'divyendu-sinha-a-life-lost-to-teenage-brutality', '', '', '2010-07-02 00:53:23', '2010-07-02 04:53:23', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=498', 0, 'post', '', 5),
(499, 1, '2010-07-14 19:43:00', '2010-07-14 23:43:00', 'Check the following video coverage of NABC 2010 and our play "Ekti Gnaye Thaki" by Banglapodcast.com.\r\n\r\n<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="560" height="340" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MTbu1pv6g_E&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="340" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MTbu1pv6g_E&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\n<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="560" height="340" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hxTAt_NUMnY&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="340" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hxTAt_NUMnY&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>\r\n\r\n<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="560" height="340" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6p_CcOnlIe0&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="340" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6p_CcOnlIe0&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>\r\n\r\n<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="560" height="340" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/n-gFWrKEGMY&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="340" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/n-gFWrKEGMY&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>', 'Banglapodcast Coverage of NABC 2010', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'banglapodcast-coverage-of-nabc-2010', '', '', '2010-07-14 19:47:52', '2010-07-14 23:47:52', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=499', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(500, 1, '2010-07-17 13:21:37', '2010-07-17 17:21:37', '<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/anwesha_abhijeet.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-501" title="anwesha_abhijeet" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/anwesha_abhijeet.jpg" alt="Anwesha and Abhijeet at NABC 2010" /></a>Finally the 2010 NABC came to an end on Sunday July 11th at the Atlantic City convention center in New Jersey with a "blow out" performance by Abhijeet. Although his mockery of Bengali culture was not well appreciated by many Bengalees who slowly drifted away from the hall (which was not liked by the singer at all), his performance was just what was expected of a Bollywood performer - entertaining but nothing extraordinary. However, people who came to the conference went back with memories - some of which may not be very pleasant but I would think most of them would be happy memories. Memories of the wonderful performances by  Sahaj-ma and Utpal Fakir, Kaivalya Kumar and few others, memories of meeting friends, those long adda sessions and the World Cup finals.\r\n\r\nBut the people who went back with a bad taste in their mouth (no, I am not talking about the food served by Shahnawaz) were the people who came all the way to showcase their talent through dance, drama and music.  These people paid group registration for their show, paid individual registration fees for their entire troupe and spend big dollars to bring their show with the hope to share with their Bengali friends who came from around  the country.<!--more-->\r\n\r\n''Really felt like nobody cared about our program, only about our registration dollars!" says Bharati Mitra, director of Tagore''s "Arupratan" a show that was presented in Hall A or Banga Mancha. And this is not only her feelings. Most of the performers, especially those who performed in Hall A echoed the sentiment, as noted by Keya Sen, "I echo the sentiments that those of us who were assigned to perform on Hall A felt irrelevant and inconsequential." Meena Basu Nag, an award winning choreographer, dancer and director of Nritya Creations says, "The most important take away for me is that NABC is no longer a place to showcase "domestic" rising talent in our own Bengali North American Community and a place for second generation and third generation Bengali choreographers/artists  like myself to showcase their work and talent."\r\n\r\nThe concern primarily is against the hall assignment and scheduling of the programs. Most of the domestic performances in Hall A were pitted against the star performers in Hall C (Bishwa Mancha) the main stage of the conference. This caused the audience to stick to Hall C since none of the domestic performers had the star power to pull them off from their seats to Hall A. Even when Hall C had some dull and boring lectures going on stage, the audience hung on to their seats to ensure that they have a good view of their star who would be performing next.\r\n\r\nHall A was a secondary hall in all respects. It did not have adequate lights, the stage was ill-designed and built,  it was located far from the action center, and there were no notices anywhere as to what is happening where (except for the program schedule printed in extremely small fonts). Meena Basu Nag complains, "Nritya Creations was allocated a time slot competing with Artists from India in a secondary hall  where lighting was suboptimal." She goes on to add, "I spent over $4000 registering  25 of  our best senior Indian, Bengali and non Indian students for this program expecting we will be  given a fair platform based on our merits,  past achievements and proven success. Instead we performed to a an audience of 300 in Hall A while Hall C sat over 6000 people at the same time for overseas artists such as Anwesha and Bikram Ghosh''s performances. The audience members who saw our program expressed deep concerns that why such a very high caliber and professionally executed show like ours was presented in a secondary hall and competing with Artists from India..."  Mabhin Ghosh Datta from Canada had the same frustration, "We [9 performers] went to join NABC 2010 from Ottawa, Canada and most of my students are not Bengali. We spent all the money for artist''s registration/hotel,trip on top of group registration just to perform there. Our performance started late and was almost at the time of Aneek Dhar so no one there for our performances..."\r\n\r\nPrabir Das, who brought his drama team all the from Cincinnati, is more pragmatic. Although his play Sikhandi was competing against two major shows on stage C, Bikram Ghosh''s percussion band followed by a star studded "Surer Jharna", but that was not his primary complaint - "As far as I am concerned, I really don’t expect that 5000 people would attend my show. I really don’t. People have every right to pick and choose which program they would want to watch. However, that does not mean, purposely placing two or more auditoriums in such an unrealistic strategic locations that would confuse people and would not even want them to consider to come to the other auditorium." He too like many others was totally disappointed with the technical aspects of stage A, "Was that a stage for any kind of performance other than some band? Was that any kind of theatrical lighting? "\r\n\r\nAnd the list goes on and on. Some of the key organizers have been heard to say that it was the fault of domestic performers that they could not attract the audience. But the organizers fail to understand that unless people experience the domestic shows, they would never know the quality of their presentation. The handful of audiences who saw some to the good domestic shows  have told explicitly that they were no inferior to many of the overseas  productions they have seen. The domestic groups do not have stars to pull in the crowd in large numbers. How can they be expected to compete with Aneek, Anwesha, Monomoy or Indrani Sen. Even between the stars their exists a popularity hierarchy. If Aneek was pitted against Indrani Sen in Hall A, I can bet that she would have had only a handful of audience, just as it would have happened to Aneek if he was competing with Abhijeet.\r\n\r\nI have raised this issue with several of the organizers of NABC 2011 and based on the past record, the Baltimore organizers will hopefully handle these issues in a better way.  The new president of CAB Kajal Sarkar has taken up this issue seriously and has ensured that in the future NABC events, he will make sure that such step-motherly treatment towards the domestic performers never happens. He has asked for suggestions and we all gave him our best ideas.\r\n\r\nDespite all the good intentions of CAB and the NABC organizing committee members, the fact remains that the domestic performers will have to struggle to get their audience, although it is not impossible. The first and foremost thing that we domestic performers should do is to improve our performances and raise it to the levels that an audience expects from a professional group. Secondly, we need to accumulate accolades, awards, reviews and all other appropriate and recognized credentials which a selection committee can use to decide which groups to invite. And yes, domestic groups should no longer pay money to participate at NABC. If you have to spend money, then spend it on your production, rent a theater space and show case your talent to your local audience. The cost of such a production will not be any more expensive than what you all spend to come to NABC to perform.  I am not saying that you should not come to NABC. Please do come, enjoy the shows from overseas performers, have fun and adda with friends and go back happy. I think the time has passed for NABC to milk the domestic performers just to give them a slot on the stage for their money.', 'NABC 2010 : The Plight of the Domestic Performers', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'nabc-2010-the-plight-of-the-domestic-performers', '', '', '2010-07-17 14:02:03', '2010-07-17 18:02:03', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=500', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(513, 1, '2010-10-13 20:55:34', '2010-10-14 00:55:34', 'Durga Pratima Bisarjan - IIT Kharagpur Campus during the seventies.', 'Durga Pratima Bisarjan', 0, 'Durga Pratima Bisarjan - IIT Kharagpur Campus during the seventies.', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'photo127', '', '', '2010-10-13 20:55:34', '2010-10-14 00:55:34', '', 512, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/photo127.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(514, 1, '2010-10-13 21:06:07', '2010-10-14 01:06:07', 'New Jersey Durga Puja Celebrations', 'New Jersey Durga Puja Celebrations', 0, 'New Jersey Durga Puja Celebrations', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'dsc_0316', '', '', '2010-10-13 21:06:07', '2010-10-14 01:06:07', '', 512, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/dsc_0316.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(515, 1, '2010-10-13 21:19:22', '2010-10-14 01:19:22', '<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #993366; font-size: x-large;">\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: ''Monotype Corsiva''; color: #993366;">New Jersey Durga Puja Committee of Kallol</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"> </span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Cordially  invites you with your family and friends to participate in our 2010</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"> </span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: ''Monotype Corsiva''; color: #993366;">Durga Puja Celebration</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"> </span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Durga  Puja will be held on October 15, 16 &amp; 17, 2010</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">At  the Ukranian Church and Cultural Center in Somerset, New Jersey</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"></span></p>\r\n\r\n</span>\r\n<div style="border-style: none none solid; border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;">\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-style: none; padding: 0in;" align="center"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #993366;">Registration  Information</span></strong></p>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"></p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;">\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Over the last several years we have had a large  increase in the number of people attending Kallol’s Durga Puja which we  are very happy about.  Unfortunately, as you know, the Ukranian Center  Hall has limited accommodation in the main hall.  We have had to  restrict entry in the main hall in the previous years in compliance with  township rules and fire codes. So like the last few years we are  introducing an online registration system to provide you with an  opportunity for pre-registration which will guarantee entry.  We may not  be able to admit you without pre-registration if we reach capacity.  Online registration will begin on September 20, 2010 at <a href="http://www.kallol.com/">http://www.kallol.com</a></span></p>\r\n\r\n</span>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Monotype Corsiva''; font-size: 19px; color: #993366;">Suggested Donations</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: ''Monotype Corsiva''; color: #993366;"></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Kallol Member’s:  $60.00</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Non- Member’s: $65.00</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Student with ID:  $40.00</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Children [12-18 YRS]:  $30.00</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Children [Below 12  YRS]: Free</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Patrons: $200 includes  2 badges</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Sponsors: $500.00  includes family bagdes upto 4</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Grand Sponsors:  $1000.00 includes family bagdes upto 4 &amp; complimentary 2 nights  hotel room</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">(Reserved seating area  for Patrons, Sponsors &amp; Grand sponsors)</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>\r\n\r\n<div style="border-style: none none solid; border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;">\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-style: none; padding: 0in;" align="center"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #993366;">Program  Schedule</span></strong></p>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Friday,  October 15, 2010</span></strong></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Mahasasthi and  Mahasaptami</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Puja:<span> </span><span> </span>2:00  p.m.<span> </span>Anjali:<span> </span>5:00 p.m.</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Dinner:<span> </span>6:30  p.m.<span> </span>Cultural Program:<span> </span>8:00 p.m.</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"> </span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Saturday,  October 16, 2010</span></strong></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Mahaashtami &amp;  Sandhi</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Puja:<span> </span>10:30  a.m.<span> </span>Anjali:<span> </span>2:00 p.m.</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"> Dinner:<span> </span><span> </span>5:00  p.m.<span> </span>Cultural Program:<span> </span>6:00 p.m.</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"> </span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Sunday,  October 17, 2010</span></strong></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Mahanabami &amp;  Mahadashami</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Puja:<span> </span>11:00  a.m.<span> </span>Anjali:<span> </span>2:00 p.m.</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"> Dinner:<span> </span><span> </span>5:00  p.m.<span> </span>Cultural Program:<span> </span>6:00 p.m.</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"> </span></strong></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Saturday,  October 23, 2010</span></strong></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Kojagori Lakshmi Puja</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Puja: 3:00 p.m.</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Anjali : 4:00 p.m.</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Vijaya Sammelani &amp;  Cultural Program : </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">6:30  p.m.</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Dinner : </span><span class="Apple-style-span">9:00 p.m.</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"> </span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Cultural  Program Highlights*</span></strong></p>\r\n\r\n<table class="MsoNormalTable" style="border: 1px dotted #d3d3d3; border-collapse: collapse;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; border: 1px dotted #d3d3d3; width: 99.9pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" width="133" valign="top">\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Fri,  Oct 15, 2010:<strong></strong></span></p>\r\n</td>\r\n<td style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; border: 1px dotted #d3d3d3; width: 198.9pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" width="265" valign="top">\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: ''Monotype Corsiva''; color: #993366;">Parthasarathi Desikan ~ Classical Vocal</span></span><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"></span></strong></p>\r\n</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; border: 1px dotted #d3d3d3; width: 99.9pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" width="133" valign="top">\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Sat,  Oct 16, 2010:<strong></strong></span></p>\r\n</td>\r\n<td style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; border: 1px dotted #d3d3d3; width: 198.9pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" width="265" valign="top">\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: ''Monotype Corsiva''; color: #993366;">Jolly Mukherjee from Bolloywood and Koel  Mukherjee of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Fame</span></span><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"></span></strong></p>\r\n</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; border: 1px dotted #d3d3d3; width: 99.9pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" width="133" valign="top">\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Sun,  Oct 17, 2010:<strong></strong></span></p>\r\n</td>\r\n<td style="font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; border: 1px dotted #d3d3d3; width: 198.9pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" width="265" valign="top">\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: ''Monotype Corsiva''; color: #993366;">Anirban Dasgupta &amp; Sasha Ghosal</span></span><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"></span></strong></p>\r\n</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody></table>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"> </span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">*Subject to change</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>\r\n\r\n<div style="border-style: none none solid; border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;">\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-style: none; padding: 0in;" align="center"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #993366;">Venue &amp;  Directions</span></strong></p>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Venue</span></strong></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Ukranian</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"> Cultural Center</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">,  135, Davidson Avenue, Somerset, NJ 08873</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"> </span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Directions</span></strong></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"> </span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">From Interstate 287  North</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Take exit 10 (Rt. 527  / Easton Avenue)</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Go right towards Bound  Brook and turn left at the first traffic light onto Davidson Avenue</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">The Ukranian Cultural Center and  parking will be to your right</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"> </span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">From Interstate 287  South</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Take exit 10 for New Brunswick / Easton Avenue</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Turn left onto Easton Avenue and  go underneath the highway I-287</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Turn left at the first  light onto Davidson Avenue</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">The Ukranian Cultural Center and  parking will be to your right</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"> </span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">From Route 18</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Take Route 18 from Rt 1  towards New Brunswick past  the Raritan River and after the bridge, make a  left at the first traffic light onto River Road</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Go to the junction of  I-287 and enter onto I-287 North</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Then follow directions  from above</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>\r\n\r\n<div style="border-style: none none solid; border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;">\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; border-style: none; padding: 0in;" align="center"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #993366;">Hotel  Information</span></strong></p>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"></p>\r\n<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Kallol of NJ’s official partner for Durga  Puja 2010 is Madison Suites Hotel. The hotel is located at about 5  minute driving distance from the venue and features spacious rooms with  microwave and refrigerators in all rooms and the rate below also  includes free continental breakfast. Follow details below to make your  reservations with the hotel directly. In order to get Kallol’s  discounted rate you will need to mention “Kallol DP 2010” during  reservations and show them a copy of your registration during check in.</span></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.madisonsuitesnj.com/">Madison Suites, Somerset NJ</a></span></strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;">11  Cedar Grove Lane</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;">Somerset</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;">, NJ 08873</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.madisonsuitesnj.com/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">www.madisonsuitesnj.com</span></a></span></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Official Hotel of  Kallol’s New Jersey Durga Puja 2010</span></strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For reservations please call (732)  563-1000.<span> </span>Be sure to mention “KALLOL DP 2010” in order to  receive this discount.<span> </span>You can visit them on the web at<a href="http://www.madisonsuitesnj.com/">http://www.madisonsuitesnj.com</a></span></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Special Rates:<span> </span></span></strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"> </span></strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Oct 15 &amp; 16, 2010</span></strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"> </span></strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">$60 + tax<span> </span>Standard  rooms</span></strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">$80 + tax<span> </span>Bi-Level  Suites</span></strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"> </span></strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">Oct 14 &amp; 17, 2010</span></strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"> </span></strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">$55 + tax<span> </span>Standard  rooms</span></strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;">$75 + tax<span> </span>Bi-Level  Suites</span></strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-family: ''Century Gothic'',sans-serif;"> </span></strong></span></p>', 'Kallol Durga Puja 2010', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'kallol-durga-puja-2010', '', '', '2010-10-13 21:19:22', '2010-10-14 01:19:22', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=515', 0, 'post', '', 1);
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(516, 1, '2010-10-13 21:25:38', '2010-10-14 01:25:38', '<span class="style47">Garden State Cultural Association</span>\r\n<span class="style52">invites you,   your  family and friends to join                              in the celebration of\r\n</span><span class="style52"><span class="style53">DURGA PUJA</span>\r\n<strong>at </strong>\r\nPlainfield High School,\r\n950 Park Avenue, Plainfield, NJ 07060\r\n<strong>on </strong>\r\nSaturday, <strong>October 16, </strong>\r\n&amp; Sunday, <strong>October 17, 2010</strong></span>\r\n<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width="3%" height="51"></td>\r\n<td width="97%" align="left" valign="middle"><span class="style27"> Program Details\r\n\r\n<img src="http://www.gsca.us/durgapuja2010/images/line.jpg" alt="" width="530" height="1" />\r\n\r\n</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody></table>\r\n<table style="height: 1245px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="614">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width="16" height="25"></td>\r\n<td width="555" height="27"><span class="style24">Saturday,  October 16, 2010</span></td>\r\n<td width="19"></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="125"></td>\r\n<td valign="top">\r\n<p class="style28">\r\n<table class="two_side" style="height: 1233px;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="552">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width="25%" height="19"></td>\r\n<td width="72%"></td>\r\n<td rowspan="13" width="3%" align="center" valign="top"></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19"><span class="style57">Puja &amp;  Arati</span></td>\r\n<td><span class="style57">11:00 am to 2:00 pm </span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19"><span class="style57">Pushpanjali</span></td>\r\n<td><span class="style57">2:00 pm to 3:00 pm</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19"><span class="style57">Prasad</span></td>\r\n<td><span class="style57">2:30 pm to 4:00 pm</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19"><span class="style57">Chandipath</span></td>\r\n<td><span class="style57">3:00 pm to 3:30 pm</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19"><span class="style57">Dhunuchi  Dance</span></td>\r\n<td><span class="style57">3:30 pm to 4:00 pm</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19"><span class="style57">Dinner</span></td>\r\n<td><span class="style57">4:00 pm to 6:00 pm</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19"><span class="style57">Sandhi Puja</span></td>\r\n<td><span class="style57">4:30 pm to 5:00 pm</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19"><span class="style57">Magic Show</span></td>\r\n<td><span class="style57">5:00 pm to 6:00 pm</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19"><span class="style57">Cultural  Program</span></td>\r\n<td><span class="style57">6:00 pm to 11:00 pm</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19"></td>\r\n<td></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td colspan="2" height="19">\r\n<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="550">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width="484" height="30"><span class="style74">Cultural Program Line-up</span></td>\r\n<td width="13" height="30"></td>\r\n<td width="53" height="30" align="right"><span class="style72"><strong>Time</strong></span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="30"><span class="style72">Chairman’s   Speech and Introduction to Board Members </span></td>\r\n<td height="30"></td>\r\n<td height="30" align="right"><span class="style72">6:00 PM</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="30"><span class="style72">Opening  Songs by  Gayatree Sharma</span></td>\r\n<td height="30"></td>\r\n<td height="30" align="right"><span class="style72">6:15 PM</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="30"><span class="style76">HEAT, A   Fusion Ensemble Dance Presentation by Kalamandir , NJ </span></td>\r\n<td height="30"></td>\r\n<td height="30" align="right"><span class="style72">6:30 PM</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="30"><span class="style76">Celebration  of Tagore''s 150th. Birth Anniversary – Recitations by Partha Ghosh  &amp; Gouri Ghosh, and Songs by Sounak Chattopadhyay of Kolkata.</span></td>\r\n<td height="30"></td>\r\n<td height="30" align="right"><span class="style72">7:00 PM</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="30"><span class="style76">Jhinook   Mukherjee of Kolkata - Classical Dance Recital</span></td>\r\n<td height="30"></td>\r\n<td height="30" align="right"><span class="style72">8:30 PM</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="30"><span class="style76"> Chandreyee  ( Bombay ) and Team of Musicians - Ghazals, Bengali and   Hindi Songs </span></td>\r\n<td height="30"></td>\r\n<td height="30" align="right"><span class="style72">9:00 PM</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody></table>\r\n</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19">\r\n<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>\r\n<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="590">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td valign="top"><span class="style46">..........................................................................................................</span><span class="style31"><img usemap="#Map6" src="http://www.gsca.us/durgapuja2010/images/readmore.png" border="0" alt="Read  More" width="100" height="30" align="absmiddle" /></span><img src="http://www.gsca.us/durgapuja2010/images/line.jpg" alt="" width="530" height="1" /></td>\r\n<td></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody></table>\r\n</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>\r\n<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="590">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width="15" height="25"></td>\r\n<td width="556" height="27"><span class="style24">Sunday,  October 17, 2010</span></td>\r\n<td width="19"></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="370"></td>\r\n<td valign="top">\r\n<table class="two_side" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width="43%" height="19"></td>\r\n<td width="57%"></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19"><span class="style57">Puja &amp;  Arati</span></td>\r\n<td><span class="style57">11:00 am to 2:00 pm</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19"><span class="style57">Pushpanjali</span></td>\r\n<td><span class="style57">2:00 pm to 3:00 pm</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19"><span class="style57">Chandipath</span></td>\r\n<td><span class="style57">3:00 pm to 3:30 pm</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19"><span class="style57">Prasad</span></td>\r\n<td><span class="style57">2:30 pm to 3:30 pm </span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19"><span class="style57">Arts &amp;  Crafts Competition</span></td>\r\n<td><span class="style57">3:00 pm Sharp</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19"><span class="style57">Dinner </span></td>\r\n<td><span class="style57">4:00 pm to 6:00 pm</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19"><span class="style57">Baran /  Bisarjan</span></td>\r\n<td><span class="style57">4:00 pm to 5:00 pm</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19"><span class="style57">Arts &amp;  Craft Competition Awards</span></td>\r\n<td><span class="style57">5:30 pm to 6:00 pm</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19"><span class="style57">Cultural  Program</span></td>\r\n<td><span class="style57">6:00 pm to 10:00 pm</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19"></td>\r\n<td></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td colspan="2" height="19">\r\n<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="550">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width="475" height="30"><span class="style74">Cultural Program Line-up</span></td>\r\n<td width="14" height="30"></td>\r\n<td width="61" height="30" align="right"><span class="style72"><strong>Time</strong></span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="30"><span class="style76">Soumyen  Adhikari of Kolkata -   nostalgic Bengali and Hindi songs of  Hemanta Mukhopadhyay</span></td>\r\n<td height="30"></td>\r\n<td height="30" align="right"><span class="style72"> 6:00 PM</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="30"><span class="style76">Amra   Sabai Raja - A GSCA Production</span></td>\r\n<td height="30"></td>\r\n<td height="30" align="right"><span class="style72">7:00 PM</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="30"><span class="style76">Suchismita  Das ( Bombay ) and Team of Musicians - Hindi and Bengali songs.</span></td>\r\n<td height="30"></td>\r\n<td height="30" align="right"><span class="style72">7:30 PM</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="30"><span class="style76">Drama -  "Ajo Kahini" - A Hilarious  Play by Sudipta Bhawmik (Ethnomedia Group,  NJ),Directed by Pinaki Datta.</span></td>\r\n<td height="30"></td>\r\n<td height="30" align="right"><span class="style72">9 PM</span></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody></table>\r\n</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td height="19"></td>\r\n<td></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody></table>\r\n</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody></table>\r\n</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody></table>\r\n</td>\r\n<td></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody></table>\r\n</p></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody></table>', 'Garden State Cultural Association Durga Puja 2010', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'garden-state-cultural-association-durga-puja-2010', '', '', '2010-10-15 16:14:44', '2010-10-15 20:14:44', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=516', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(517, 1, '2010-10-18 21:42:02', '2010-10-19 01:42:02', '<h1><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;"><strong><span></span></strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;"><strong><span> <span style="color: #ff0000;"> </span></span><span style="color: #ff0000;">South Asian Women Filmmakers Reshaping Their Identities</span></strong></span></h1>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;"><strong><span> </span>9 Women Filmmakers</strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;"><strong><span> </span>16 Extraordinary Films</strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;"><strong><span> </span>From 7 Countries</strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;"><strong> 1 North America Premiere, 6 East Coast premieres, 4 NJ Premieres</strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><strong>Opening Night film <em>MIRCH</em></strong></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><strong></strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal;" align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>A STAR-STUDDED MASTERWORK with Konkona Sen Sharma, Raima Sen,</strong></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><strong> Boman Irani</strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><strong>NOT TO BE MISSED</strong></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><strong>WATCH IT FOR FREE ONLY AT NJISACF</strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><strong>Festival Centerpiece  <em>LIFE GOES ON</em></strong></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><strong> </strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Memorable performances by Sharmila Tagore, Soha Ali Khan, Om Puri, Girish Karnad</strong></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><strong><span> </span></strong></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><strong> WATCH IT FOR FREE ONLY AT NJISACF</strong></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><strong>Closing Night film<em> COOKING WITH STELLA</em></strong></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant: small-caps;"><strong>A Delicious Comedy written by <em>DE</em></strong></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><strong><em>EPA MEHTA</em></strong></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong> A BRAVURA PERFORMANCE BY <em>SEEMA BISWAS</em></strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong> OF THE BANDIT QUEEN FAME</strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><strong>WATCH IT FOR FREE ONLY AT NJISACF</strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><strong><em>YASMIN</em></strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><strong>An award-winning performance by the Emmy award winner <em>ARCHIE PANJABI</em></strong></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><em> (the primetime TV serial THE GOOD WIFE) </em></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; line-height: normal;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><strong>WATCH IT FOR FREE ONLY AT NJISACF</strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><strong></strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;"><strong><span> </span></strong></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;"><strong>New Jersey Independent South Asian Cine Fest (NJISACF), 2010, </strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;">is all about women; their lives, journeys and achievements. This precocious spectacle presents South Asia’s most radical, crucial and underrepresented voices. The festival features a mélange of avant-garde documentaries, mindboggling shorts and a dynamic selection of feature films that evince exuberance, resilience and imperium of the South Asian cinema. <strong>NJISACF 2010 </strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;">through its dynamic ensemble of movies<strong> </strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;">wants to bring to the fore, a new perspective about South Asian women in cinema, who are breaking free from the shambles of culture, religion and sexuality; these women are challenging common perceptions and converging towards an affirmation of identity and rights. </span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;"><strong>Quote</strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;">: <strong>Sakti Sengupta, Director, NJISACF</strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;">: “There exists a body of recent films by women filmmakers and screenwriters working in the UK, Canada, and the US, and representing South Asian communities and subjectivity in the West. It is a culturally hybrid cinema, which actively locates itself between Hollywood and Bollywood. The diasporic South Asians are not merely assimilating to their host cultures but they are also actively reshaping them through their own, new voices bringing new definitions of identity.”</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;">This year <strong>NJISACF 2010</strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;"> brings a cinematic extravaganza from nine women filmmakers, with 16 features, shorts and docs from seven countries on <strong>October 29 and 30 at Big Cinemas, 1655 OAK TREE ROAD</strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;">, <strong>Edison, New Jersey</strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;">. For more information visit: <strong><a href="http://njisacf.org">www.NJISACF.org</a>.</strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;"><sup></sup></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;">On Friday October 29, the festival opens with the <strong>New Jersey premiere</strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;"> of the new yet-to-be-released film <span style="color: black;"><strong>“Mirch”</strong></span><span style="color: black;">, a masterwork and collage of four short stories about women''s empowerment and rights, and gender equality starring Indian heartthrobs <strong>Konkona Sen Sharma</strong></span><span style="color: black;"> and <strong>Raima Sen</strong></span><span style="color: black;">.</span><span style="color: red;"></span></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;">Come join us also on Saturday October 30, as we showcase the New Jersey premiere of yet another unreleased film <strong>“Life Goes On”</strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;"> starring <strong>Sharmila <span style="color: black;">Tagore</span></strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;"> (Satyajit Ray’s much-celebrated heroine from the Apu Trilogy), East Coast premiere of <strong>“Cooking with Stella” </strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;">co-scripted by the Oscar-nominated (for her film “Water”) Canadian woman filmmaker <strong>Deepa Mehta, </strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;">and<strong> “Yasmin”</strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;">, where <strong>Archie Panjabi</strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;"> (Emmy Award winning actress from the primetime series <strong>The Good Wife</strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;">) shows what it’s like being a Muslim and an Asian woman in a post 9/11 world, and documentaries like<strong> “Beyond Women’s Stereotypes”</strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;"> featuring Booker Prize winning author of <em>GODS OF SMALLL THINGS</em></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;"> <span> </span><strong>Arundhati Roy</strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;">, <strong>“Dishonored”</strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;"> the heart-rending story of the gang-raped Pakistani woman <strong>Mukhtar Mai</strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: black;"> (she won the Woman of the Year Glamour magazine award in 2005).</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;; color: red;"></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;">Where thought leaders, filmmakers, film personalities and scholars meet, exchange of ground breaking discussions ensue. <strong>NJISACF 2010</strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;"> will host two panel discussions; <strong>Changing Representations of Women in South Asian Cinema</strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;">, and <strong>South Asian Women reshaping their identity: A discussion on South Asian diasporic women filmmakers</strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;">, along with Q &amp; A sessions after each film screening. </span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;">Women filmmakers, and especially, South Asian women filmmakers, from South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora, are one of the most under-represented in the history of cinema, at film festivals and at all other exhibition venues. Women’s film festivals are only about 2% of more than 5,000 film festivals held in North America. And, how many South Asian Women’s film festivals are there in North America? We counted about 3 only! </span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;">The <strong>NJISACF</strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;"> is presented by the <strong>Asian American Film and theater Project</strong></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;">, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt non-profit arts organization. The organization promotes and recognizes the talents of the new, the established, the underrepresented, the best and the brightest Independent South Asian filmmakers from across the globe.</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;">Pls contact:</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;">Sakti Sengupta (Festival Director)</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;"><a href="mailto:asamfilmtheater@yahoo.com"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;">asamfilmtheater@yahoo.com</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;"></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;">732-310-0236</span></p>\r\n\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;">OR\r\n<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->\r\n<!--[endif]--></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;">Neha Mahajan (Marketing Co-ordinator)</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;"><a href="mailto:nehamaha@gmail.com"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;">nehamaha@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;"></span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;;">732-500-8844</span></p>\r\n\r\n<!--EndFragment-->', 'NJISACF 2010 : South Asian Women Filmmakers Reshaping Their Identities', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'njisacf-2010-south-asian-women-filmmakers-reshaping-their-identities', '', '', '2010-10-18 21:42:02', '2010-10-19 01:42:02', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=517', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(518, 1, '2010-10-20 14:22:30', '2010-10-20 18:22:30', '', 'gayatri-gamarsh-poet.jpg', 0, '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'gayatri-gamarsh-poetjpg', '', '', '2010-10-20 14:22:30', '2010-10-20 18:22:30', '', 520, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/gayatri-gamarsh-poet.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(519, 1, '2010-10-20 14:22:31', '2010-10-20 18:22:31', '', 'gayatri-gamarsh-poet-thumb.jpg', 0, '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'gayatri-gamarsh-poet-thumbjpg', '', '', '2010-10-20 14:22:31', '2010-10-20 18:22:31', '', 520, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/gayatri-gamarsh-poet-thumb.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(520, 1, '2010-10-20 14:22:33', '2010-10-20 18:22:33', '<p>by Pronoy Chatterjee</p>  <p><a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/gayatri-gamarsh-poet.jpg" rel="thumbnail"><img title="gayatri_gamarsh_poet" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 10px 10px 5px 5px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="166" alt="gayatri_gamarsh_poet" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/gayatri-gamarsh-poet-thumb.jpg" width="193" align="left" border="0" /></a> Gayatri Memorial Awards have been established by <b>Ananda Mandir (Somerset, NJ)</b> to recognize authors who have demonstrated excellence in writing through their published essays, poems, short stories or plays. The awards have been made possible through a significant contribution from Jerry GaMarsh, husband of late Gayatri GaMarsh. Gayatri was an accomplished author and artist – and a key member of the editorial team of Ananda Sangbad and Anandalipi, publications of Ananda Mandir. The Gayatri Award is administered through the Awards &amp; Recognition Subcommittee of Ananda Mandir.</p>  <p>Two cash awards will be given each year to recognize outstanding works published in North America-based literary magazines within the last five years. One award will be given to an author of Bengali works, and another will be given to an author in English. Each award will consist of $400 in cash and a certificate. </p> \n<!--more-->\n  <p></p>  <p>An author may nominate himself/herself -- or may be nominated by third parties (using the Nomination Form shown below). The nomination must be supported by photocopies of two (and only two) essays, poems, short stories or plays published in North America-based Bengali or English magazines. The two supporting publications can be of the same type or of different types (eg. one poem and one short story). Unpublished works of literature will not be accepted. Full publication references must be submitted for the articles submitted with each nomination. Articles published in magazines outside of North America will not be considered. </p>  <p>Nominated authors must be 18 years or older. Each of their published articles (prose or poems), submitted with their nominations, should be relatively short (no more than 5 or 6 printed pages in length). </p>  <p>Nominations should include short biographies of the authors. Judging, however, will be based primarily on the two supporting publications. Judges'' decisions will be final.</p>  <p>Members of the Awards &amp; Recognition Subcommittee and the judges cannot submit nominations for themselves nor can they be nominated by third parties.</p>  <p>Deadline for nominations (with supporting documents) for the 2010 awards: March 31, 2011. Awards will be announced and presented in Fall, 2011.</p>  <p><b>Please send nominations (with supporting documents) to</b></p>  <p><b>Pronoy Chatterjee</b></p>  <p><b>6 Marcin Court</b></p>  <p><b>Spotswood, NJ 08884</b></p>  <p>In case of questions, contact Pronoy Chatterjee (<a href="mailto:pkc_usa@yahoo.com">pkc_usa@yahoo.com</a>) or Debajyoti Chatterji (<a href="mailto:debsmee@comcast.net">debsmee@comcast.net</a>) </p>  <p><b></b></p>  <p><b></b></p>  <p><b></b></p>  <p><b></b></p>  <h3>NOMINATION FORM FOR </h3>  <p><b>GAYATRI GAMARSH MEMORIAL AWARDS</b></p>  <p><b></b></p>  <ol>   <li>Full Name of Author Being Nominated: _______________________________ </li> </ol>  <p>2. Is the Nominated Author 18 Years of Age or Older? (If no, please do not submit the nomination) ______________________________________________________</p>  <ol start="start">   <li>Full Address of the Nominated Author: _________________________________ </li> </ol>  <p>_________________________________________________________________ </p>  <p>_________________________________________________________________</p>  <ol start="start">   <li>Phone Number of the Nominated Author: _______________________________ </li> </ol>  <ol start="start">   <li>Email Address of the Nominated Author: ________________________________ </li> </ol>  <ol start="start">   <li>If the nomination is being submitted by a third party, please provide the full name and contact details of the third party. Also, please confirm that you have the author’s approval to submit the nomination on his behalf. __________________ </li> </ol>  <p>_________________________________________________________________ </p>  <p>_________________________________________________________________</p>  <ol start="start">   <li>Please attach a short (one page maximum) biography of the author, highlighting the author’s literary interests and accomplishments. </li> </ol>  <ol start="start">   <li>Please attach PHOTOCOPIES of TWO (AND ONLY TWO) of the author’s works of literature. For each work, PROVIDE FULL PUBLICATION DETAILS (name of magazine, publisher’s name/address, and date/year of publication). </li> </ol>  <ol start="start">   <li>Nominating Person’s Statement: “I have read the terms and conditions of the Gayatri Award and agree to abide by them.” </li> </ol>  <ol start="start">   <li>Signature of the Author/Nominating Party: _____________________________ </li> </ol>', 'Gayatri GaMarsh Memorial Awards For Literary Excellence', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'gayatri-gamarsh-memorial-awards-for-literary-excellence', '', '', '2010-10-20 14:22:33', '2010-10-20 18:22:33', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/archives/520', 0, 'post', '', 0),
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(522, 1, '2010-10-20 15:19:32', '2010-10-20 19:19:32', '', 'dsc-0770-thumb.jpg', 0, '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'dsc-0770-thumbjpg', '', '', '2010-10-20 15:19:32', '2010-10-20 19:19:32', '', 523, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/dsc-0770-thumb.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(523, 1, '2010-10-20 15:19:33', '2010-10-20 19:19:33', '<h2><strong>by Sharmila Sen</strong></h2>  <p><a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/dsc-0770.jpg" rel="thumbnail"><img title="DSC_0770" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="201" alt="DSC_0770" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/dsc-0770-thumb.jpg" width="244" align="left" border="0" /></a> This year Kallol celebrated Durga Pujo with a new committee and with a class structure. Unfortunately, some of the enforcers of this class system had none of their own. As one long time member expressed disappointedly, “Green tag gulo holo citizender jonno aar aamra bakira holam bratyo.” Life members, other members, and those who attend the Pujo celebrations at Kallol regularly, were treated with disdain and contempt, if they had not paid up for the venerable “green card.” One attendee asked, “Amaar $150er kono daam nei?” There was no answer.</p> \n<!--more-->\n  <p></p>  <p>In addition to this, several rows in the front were cordoned off with yellow “caution” tape - “caution” to the plebeians to stay away from the elite. One woman dared to cross over to wish a friend “Subho Bijoya” and was halted peremptorily, “Odike keno jachchen? Apnar odike jaorar katha na.” Interestingly, as this woman’s badge was in her purse, this volunteer only needed his perception of status (Or was this caused by gender?) to justify his insolence.</p>  <p>Interestingly, about 1/4 of these privileged rows, except for the very first row on the left, were mostly occupied by orange cardholders, not the color de rigueur! About 1/2 the seats in the orange section, bespoke of ownership with strewn shawls, bits of paper and brochures. An interesting note: most of the vacant seats in both the elite section and the orange section went unclaimed through the 3 days of celebration, despite the yellow tape and the visual claims of ownership!</p>  <p>The indignity of being tagged “orange,” was intensified by the fact that, in conjunction with the yellow cautionary tape, orange signified, “Danger! Be careful of these unimportant people!” In addition, the lighting system was placed in the midst of the outcasts, after the elite seats. Three chairs marked off the lighting system, three chairs that went unoccupied as the light man stood erect the entire time, fiddling with the various knobs as a child would with a new toy and aiming the lights at all and sundry, frequently missing the real subject. The fact that he was not transparent and clearly obstructed most of the people behind him did not seem to concern him as he obstreperously defied all requests to sit down. </p>  <p>The last night of celebration at Kallol has been, for the last few years, one of greeting, contemplation, and classical music. This year the penultimate program was one of songs and sarode. As the artists on the stage announced their last presentation, one of Kallol’s volunteers shooed them off the stage, dismissing requests and protests from the audience. Even the boos from the audience, both citizens and non, did not pause the proclamation, “We are running late and there’s another program.”</p>  <p>Several people complained about the rude, crude, and obnoxious behavior on display through out the festivities. Most of the complainants were either women or visiting parents. While the former group is not unexpected, as other women, in other contexts, have spoken about the misogyny that infests Kallol, the revelation from the latter came as a surprise. It is worthy to note at this point that it was Durga who was being celebrated, the Sacred Feminine, Shakti. To borrow loosely from a noted writer, oh, how the borders of our belief of a celebration shrank back in the hands of a few of Kallol’s officious officials! As someone remarked sadly, “Kollol’e beno jol dhuke geche onek, etai dukher byapar.”</p>  <p>The bottom line is some of us were deliberately slighted, insulted, and mistreated. What a nice way to mark bangalider shrestho celebration!</p>  <p><strong>NOTE: OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR ONLY. </strong></p>', 'Aamaader Durga Pujo', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'aamaader-durga-pujo', '', '', '2010-10-20 15:19:33', '2010-10-20 19:19:33', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/archives/523', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(524, 1, '2010-10-20 17:33:50', '2010-10-20 21:33:50', '<div>\r\n<h2><strong>by Brinda Guha</strong></h2>\r\n</div>\r\n<div><a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/kathak-kalamandir.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-355" style="float: left; margin: 5px;" title="kathak-kalamandir" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/kathak-kalamandir.jpg" alt="Kathak by Kalamandir Students" width="386" height="221" /></a>Durga Puja is one of the most beloved times in our community - every year we get together, tempted to see all the people we haven''t seen in recent months, sometimes even years. I still remember coming to Puja since I was 4 and 5 years old, hoping to see all the Mashi''s and Kaku''s, finding every corner of the Ukrainian Center with friends to find the perfect place to play games. Then being rushed out by my parents to make sure I gave anjali, even though I had no clue what it was -- I knew it made my folks feel good to know that they were giving me their blessings for another prosperous year. It was by far the most exciting time for the entire Indian community that I called "my sphere".</div>\r\n<div>Over the years, it''s slowly been slipping away. <!--more--></div>\r\n<div>As a young dance student in the community, I always looked forward to dancing at Kallol Durga Puja. I still enjoy it. We performed on Friday of Durga Puja this year, with my new dance company KALAMANDIR, and our fellow dancers and our director couldn''t be more grateful and happy about the opportunity. We were invited to perform a few selections from our most current repertoire. However, I can''t say the feelings were the same for all of the community-inspired groups at Kallol Durga Puja 2010.</div>\r\n<div>I was thoroughly and completely disgusted by the behavior of the cultural committee with one specific evening, Sunday evening, and I''d be cheating myself if I didn''t bring this situation to the light, at least to make my feelings heard (however accepted or not accepted). The people I was with, including MANY other people in the audience, were hoping to see Zafar Billah''s musical program come to its intended finish until the Kallol representatives entered the stage, mid-narration by the singers, and hurried them to get off for the next program. The excuse that was given was that the Ukrainian Center had to be vacated before 11pm -- nevermind the fact that a commercial act finished the evening off at 11:40pm, as per the time on the clock when people were ready to leave. Zafar Billah, Renee Dutta, Purba Mukherjee, Anirban Dasgupta, and Dibarkya Chatterjee were performing and coming to the conclusion of their performance, with Dutta even saying "This will be our last number", and still there were on-stage representatives shooing them off. It was unprofessional, extremely rude, and completely uncalled for. Not only are Dasgupta and Chatterjee professional musicians who put in a lot of time, traveled from a far distance and delivered an excellent performance, but our very own extremely talented community artists - Billah, Dutta, and Mukherjee - put in the same amount of time to bring their program together. As a dancer and eternal student of the arts, I am frankly appalled. Every show that we (as art-lovers) commit to involves traveling, rehearsal space rental, and time away from our friends and family. Each show that is performed involves a certain thought process, a certain agenda, to speak to the audience in a personal way, in our way. I mean, isn''t that what performing for the community is about? Its how we cultivate the special attention, love and support from the years into our performance that we present, and it made me completely sick to see our very own, someone I consider my inspirational "didi", Renee Dutta, be cut off in the middle of her sentence in the middle of her show! Especially considering the fact that it wasn''t their program that was running late, but it was Kallol''s lineup that was pushed back. A much classier way to deal with the situation (because I do believe that it was pressing and understandbly hard to manage) would have been to come speak to one of the artists BETWEEN songs and ask them nicely to wrap it up because they were running short of time. Personally, I know that the artists involved in that program were traveling from central Jersey to Manhattan multiple times a week to rent studio time in Midtown Manhattan for the successful collaboration, and it''s so strange that the people who are in charge of putting on a cultural lineup are not sensitive the amount of commitment shown by the artists.</div>\r\n<div>I am, by no means, saying that Kallol Durga Puja wasn''t successful. I am extremely happy with the tender care given towards our dance company (by the cultural committee themselves) to perform in a prime slot of the lineup on Friday evening. I thought there were many aspects of Durga Puja that were even better this year than previous years because of the organizing capabilities of the new administrators. And most of all, I will always be grateful, on a personal level, for all the love and support shown by my community for my new endeavors and dreams.  But I cannot stay quiet to such insensitivity to our fellow artists. When Kallol members and non-members pay a hefty amount to celebrate Puja with their family and friends, we expect the intended lineup, not a complete disregard of the work put in to making the best show possible.</div>\r\n<div>I noticed that there may be a few things Kallol could think about when running the next big Durga Puja celebration, at least in my opinion. When performing the following night (Saturday) at Garden State Cultural Association, I noticed many aspects of their program that made it easier for the artists and the audience to enjoy the artistic lineup of performances. The main aspect was the venue: it was in a school where there was an isolated auditorium for people to enjoy the performances. The kids were running around playing, but outside of the performance space, not disturbing audience members. The food and idols were set up in a separate spot for people to engage in proper "adda", the good stuff we all look forward to when going to Durga Puja. There was a magic show for all the kids to participate in right before the cultural show for the evening, giving the children an opportunity to spend some of their pent-up energy. Maybe we can all learn from that and find a way to improve the setting for Kallol Durga Puja for years to come.</div>\r\n<div>The only reason I''m writing is because Kallol is my home and has always been so. If it wasn''t for Kallol, I might not have been able to take dance as seriously as I take it now. I am grateful for that. But if we cannot learn from these past mistakes, we cannot improve, and we will lose people''s loyalty and appreciation, slowly but surely. I hope it doesn''t come to that.</div>\r\n<div>\r\n</div>\r\n<div><strong>NOTE: OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR ONLY.</strong></div>', 'My sphere, My Community, My Durga Puja ', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'my-sphere-my-community-my-durga-puja', '', '', '2010-10-20 17:33:50', '2010-10-20 21:33:50', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=524', 0, 'post', '', 5),
(525, 1, '2010-10-29 09:03:49', '2010-10-29 13:03:49', 'All Free Screenings\r\n\r\nSeats are available\r\n\r\nMeet Seema Biswas in person\r\n\r\nDetails at www.NJISACF.org\r\n\r\nWatch 16 films from 7 countries by 9 women filmmakers\r\n\r\nOpening night film MIRCH starring Konkona Sen Sharma, Raima Sen, Boman Irani on October 29th at 8:00 PM\r\n\r\nFestival Centerpiece LIFE GOES ON starring Sharmila Tagore, Soha Ali Khan, Om\r\nPuri and Girish Karnad on October 30th at 2:15 PM\r\n\r\nClosing night film COOKING WITH STELLA starring Seema Biswas co-written by\r\nDeepa Mehta on October 30th at 8:20 PM.\r\n\r\nYASMIN starring Emmy award-winning Archie Panjabi on October 30th at\r\nNoon', 'NJISACF 2010 Seats Available', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'njisacf-2010-seats-available', '', '', '2010-10-29 09:03:49', '2010-10-29 13:03:49', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=525', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(526, 1, '2010-11-10 22:26:52', '2010-11-11 02:26:52', 'Raag-Rang presents a magical afternoon of instrumental music by\r\nShree  <span class="il">Anirban</span> Dasgupta (Sarod), son &amp; disciple of  renowned Sarod maestro Pt Buddhadev Dasgupta.\r\nShree Amod Dandawate  will accompany him on tabla.\r\nThere will be a short vocal recital by a talented young artist Shree  Chinmay Paranjape.\r\n\r\nDate-4th December.\r\nTime- 3:30pm --6pm.\r\nVenue: Universal Unitarian  Congregation of Princeton (Fahs Theater)\r\n50 Cherry Hill Road,  Princeton, NJ 08540\r\n\r\nAdmission: Non Members: $20 (Kids between 5  to10 Years $10)\r\nRaagRang Members: $15 (Kids between 5 to 10 Years $7)\r\nFor details  Contact: 908-429-1120,609-890-4890,908-240-8289.\r\n<div id=":z6">RSVP will be  appreciated.\r\nEmail: <a href="mailto:bhawmikm@gmail.com" target="_blank">bhawmikm@gmail.com</a>, <a href="mailto:mayuresh.khare@gmail.com" target="_blank">mayuresh.khare@gmail.com</a>,  <a href="mailto:devang42@yahoo.com" target="_blank">devang42@yahoo.com</a></div>', 'Raag-Rang Presents Anirban Dasgupta on Sarod', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'raag-rang-presents-anirban-dasgupta-on-sarod', '', '', '2010-11-10 22:29:57', '2010-11-11 02:29:57', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=526', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(527, 1, '2010-11-15 23:37:24', '2010-11-16 03:37:24', 'Friday, Nov 19, 2010 8.00pm\r\n\r\nSahitya - o - Alochona at Ananda Mandir to feature\r\n\r\n"Probashe Natoker Boshe"\r\n\r\nA discussion on Bengali Diaspora Theatre.\r\n\r\nThe discussion will be led by Sudipta Bhawmik and will delve into the issues of why, how and what of Bengali theatre in USA. We will trace the history and talk about the latest trends of our theatre.\r\n\r\nAll are welcome.', '"Probashe Natoker Boshe" - A Discussion on Bengali Diaspora Theatre  ', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'probashe-natoker-boshe-a-discussion-on-bengali-diaspora-theatre', '', '', '2010-11-15 23:37:24', '2010-11-16 03:37:24', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=527', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(528, 1, '2010-12-01 00:46:58', '2010-12-01 04:46:58', '<h2><strong>by Amitava Sen</strong></h2>\r\nMy Sales Manager came running to my office. “What’s my Good Name?” he asked urgently. I did not understand his question. Indeed, I liked his name.  I did not think it was a bad name and how was I supposed to know whether he had a better name? Honestly I did not care what his name was. Did Shakespeare not write somewhere that a rose smells the same despite the name you call it by?   Richard Schwartz, my sales manager explained that there was a call from an Indian company who was interested in our filtration product.  Richard was loath to give an incorrect answer and lose the prospect of an order for the product simply because his parents neglected to give him a better name.  Suddenly it dawned on me that this man from India was asking for his Subh Naam, which translated, to Good Name.<!--more-->\r\n\r\n“Go and tell him your name is, Richard Schwartz and I will explain the whole thing to you later.” I advised my sales manager.\r\nWe, Bengalees usually do not use this term “Subh Naam,” literally translated, it means Auspicious Name. In some parts of India it is considered rude to ask anyone the names in his face; to sound polite people ask for “Good Name.”\r\n\r\nThat was decades ago. I had almost forgotten the term Good Name.  So I was somewhat taken aback when I heard some one calling me from behind one day as I was taking a stroll in the neighborhood. “What’s your Good Name Sir?  I am Sam.”  As I turned around I saw him.  It was rather difficult for me to accept an Indian man long past his prime years just as Sam; it sounded incongruous. The name did not fit him at all.\r\nI introduced myself and asked, “So what’s YOUR good name?”\r\n“I am B.K. Somasundaram Allepei Chellum.” I chose not to ask him to elaborate on B.K. I was a little embarrassed that I myself did not even have one middle name.  “Glad to know you Mr.Chellum” I said.  It turns out that Chellum is not his last name either, he is really Mr.Chettier; Chettier is his family name.\r\n“My son does not want me to tell people my real name, he kind of rechristened me.  He thinks Sam is more acceptable in this country”\r\n“I have no problem calling you Somasundaram, if you let me.”\r\n“So, you’re a Bengali, my daughter-in-law is also a Bengali. Won’t you come inside? Please do.” He almost begged.\r\nI have not known this man but I have seen him walking in the neighborhood with a woman, who I assume is his wife and a dog on a leash. Even with my limited knowledge of dogs, this dog was unmistakably a Rottweiler or some such frightening species.  I was not particularly keen on going close to a person with a Rottweiler and the dog did not appear to be overly friendly. But the couple looked at me every time I saw them from my driveway while they were walking the street in front of my house expecting to introduce them to me.  I ignored them.\r\nBut finally I am trapped; I have no choice now.  This man was insisting that I should come in, and now that he has announced that his daughter in law is a Bengali, he feels I have an obligation to befriend him.\r\nInside the house, his wife was feeding his infant grandson and was genuinely happy to see me.\r\nI looked around and asked with trepidation “Your dog?”\r\n“Sundays my son and his wife take the dog to the park in the afternoon for walk and play” he replied and then added that they would be back soon.\r\n“I have to leave sooner,” I told myself.\r\nA few days later the doorbell rang and I instantly knew who it would be. Sure enough Mr. and Mrs. Chettier were there with a distressed look writ large over their faces.  After sitting down on my couch they got straight to the point. Can I help them to purchase two tickets to India? They have been here for the past seven years when their first grandchild, a son, was born. After he grew up, his son and the daughter-in-law decided to have another baby and they insisted that their parents stay longer. They were stuck. Meanwhile they have only been to India once, two years ago.\r\nAny time they had expressed their desire to go back to India, his son became depressed and begged them to stay another year.  If they go back it will be the end of the daughter in law’s career and their American dream would fall by the wayside. His wife does not trust day care or a baby sitter and besides his son argues; he is the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Chettier, they should stay with their son, at least for some time.\r\nThe father explained that without their son’s acquiescence and cooperation they could not return to India.\r\nFurthermore Mr. Chettier would not want to hurt his son’s feelings. It was in fact Mrs. Chettier’s insistence that brought them to me.\r\nMrs. Chettier became hysterical and started crying.  She never cooked or washed dishes while she lived in India. Here in America she cleans, cooks, does dishes and laundry and baby-sits all day.\r\n“That’s not really true,” the husband protested, “My son tells you repeatedly to leave all household chores for them,” Only asks that his parents walk the dog and look after the children.\r\n“How can I do that? It is easily said than done? Being a woman I cannot stand to see all the work piling up and left for the weekend. After all, my son will end up doing most of the chores.” Mrs. Chettier said between her tears. “And I can not live my life in my own way here; my daughter in law even objects to my using water after going to the bathroom”  She is ashamed of the sight of a water jug in the bathroom that her friends may visit sometime.\r\nMr. Chettier assured me that he does not need any monetary help from me; they have saved enough money for their passage.  Having lived here for seven years, they have green cards; they receive Medicaid and SSI money from the government.  His son does not let them spend any of their savings.\r\nMr. Chettier would stay longer, if he had a choice, but he was afraid that his wife would breakdown soon emotionally.\r\nAfter listening to them, I realized that I was quite familiar with this very situation; I heard it all before. One of my friend’s mother in law similarly escaped with the help of a neighbor. I heard that she died shortly after reaching Calcutta.\r\nI really had sympathy for Mrs.Chettier’s situation, but I declined; I was afraid of any legal situation arising out of my action.  I explained it to them and Mr. Chettier readily understood.\r\nSince this time, we became quite friendly and we would talk whenever we passed each other in the neighborhood. Two or three months passed, and I realized that I did not see them for a week, may be two.  I stopped by their house the following weekend and rang the bell. The son, whom I had seen a few times, but was never introduced to, answered the door.\r\nHis parents departed for India a few weeks earlier.\r\nI did not ask how or why. The news relieved my conscience and made my day.\r\nI kept thinking about how commonplace this situation is for so many of my Bengali friends, whose parents, particularly for the widowed mother who lived with them.  To put it harshly many of them are virtually prisoners in this country in their children’s home where in most situations husband and wife both work outside of the homes during the day.  It is true that in most cases they are not really treated badly by their children or the children’s spouses.  The grand mother is left behind to take care of children all day or at least for the time after the children come back from school.  During the school hours the lives for the grandparents are more depressing and lonely.\r\nWhen the grandma is home, her children expect their food will be ready when they return from work, so she cooks, washes dishes and does laundry. It is not that her children impose the chores on her, she does it voluntarily, and at least that is what she would like to think.  If she is the wife’s mother she talks to her daughter when the daughter comes back from work, but refrains from talking too much as she is afraid of intruding into the time between her daughter and her husband.  If she happens to be son’s mother, the communication is not as open with the daughter in law and her son is usually on computer doing his stuff.\r\nThe grandparents do not drive; they look forward to the weekends when they may be lucky to see the outside world for a while.  But their children’s dinner invitations or a necessary visit to Home Depot interferes with the plan of taking grandparents out or limits it to a supermarket visit.\r\nParents are often invited to the weekend dinners, but they do not always fit in amongst their children’s friends.  When they join the parties, they look for another set of parents, if they can find one.  Curiously, the age is not a factor in this class divide.  Being the parents of the first generation and having come here at late age, they are just considered seniors, to be called Kakus and Meshomasais while some among us who are their contemporary or even older are addressed as Dadas. Sometimes it is obvious from their demeanor that either the husband or the wife is not quite pleased with the situation where they have to carry each other’s in laws as an appendage to every party. And that makes the parents feel uneasy, if not unwelcome.\r\nShorter stay limited to a few months by a grandmother during a childbirth is not a breeze either.  In addition to caring for the newborn, there is the cooking and all the other daily chores and of course there are sleepless nights. With helps galore most of these grandmothers are accustomed to an easy and comfortable, if not lazy life back home in India for many years. In an existential world the mothers from India have no option, they just can not say no to their children’s call for help. But it turns out to be a torturous adjustment to make at this stage of life.\r\nThere is a difference between circumstances of the mothers who are here for  a single child birth and plight of many other women who are compelled by circumstances or have made a choice of moving to and living with their children in America. For the former there is light at the end of the tunnel with a looming escape in sight. Sometimes though, it may turn out to be a temporary parole till the next child is due.', 'Mothers on Call', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'mothers-on-call', '', '', '2010-12-01 00:46:58', '2010-12-01 04:46:58', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=528', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(529, 1, '2010-12-01 19:22:05', '2010-12-01 23:22:05', '<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/shabana_azmi.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-530" style="border: 2px solid black; float: left; margin: 5px;" title="Shabana Azmi" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/shabana_azmi.jpg" alt="Shabana Azmi in Broken Images" /></a>Recently I had the opportunity to watch the play "Broken Images" written by Girish Karnad, directed by Alyque Padamsee and performed by the famous film and stage actor Ms. Shabana Azmi.  Girish Karnad is one of the foremost playwrights of modern India, hence any play from him raises expectations.  "Broken Images" is certainly not one of his best plays although it did make its point quite strongly. It tells the story of the confessions of a mediocre Hindi writer who has become an internationally acclaimed English language celebrity author through deceit.  It also tells that the image we often create to impress the outer world gets shattered inside when it is not projected in the light of truth. <!--more-->The play being directed by the veteran theater persona Alyque Padamsee, adds another dimension to it. But the strongest attraction for most theater goers was to see Shabana Azmi on stage.  The North Brunswick High School auditorium (in New Jersey) was packed with her cheerful fans, although they had to wait well past the show time in long lines outside the theater.  And it seemed they were not disappointed.  They got to see their favorite actress not only in person, but also on screen.  It was Shabana acting on stage with Shabana on a big screen television mounted on stage.  It was a bit tricky act to perform, especially when she had to synchronize not only the timing of her dialogues, but also her position on stage to match the eye movement of the character on screen.  It kind of restricted her freedom on stage in many ways. But the major problem came not from the timing or blocking, but from the difference in the two media. Acting on television differs greatly from the the acting styles on stage. The big close up of Shabana on a big screen TV on stage carried subtle nuances and facial expressions which Shabana on stage had to compensate with her physical movements. This caused a discord in acting styles which was a bit discomforting to me. The technique looked more gimmicky rather than an absolute necessity. In many one person shows, the actor often has to play multiple roles and the audience accepts the illusion quite happily. If the play demands another character on stage, I''d think it is better to use another actor rather than use some convoluted technique like that used in this production.  Ms. Azmi is a powerful actor and I am quite convinced that she could have handled both the characters on stage with equal ease.  Maybe Mr. Padamsee can think of this play in a more conventional way and deal with the challenge without taking recourse to modern technology.', 'Shabana''s Broken Images ', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'shabanas-broken-images', '', '', '2010-12-01 19:22:05', '2010-12-01 23:22:05', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=529', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(530, 1, '2010-12-01 19:18:48', '2010-12-01 23:18:48', 'Shabana Azmi in Broken Images', 'Shabana Azmi', 0, 'Shabana Azmi in Broken Images', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'shabana_azmi', '', '', '2010-12-01 19:18:48', '2010-12-01 23:18:48', '', 529, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/shabana_azmi.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(531, 1, '2010-12-08 19:55:34', '2010-12-08 23:55:34', '<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/kaachher-manush.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-532" style="float: left; margin: 4px;" title="Kaachher Manush" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/kaachher-manush.jpg" alt="Kaachher Manush" /></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Arial; color: #000000;">Whenever I go to Kolkata,  I make it a point to see as many theaters as possible within the short  breaks that I can manage from the hectic schedule. This summer too I had  the opportunity of watching two plays in Kolkata, “Kaachher Manush” by  Gandhar and “Srinwantu Comrades” by Nandipat. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style="font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Arial; color: #000000;">“Kaachher Manush” is  based on a Marathi play by Dr. Sirish Athwale (translated by Kamal  Sanyal) and directed by Gautam Haldar. The play tells the story about  how two people from different social backgrounds can come close together  through a metaphoric process of healing.  Dadaseheb (a Marathi Brahmin  played by Debshankar Haldar) is suffering from a paralysis of his right  side resulting from a head injury and needs physiotherapy and  occupational therapy to recover. Savitribai, a senior dalit lady  (performed by Bijoy Lakshmi Burman), has been appointed as a nurse to  provide him with his daily therapy and help him during the day with his  household chores. </span><!--more--><span style="font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Arial; color: #000000;">Dadasaheb initially opposed to this arrangement,  especially to be under the constant supervision of a lower caste lady,  but had to accept reluctantly.  And predictably enough, Dadasaheb’s  physical condition improves under the strict regimen of Savitribai and  at one point the widower Dadasheb even proposes her hand in marriage.  Dadasheb is finally cured within a week’s time when his NRI daughter  threatens to come and take him with her to USA.  The play is very well  acted by Debshankar and Bijoy Lakshmi. Debshankar’s boisterous  characterization of Dadasaheb has been well complemented by the cool and  composed Savitribai of Bijoylakhsmi.  Parthasarathi Mukhopadhyay as the  son was just appropriate. However, the character of Dadasaheb’s NRI  daughter Maitrayee has been made into a stereotypical non-resident  haughty woman whose concern for her father was made into a comical  farce.  The director (and the playwright) should have paid some  attention to modern physical and occupational therapy  techniques for  the elderly, where safety and fall prevention is one of the key  objectives.  The days of challenging the patient to walk on his own  without any safety precautions is long gone with the days of black and  while romantic films of Uttam and Suchitra.  Scenes like these help the  actor to show a good deal of physical acting and even helps build  audience tension, but is not practical at all and should have come with  the notice - “Don’t try this at home with your parents.” </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Arial; color: #000000;">Incidentally, Kachher  Manush was staged at the 2010 Bangamela held in Nashville, TN and then  it toured some of the mid-west cities, although it did not come to the  US east coast. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style="font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Arial; color: #000000;">The  other play “Srinwantu Comrades” (Comrades, Lend me your ears!) is  directed by the veteran thespian, Bibhas Chakraborty.  The play  (originally written by the Russian playwright Satrov in 1977) tells the  story about a day in the life of Vladimir I Lenin in 1920, when he was  recuperating from an assassination attempt with two bullets in his body.    As the day progresses, Lenin receives visitors from his party, the  government, the bureaucrats, the labourers, the farmers and even the  socialites. And gradually Lenin realizes how his thoughts and philosophy  for creating a classless proletariat society is getting distorted. The  party, the govt and the bureaucrats are bent upon forcing socialism down  the throats of the people and choking their voice in the process. While  watching the play, one would invariably draw parallels with the current  left front govt of West Bengal and their actions in the name of   Marxism, although at the very beginning of the play it was announced  that the translator and director did not make any changes to the  original text to make it sound more relevant. The play did not have any  story line for that matter and was almost like a staged documentary. It  requires a lot of attention on the audience’s part to stay focused on  the play, as the play turns out to be talking heads for the most part. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style="font-size: 11pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Arial; color: #000000;">One good thing I  noticed was that on both days the audience turn out was quite good. The  common complaint that I hear about the lack of audience was not evident  at least for these two shows. I’d recommend both the plays to anybody  who wants to watch good theater.</span>\r\n\r\n(NOTE: This article was previously published in Ananda Sambad.)', 'Two Plays in Kolkata', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'two-plays-in-kolkata', '', '', '2010-12-08 19:55:34', '2010-12-08 23:55:34', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=531', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(532, 1, '2010-12-08 19:51:53', '2010-12-08 23:51:53', 'Kaachher Manush featuring Debshankar Haldar and Bijoylaxmi Burman.', 'Kaachher Manush', 0, 'Kaachher Manush', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'kaachher-manush', '', '', '2010-12-08 19:51:53', '2010-12-08 23:51:53', '', 531, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/kaachher-manush.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(533, 1, '2010-12-13 23:42:12', '2010-12-14 03:42:12', 'The Naga Viper is the latest claimant to the world''s-hottest-pepper title, beating its predecessor, the Bhoot Jolokia by more than 300,000 Scoville units of tongue-scorching chili hotness. Researchers at Warwick University testing the Naga Viper found that it measures 1,359,000 on the Scoville scale, which rates heat by tracking the presence of a chemical compound. In comparison, most varieties of jalapeño peppers measure in the 2,500 to 5,000 range. Bhoot Jolokia scored 1,000,000 Scoville units.  But Naga Viper is not a produce of Nagaland. The new pepper is actually a creation of Gerald Fowler, a British chili farmer and pub owner, who crossed three of the hottest peppers known to man, including the Bhoot Jolokia.', 'Naga Viper Beats Bhoot Jolokia', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'naga-viper-beats-bhoot-jolokia', '', '', '2010-12-13 23:42:12', '2010-12-14 03:42:12', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=533', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(534, 1, '2010-12-16 00:58:32', '2010-12-16 04:58:32', 'I often have this dilemma, is it okay to criticize? Often people ask me, how did I like a book, or a play, or a movie - and I find it very difficult to answer. First of all, if it is my opinion they are asking for, I can possibly try to answer quite diplomatically. My answer would also depend on who is asking me, and about what my opinion is sought for. But expressing an opinion and making a criticism of some work are two entirely different ball games. Opinions are personal, but criticism should be based on a solid foundation of theoretical and practical understanding of the craft. We often tend to confuse between the two and sometimes give too much weight to personal opinions as valued commentary of a piece of artistic or literary work.  <!--more-->And this is where I feel awkward to express my opinions because I fear that my opinions may be considered as criticisms and be given more value than it is worth. Secondly, being involved in some artistic pursuits myself, I feel it is not for me to judge the creation of a fellow artist. For, when I put myself in their shoes, I know how hard it is to create something - how much love, dedication, passion and hard work has gone into it. I can never trivialize someones work, whatever others may feel about it. Yes, I do often see half baked, immature, ill conceived pieces of work being presented by many of my colleagues and friends. But I still find it very difficult to comment on them. But as friends and colleagues, they do ask my comments, ask my feedback. I can offer my feedback only as a fellow artist and never as a critic. Similarly, when I write about a play that I have seen or a book that I have read recently, I express only my opinion and not criticism.\r\nThe art (and maybe science) of criticism has developed considerably over the ages. Several philosophers and literary theorists (and I''ll not drop any names) have worked on this subject and several frameworks for criticisms are now in place. A true critic should arm himself/herself with this knowledge, as well as knowledge about the craft in question before making their commentary. A critic has his/her place in the world of art and literature. They help us appreciate the art form better and gives us clues to look for in the work to find hidden treasures. They also help the creators detect their flaws and improve their work. But good critics are hard to find. Most of  them only express their opinions and just put in their ranking in letter grades or stars and claim themselves as critics. But in this day of social media marketing, it is the opinions of the social influencers that matters the most.  I have no complaints about that, but we need to appreciate that these are opinions only and not criticisms. Do not base your appreciation of any work or any artist based on these opinions. If you need help, find a good critic and read their criticisms. Else form your own opinion.', 'To Criticize or Not to Criticize, That is a Question!', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'to-criticize-or-not-to-criticize-that-is-a-question', '', '', '2010-12-16 01:01:02', '2010-12-16 05:01:02', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=534', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(535, 1, '2010-12-22 21:41:43', '2010-12-23 01:41:43', '<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/zuckerberg_facebook.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-536" style="float: left; margin: 4px;" title="Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/zuckerberg_facebook.jpg" alt="Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook" /></a>Time magazine chose Mark Zuckerberg as the 2010 person of the year. A film on the life of Mark Zuckerberg is a strong contender for Oscars next February. He is twenty six years old and is worth 7 billion dollars. He drives an Acura TSX and rents a house. And he is the creator of the phenomenon called "Facebook".\r\n\r\nYes, Facebook is no longer a website, it is a phenomenon. Social networking sites are nothing new. People on the internet started to commune together since the early days through bulletin boards, news groups etc., long before MySpace, LinkedIn, Orkut and Facebook came into existence.  Newsgroups were there (remember soc.cult.etc.etc?) even before web browsers and web servers were invented. People have always tried to use the internet to connect and to share. Social networking sites like Facebook has given the people the ideal vehicle to connect and share. And of all the social networking sites, Facebook has become the most popular platform primarily because of its ability to evolve continuously.  People have been able to connect with their friends after ages, they share their thoughts, their likes and dislikes, their photos and memories. It allows many to get their moments of fame and recognition from their friends and peers that was never possible before.  It has become such a powerful attraction to many that some psychiatrists are considering Facebook addition as a diagnosable ailment.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nBut Facebook addiction is only one of the complaints against this 21st century phenomenon. Many people complain that Facebook doesn''t care for their privacy. They feel shocked to learn that some apparently unknown person has been able to read their profiles, or when they see personal comments from some unknown people floating in on their walls. However, before making any such complaints, one should think that Facebook is not a place for private people. You join Facebook to share, to get others to know you. I do not mean that just because you are on Facebook, one has the right to know about all your secrets. All I mean to say is that, people only know what you want them to know. When you make someone your friend, there has to be an element of trust between you two. Also, you should note that when you comment on a post by your friend, it is most likely that his/her friends get to see your comment too. So the first principle in Facebook (or any such social network platform) is not to make a comment or statement that you wouldn''t want to share with many. If there is something that you''d like to share with your friend in private, there are several other vehicles to do it, including the messaging feature of Facebook.\r\n\r\nAnother common complaint, "Why do I have too see all the garbage  that my friends and their friends keep on posting." Well, since you have accepted somebody as your friend, it is presumed that you''d like to read what they have to say. But if someone makes and excessive amount of postings, you have the option of politely hiding their posts such that they don''t appear on your news feed. Your friend does not even get to know that you have turned him off without rejecting him as a friend.\r\n\r\nFacebook is a powerful platform and it is transforming the way people use the internet. It is empowering the internet users in ways that was never thought to be possible.  Marketing organizations are paying special attention to these platforms because this is where their customers are flocking.  But Facebook allows not only the big corporations, but also the smaller organizations to reach out to the people for whatever cause they want their attention.  Features like groups and pages allow people to create common areas of interest to work and share on. But when all this becomes easily available to everybody, lot of junk gets created too. One must be extremely careful in selecting the right groups and pages to join.\r\n\r\nFacebook is becoming an integral part of our online existence. Even if you are not on Facebook today, if you are a netizen, you''ll soon have to join because all your friends will expect you to be on Facebook. It is an enjoyable experience,  but just like any other piece of technology, it must be used responsibly.  Note that, Facebook is a public place hence treat it like you''d treat a regular public space. Do not litter, do not cause nuisance, do not exhibit your dirty laundry and do not abuse it.', 'Facebook - Not a Place to Hide Your Face', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'facebook-not-a-place-to-hide-your-face', '', '', '2010-12-22 21:42:34', '2010-12-23 01:42:34', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=535', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(536, 1, '2010-12-22 21:39:28', '2010-12-23 01:39:28', 'Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook', 'Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook', 0, 'Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'zuckerberg_facebook', '', '', '2010-12-22 21:39:28', '2010-12-23 01:39:28', '', 535, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/zuckerberg_facebook.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(537, 1, '2011-01-05 01:20:24', '2011-01-05 05:20:24', '<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/thakur_barir_ranna.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-538" style="float: left; margin: 4px;" title="thakur_barir_ranna" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/thakur_barir_ranna.jpg" alt="Thakur Barir Ranna by Purnima Thakur" width="185" height="268" /></a>The other day, while rearranging the books in my tiny library, I chanced upon a tiny book titled "Thakur Barir Ranna" (Foods from the Tagore Kitchen) written by Purnima Tagore (daughter of Pramatha Choudhury and Nalini Devi). This year being the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, anything related to Tagore generates special interest. Hence, after a long time, I started leafing through the book and was pleasantly surprised by the variety of cuisine and recipes listed in the book. In the preface, the author says that these recipes are collected from a recipe book handed down to her by her aunt, Indira Devi Choudhurani. Indira Devi, the favorite niece of Rabindranath Tagore, had never entered a kitchen or cooked on a regular basis. But whenever she liked a dish, she would make it a point to collect the detailed recipe from the cook and note it down in her book. Purnima Tagore has also included some of her own recipes in the book. Hence, it is not that all the recipes were from Jorsanko Thakurbari, but of course they are from the Tagore kitchens in general.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nThe book has been divided in multiple sections like vegetarian dishes, fish dishes, eggs, meat, desserts, and pickles. It''s not that the recipes are exciting but the book is a good read too. The book has no pictures but when you read through the pages you''ll clearly visualize the colorful and flavorful dishes in your minds eye. I picked some of the unusual recipes to share with you in the same style as written in the book.\r\n\r\n<strong>Fish Stir-fry (Maach Chachchari)</strong>: Fry  the fish. You''ll need potatoes and onions. Heat oil to fry onions and then add the potatoes.  When the potatoes turn brown, add turmeric and red chili paste. Add salt and green chili. You may add tomatoes if you''d like. After frying the spices, add water and cover.  Add fish to the boiling sauce. Cook till the gravy thickens.\r\n\r\n<strong>Mourala Fish (Anchovies?) Sour (Mourala Maacher Ambal)</strong> : Fry the fish in oil, then add turmeric. Add green tamarind puree. Add sugar and salte to taste and cook till the sauce thickens. Ripe tamarind puree can also be used.\r\n\r\n<strong>Egg Chao Chao</strong>: Eggs - 4; Onions - 6; Dry red chili whole - 4; Garlic -  4 cloves; A pinch of turmeric, little cumin seeds (jeera), salt and clarified butter (ghee). Make a paste of red chilies, garlic, turmeric, and cumin. Slice the onions into fine shred.  Heat ghee on a pan and fry the onions. Add the spice paste and fry well. Break the eggs and mix it into spices. Cook in low heat. When the egg cooks and turn reddish, add a little water and salt. When the water dries off, the dish is done.\r\n\r\n<strong>Keema Dahi Vada</strong> (Fried meat balls in yogurt): Mix minced meat (lamb or goat), boiled potatoes, minced green chilies, onions, and salt. Add eggs and some garam masala and make a dough. If the dough is too soft, add bread to the mix. Make small balls and fry.  Beat yogurt with a pinch of salt. Add roasted red chili and cumin powder to the yogurt and blend. Add the fried meat balls to the yogurt. Garnish with good quality ghee (clarified butter).\r\n\r\nThe list is quite long and I don''t want to rob off your fun in reading the book. But one disclaimer I should add is that I have not tried any of the recipes myself.\r\n\r\n<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/indian_bengali_food.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-539" title="indian_bengali_food" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/indian_bengali_food.jpg" alt="Bengali Food - Thakur Barir Khaoa Daoa" width="382" height="286" /></a>The book also reminded me that few months ago a friend of mine brought to my attention of a culinary extravaganza that was tried out in Kolkata at the Sobhabazar Rajbari. The event (which lasted from June 4 to 10, 2009) was titled "Thakurbarir Khaoa Daoa". It was not only a culinary experience, but it also included a fascinating performance by actors, musicians, artistes who transported their guests about hundred fifty years ago to the Thakur Bari in Jorasanko." With musicians singing Tappa, Rabindrasangeet or Khayals and Thumris, and even piano recitals, pankhawala''s pulling the pankha, the guests were seated in the long corridors and was served with food that included no less than 34 items. Drinks included different varieties of  sherbets including Neem, fish dishes like Choi-koi,  Dwarakanath Pulao, Kochu Saag, Bhapa Chingri, Lauyer Paesh and English pudding. The event was sponsored by Bharath University and the guest included celebrity intellectuals like Sankho Ghosh, Nabanita Debsen, Jogen Chaudhury, Usha Uthup and many others. There was a proposal from the sponsors last year to bring the event to the 2010 Banga Sammelan (NABC) held in New Jersey but the organizers declined. Maybe the 2011 NABC organizers would like to consider this as a special attraction, especially in the year of the 150th birthday celebration of Rabindranath Tagore.', 'From The Tagore Kitchen', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'from-the-tagore-kitchen', '', '', '2011-01-05 10:15:50', '2011-01-05 14:15:50', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=537', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(538, 1, '2011-01-05 01:14:49', '2011-01-05 05:14:49', 'Thakur Barir Ranna by Purnima Thakur', 'thakur_barir_ranna', 0, 'Thakur Barir Ranna by Purnima Thakur', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'thakur_barir_ranna', '', '', '2011-01-05 01:14:49', '2011-01-05 05:14:49', '', 537, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/thakur_barir_ranna.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(539, 1, '2011-01-05 01:16:50', '2011-01-05 05:16:50', 'Bengali Food - Thakur Barir Khaoa Daoa', 'indian_bengali_food', 0, 'Bengali Food - Thakur Barir Khaoa Daoa', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'indian_bengali_food', '', '', '2011-01-05 01:16:50', '2011-01-05 05:16:50', '', 537, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/indian_bengali_food.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(540, 1, '2011-01-07 19:36:35', '2011-01-07 23:36:35', 'Sometime ago, I had made few Facebook related cartoons that I had posted on Facebook. Let me post them here for those readers who are not on my Facebook friends list. Enjoy!\r\n\r\nCartoon 1:  I''m unfriendly? My friend, I have more than 2000 friends on facebook and  they never complain about my trash!\r\n\r\n<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/trash.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-541" style="border: 3px solid black; vertical-align: text-bottom; margin: 4px;" title="Trash over my wall" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/trash.jpg" alt="I''m unfriendly? My friend, I have more than 2000 friends on facebook and they never complain about my trash!" width="386" /></a>\r\n\r\nCartoon 2: What can I say? This social media stuff has made him extremely unsocial.\r\n\r\n<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/unsocial.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-542" style="vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 3px solid black; margin: 4px;" title="What can I say? This social media stuff has made him extremely unsocial." src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/unsocial.jpg" alt="What can I say? This social media stuff has made him extremely unsocial." width="386" /></a>\r\n\r\nCartoon 3:\r\n\r\n<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/election_comm.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-543" style="vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 3px solid black; margin: 4px;" title="Election Commission" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/election_comm.jpg" alt="Election Commission" width="386" /></a>\r\n\r\nCartoon 4:\r\n\r\n<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/srk.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-544" style="vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 3px solid black; margin: 4px;" title="Friend Shah-Rukh Khan" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/srk.jpg" alt="Friend Shah-Rukh Khan" width="386" /></a>', 'Facebook Related Cartoons', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'facebook-related-cartoons', '', '', '2011-01-07 19:36:35', '2011-01-07 23:36:35', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=540', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(541, 1, '2011-01-07 19:22:13', '2011-01-07 23:22:13', 'I''m unfriendly? My friend, I have more than 2000 friends on facebook and they never complain about my trash!', 'Trash over my wall', 0, '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'trash', '', '', '2011-01-07 19:22:13', '2011-01-07 23:22:13', '', 540, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/trash.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(542, 1, '2011-01-07 19:28:56', '2011-01-07 23:28:56', 'What can I say? This social media stuff has made him extremely unsocial.', 'What can I say? This social media stuff has made him extremely unsocial.', 0, 'What can I say? This social media stuff has made him extremely unsocial.', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'unsocial', '', '', '2011-01-07 19:28:56', '2011-01-07 23:28:56', '', 540, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/unsocial.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(543, 1, '2011-01-07 19:32:07', '2011-01-07 23:32:07', '', 'Election Commission', 0, 'Election Commission', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'election_comm', '', '', '2011-01-07 19:32:07', '2011-01-07 23:32:07', '', 540, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/election_comm.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(544, 1, '2011-01-07 19:34:37', '2011-01-07 23:34:37', 'Friend Shah-Rukh Khan', 'Friend Shah-Rukh Khan', 0, 'Friend Shah-Rukh Khan', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'srk', '', '', '2011-01-07 19:34:37', '2011-01-07 23:34:37', '', 540, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/srk.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(545, 1, '2011-01-13 00:37:34', '2011-01-13 04:37:34', '<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/saraswati.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-546" title="Saraswati" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/saraswati.jpg" alt="Devi Saraswati" /></a>Saraswati puja is a major Bengali religious and cultural festival, especially for the Bengali youth. Although Saraswati puja celebrates knowledge, learning and the fine arts, but it also had a romantic touch to it.  The spring time weather, the mild warmth of sunshine, the red Krishnachura and Palash blooming all around - it is the perfect time for romance and Saraswati Puja. In this country (especially in the north east), Saraswati Puja is celebrated in the peak of winter - and just like the Goddess, the landscape around covers itself in white.  We would have to cover our nice festive dresses in heavy winter clothing and trudge through snow, ice and slush to visit our revered Goddess of learning. But we the expatriates, many of whom are indebted to  Maa Saraswati for her blessings, carry the warmth of spring in our heart.  Just as we enter the Puja venue, we feel transported back to those days when we used to go around door to door to collect contributions for our club Puja, building and decorating the pandals, waking nights to decorate the venue and have a great time. We also had several rules that needed to be followed - like, we couldn''t eat "Kool" (the sweet and sour berry), no studying on the day of the Puja, and after the Puja write Saraswati''s name on the "Bel" leaves. No such restrictions need to be followed here, but sometimes we feel a small tinge when we see our kids missing out the fun. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nOn Garden State Cultural Association''s (GSCA) website, I read an interesting note by Guru Chakrabarty on the historical significance of Devi Saraswati. Mr Charkrabarty writes,\r\n\r\n"<em>In historical significance, Mother Saraswati is associated with the ancient river Saraswati. We learn from the glory days of Vedic times that many “Rishis” acquired a vast amount of knowledge of the universe. This knowledge was passed on by the “Rishis” to other scholars in educational institutions, called “Ashrams”. Many such learning institutions were located on the banks of river Saraswati. White swans lived on the river and white lotus flowers blossomed. The sacredness of such an atmosphere created a Goddess of Learning – Mother Saraswati. The image of Mother’s body is white, representing purity and sanctity. She is sitting or standing on a white lotus flower holding a white musical instrument “Veena” in her hand. A white swan is considered her “Bahan” or carrier.</em>"\r\n\r\nIn New Jersey, Saraswati Puja is celebrated by several clubs and organizations. Since most clubs are celebrating the Puja on different dates, you can visit multiples of them and enjoy. To the best of my knowledge, the earliest celebration is by Garden State Cultural Association (GSCA) on Feb 5th, Saturday, at Woodrow Wilson Middle School, Edison. Besides variety cultural program and Puja (Anjali, Hate Khari), GSCA will also have various kids activities such as arts and crafts competition, essay competition, etc. And of course prasad and dinner would be served. Visit http://www.gsca.us/saraswati_11.html for more information.\r\n\r\nAnandamandir will celebrate Saraswati Puja on Feb 8th at 8.45 am. For hate khari timing, call Bisabhai at 732-873-9821.\r\n\r\nThe Somerset Bengali Association (SBA) will be celebrating their 4th annual Saraswati Puja on Saturday, Feb 12 at the Green Brook Middle School, 132 Jefferson Ave (Near Route 22), Green Brook, NJ 08812 . The SBA Puja is a relatively new and growing event and the goal of SBA is to offer a homely informal atmosphere and relaxed socialization at their event. SBA cultural program will feature dance, music, plays by local talents and also SaReGaMaPa USA finalist Rasika Shekhar. SBA not only offers its guests a great dinner, but also a full lunch to keep you engaged all through the day.\r\n\r\nICC celebrates their Saraswati  Puja on Feb 13th, 2011 at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, Whippany from 2pm onwards. Besides a variety of program performed by  ICC children, there will also be a musical performance by a well known local artist.\r\n\r\nNew Jersey Puja Association will be celebrating their Saraswati Puja on Feb 19th. However, they have not announced their venue as yet.', 'New Jersey Saraswati Puja ', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'new-jersey-saraswati-puja', '', '', '2011-01-13 00:37:34', '2011-01-13 04:37:34', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=545', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(546, 1, '2011-01-13 00:35:52', '2011-01-13 04:35:52', '', 'Saraswati', 0, 'Devi Saraswati', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'saraswati', '', '', '2011-01-13 00:35:52', '2011-01-13 04:35:52', '', 545, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/saraswati.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(547, 1, '2011-01-20 01:19:23', '2011-01-20 05:19:23', '<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/amy_chua.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-548" style="float: left; margin: 3px;" title="Amy Chua" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/amy_chua.jpg" alt="Amy Chua" /></a>Recently Amy Chua is in the news. Her book "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" has raised a storm in American households. Although many may not have read her book, but the excerpt published by Wall Street Journal was enough to enrage many parents who challenged Amy in all forms possible.  To us, Indian parents, Ms. Chua''s parenting style is nothing new at all. Rather the western parenting style of protecting the delicate and fragile self-esteem of our children seems more foreign to us. We remember how we trembled to bring in our report cards that had less than 80% scores in front of our parents (well during our times 80% was a great score - letter marks, as we used to say). But after we came to this country, we learned that we should never exhibit our dissatisfaction when our child fails to deliver their best.   We should keep encouraging them, tell them that they are doing great, even when their grades keep slacking. Positive reinforcement, we learned, was the key to success. <!--more--> Before exams, we are told not to pressurize them to study. Rather the kids should relax, and have a good nights sleep, unlike us who used to study almost the whole night before the exams. At sports and games, the motto is everybody is a winner, and the kids are showered with trophies and accolades even when you clearly know that your child is not at all the athletic type. And then comes Amy Chua and tells the Americans the Chinese (read Asian) style of parenting. Her parenting policy is simple - do not give your kids false sense of success and security. If you do, you are lying to them and are doing a great disservice to them. The real world is a tough place - your boss is not going to say, keep up the good work, when you clearly have failed in your job. The strategy practiced by Amy on her daughters does sound shocking to most western parents. No sleepover party, no grades less than A, no drama clubs, no TV or video/computer games, no boy/girlfriends in school etc. etc.  Well it is a bit harsh no doubt, but she does make a point. We know that in reality we don''t have to be that hard on our children, but I agree with her that our children needs to be told in a clear and unambiguous way - giving up or being complacent is not an option.  And when our children don''t get this simple message, we may have to give them the message the hard way - the drill sergeant way. American education system has many good features, but Amy Chua has pointed us to its greatest weakness - complacency, lack of competitive spirit and underestimating the sense of self-esteem of our children. This weakness, if not fixed, can prove to be fatal for this country''s future.', 'Parenting Asian Style', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'parenting-asian-style', '', '', '2011-01-20 01:19:23', '2011-01-20 05:19:23', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=547', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(548, 1, '2011-01-20 01:07:16', '2011-01-20 05:07:16', 'Amy CHua', 'Amy Chua', 0, 'Amy Chua', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'amy_chua', '', '', '2011-01-20 01:07:16', '2011-01-20 05:07:16', '', 547, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/amy_chua.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0);
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(549, 1, '2011-01-24 23:30:37', '2011-01-25 03:30:37', '<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/tagore.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-369" style="float: left; margin: 3px;" title="Rabindranath Tagore" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/tagore.jpg" alt="Rabindranath Tagore" width="176" height="238" /></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This year we are  celebrating the hundred fiftieth birth anniversary of Rabindranath  Tagore. In America several organizations are busy in preparing for the  celebrations around the year. In New York and New Jersey, Cultural  Association of Bengal (CAB) is joining hands with multiple organizations  to hold multiple events in New York, New Jersey and Maryland. Amidst  all this excitement, I was trying to look at this myriad minded genius  from a different perspective - from the perspective of an expatriate  Bengali, more specifically a Bengali American. And when I say Bengali  American, I do not imply any national significance, rather I mean a  Bengali speaking person living in America.  I have been looking into  this subject for more than a year now, and during the course of my so  called research I have been fascinated in knowing a great deal about the  history of expatriate Indians in America and their relationship with  Tagore. </span>\r\n\r\n<!--more--><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tagore  had a special relationship with America, where he visited five times  during his lifetime and spent the second highest number of days outside  India after England.  His visits also happened during some crucial  junctures in his life and in the history of the world as well as India.  He had developed some kind of a fondness for America and Americans that  brought him again and again even after being sorely disappointed with  his previous visit. It is true that his later trips to America were  mostly to raise funds for his school (and later his university) in  Shantinekatan, but some of his trips were made when he was very well   informed about the potential outcome of this objective. But in this  article I do not intend to get into the details of his trips or his  relationships with Bengali Americans. Rather, I’ll try to highlight his  feelings for America and that too the positive ones by quoting from some  of his interviews, statements and letters. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tagore had his first  introduction to America when he was about twelve years old. With the  help of his father Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, he read “The  Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.” Maharshi Debendranath thought this  would be an instructive as well as entertaining book for young  Rabindranath, but soon he discovered that Benjamin Franklin was too  business-like a person. As Tagore later wrote in his autobiography   (Reminiscences), “The narrowness of his calculated morality disgusted  my father.” But the book must have also gave him a glimpse of the   America that fought for her freedom from the British and championed  freedom as a fundamental human right.   During his youth, Tagore also  studied American poets. “I love your Emerson. In his works one finds  much that is of India.” he once told an American journalist. He also  felt that Whitman’s poems were “deeply imbibed with Eastern ideas and  feelings.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When he was  forty-four, while playing a major role in the 1905 nationalist agitation  against the partition of Bengal, he chose to send his son Rathindranath  Tagore to America for higher studies instead of sending him to England  as was customary with the rich parents of India in those days.   Rathindranath returned to India in 1909. Later in 1912, he along with  his wife Pratima Devi and his father Rabindranath Tagore came back to  America via England after handing over the English translations of his  Geetanjali poems for publication and for history to happen.  Rabindranath’s initial reaction to America was not pleasant - “Though it  is too early for me to pronounce any opinion on this country, I must  say I do not like it. America, like an unripe fruit, has not got its  proper flavor yet. It has sharp and acid taste.” But later as he moved  westward from New York to Illinois, he wrote, “The country around is  flat and open, which has a great attraction for me, reminding of my our  own scenery.” Although he spent some of his most peaceful time in  Urbana, Illinois, soon the news of his arrival spread and he had to  spend many a hours lecturing at various venues. With his usual sense of  humor, he wrote, “American people have an unhealthy appetite for sugar  candy and for lectures on any subject and from anybody... I am afraid  they have spotted me - I am being stalked.” </span>\r\n\r\n<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">During his next visit  in 1916, Sir Rabindranath Tagore was well known to the American people  as the first man of the orient to win the Nobel prize for literature.  His poems, plays as well as his biographies were already in circulation.  But during this trip, when the Great War (WW I) was raging in Europe,  Tagore was extremely critical of the western nations as well as of  America. But one of the primary reason of his criticism was because he  felt that it was only in America where his appeal for humanity hold the  best chance of being heard. He said, “This is a beautiful country. I  believe it has a great future. America is unhampered and free to  experiment  for the progress of humanity. Of course, she will make  mistakes, but out of these series of mistakes she will come to some  higher synthesis of truth and be able to hold up the banner of  Civilization. She is the best exponent of Western ideals of humanity.”  He had high hopes for America. In New York he said, “America has the  figure of youth and all that is best in Western civilization will  eventually find lodgment here.”  But his criticisms did not make him  many friends in America, and the press lashed out at him on several  occasions. He knew that he was being too harsh sometimes, and he said,  “I am out of place here, I know, and I maybe judging you harshly. I felt  I must come to bring the message of the East... This is my only  happiness in America - the thought that this country can be the meeting  place of the two (the East and the West).” Overall this trip was very  successful for Tagore and he had high regards for President Woodrow  Wilson. He wanted to dedicate his book “Nationalism” to President  Wilson. However President Wilson''s office declined the offer on the  advice of Sir William Wiseman, Britain’s special liaison agent in the  United States, who reported that Tagore had “got tangled up in some way”  with the Indian revolutionaries in America who were conspiring with  Germany  to overthrow British rule in India. </span>\r\n<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Later in 1918,  Rabindranath was falsely implicated in the famous Hindu German  conspiracy trial.  When Tagore came to know about this he was very upset  and immediately sent a telegram to President Wilson protesting the  allegation. Later he wrote Wilson a letter in which he stated, “I have  received great kindness from the hands of your countrymen, and I  entertain great admiration for yourself who is not afraid of incurring  the charge of anachronism for introducing idealism in the domain of  politics, and therefore I owe it to myself and to you and your people to  make this avowal of my faith and to assure your countrymen that their  hospitality was not bestowed upon one who was ready to accept it while  wallowing in the sub-soil sewerage of treason.” President Wilson’s  office never replied to this letter.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tagore’s next trip to US during 1920-21  was a big disappointment for him.  The Tagore craze was gone, and the  post war America was not the same as in 1916.  Besides, his renunciation  of Knighthood in 1919 was not looked favorably in USA, a strong ally of  the British.  Tagore was advised not to make the trip and was warned  that his financial expectations may not be met this time, but he made  the trip anyway.  He came with high hopes and expected that his message  would be received with the same thirst as before - “I find in America a  wonderful hunger and aspiration. The hunger is genuine and is, I  believe, a reaction to the pursuit of wealth that has characterized your  industrial life.”  But at several occasions he was extremely critical  of the Americans.  The failure to raise enough funds for his university  was also a cause for frustration. Tagore was also suffering from health  problems and depression during this period. Rev. C. F. Andrews writes,  “Gradually, as his health improved, his stay in America became brighter  and he wrote more cheerfully.” Tagore wrote to him from Texas, “Since  coming to Texas, I felt as it were a sudden coming of Spring into my  life through a breach in the ice castle of Winter. It has come to me  like a revelation that all these days my soul had been thirsting for the  draught of sunshine poured from the beaker of infinite space. The sky  has embraced me, and the warmth of its caress thrills me with joy.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tagore’s 1929 visit to  America was very brief primarily due to an incident that took place in  the US immigration office in Vancouver in Canada when he was trying to  enter the country. Tagore was kept waiting at the immigration office for  an unconscionable period of time and was handled in a rude and  insulting manner during the interview. Among other things, it appears,  the Nobel Laureate poet was asked if could read and write.  Outraged and  resentful, he cancelled almost all his lecture engagements and left the  country after a brief stay in Los Angeles for twenty days. However he  later calmed down considerably and said, “I cannot believe that their  laws and regulations represent the spirit of the people, a truly great  people... I had been received with kindness in the Eastern States,  overrun with kindness. People have listened to me with respect and  received my message sincerely. That is why it hurt so much this time...”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tagore last trip to  USA was in 1930 on his way back from Russia. This time the reception was  not that cold as his previous two trips. Although he suffered a minor  heart attack and was in ill health for a prolonged period, he managed to  make some important engagements including a meeting with President  Hoover at the White House. Most of his lectures were very well attended,  but it was the time of the great depression in America, hence his fund  raising was not successful as expected. Rather, he donated the entire  proceedings from the farewell event held at the Broadway Theatre on  December 14, 1930 to the relief fund of the New York City’s unemployed.  The gesture was typical of the person who had tried all his life to call  attention to the needs of the India’s millions and who, in bidding  farewell to America’s millions thought first of helping those during  their time of need. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Rabindranath Tagore has criticized the  American’s like one criticizes his own brother.  But he never lost his  faith in America. He believed that it was America who can uphold the  cause of humanity against the barbarism of western nationalism.  The  ultimate hope and trust he had on America was expressed in his telegram  to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in June 1940 when the fire or World  War II was raging in Europe.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Today we  stand in awe before the fearfully destructive force that so suddenly has  swept the world. Every moment I deplore the smallness of our means and  the feebleness of our voice, for India is so utterly inadequate to stem  the tide of evil that has menaced the permanence of civilization. All  our individual political problems are merged today into one supreme  world of politics which I believe is seeking help in the United States  as the last refuge of spiritual man, and these few lines of mine merely  convey my hope, even if unnecessary, that the United States will not  fail in her mission to stand against the universal disaster that appears  so imminent.” </span>\r\n\r\n<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In  1941, a few months after Tagore’s death at the age of eighty, the  United States threw its weight into the war which destroyed the Axis  powers.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">References:</span>\r\n<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Tagore and America  by J. L. Dees</span>\r\n<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Rabindranath Tagore in America by Stephen N. Hay</span>\r\n<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3. Passage to America  by Sujit Mukherjee</span>\r\n<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4. Tagore and USA by Dr. Panchanan Saha </span>\r\n\r\nTHIS ARTICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED IN ANANDASAMBAD, NEW JERSEY', 'Rabindranath Tagore and America', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'rabindranath-tagore-and-america', '', '', '2011-01-24 23:30:37', '2011-01-25 03:30:37', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=549', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(550, 1, '2011-02-01 14:36:59', '2011-02-01 18:36:59', 'Watched this wonderful film "Goodbye Lenin" by Wolfgang Becker. It may be relevant for Benglees (WB) soon.\r\n\r\nNetflix link: <a href="http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Good_Bye_Lenin/60034095?trkid=2431210#height1682">http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Good_Bye_Lenin/60034095?trkid=2431210#height1682</a>', 'Goodbye Lenin', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'goodbye-lenin', '', '', '2011-02-01 14:36:59', '2011-02-01 18:36:59', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=550', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(551, 1, '2011-02-01 23:05:31', '2011-02-02 03:05:31', 'A review of my collection of plays, "Natak Samagra" was recently published. Read them below.\r\n\r\n<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/fire_dekha_001_web.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-552" style="float: left;" title="fire_dekha_001_web" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/fire_dekha_001_web.jpg" alt="Natak Samagra Review 1 of 2" /></a>\r\n<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/fire_dekha_002_web.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-553" title="fire_dekha_002_web" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/fire_dekha_002_web.jpg" alt="Natak Samagra Review 2/2" /></a>', 'Natak Samagra Review', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'natak-samagra-review', '', '', '2011-02-03 00:50:57', '2011-02-03 04:50:57', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=551', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(552, 1, '2011-02-01 23:01:50', '2011-02-02 03:01:50', 'Natak Samagra Review', 'fire_dekha_001_web', 0, 'Natak Samagra Review 1 of 2', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'fire_dekha_001_web', '', '', '2011-02-01 23:01:50', '2011-02-02 03:01:50', '', 551, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/fire_dekha_001_web.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(553, 1, '2011-02-01 23:04:34', '2011-02-02 03:04:34', 'Natak Samagra Review', 'fire_dekha_002_web', 0, 'Natak Samagra Review 2/2', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'fire_dekha_002_web', '', '', '2011-02-01 23:04:34', '2011-02-02 03:04:34', '', 551, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/fire_dekha_002_web.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(554, 1, '2011-02-09 00:30:36', '2011-02-09 04:30:36', '<div id=":tm" class="ii gt">\r\n<div id=":1u"><span class="il">Raag</span>-Rang  presents Kal Ke Kalakar (Budding artists of future) on 20th March.\r\nArtists are\r\nMeena Mallela &amp; Dipti Venkatraman on Bharatnatyam(student of Ramya  Rmnarayan)\r\nVijay Narayan on Carnatic Vocal (student of Ashwin Bhogendra)\r\nDebanjan Saha on tabla solo (student of Pt samir Chatterjee)\r\nRia Sabnis on Hindustani vocal(student of Mitali Bhawmik)\r\nShailaja Medicherla on Kuchipudi (student of Divya Yelluri)\r\n\r\nTime 4 pm to 6-30 pm sharp.\r\nVenue: Universal Unitarian Congragation of Princeton (Fahs Theater)\r\n50 Cherry Hill Road, Princeton, NJ 08540\r\nAdmission: NonMembers:\r\n$15 (Kids below 10 Years: $7)\r\nRaagRang\r\nMembers: $10 (Kids below 10 Years: $5)\r\n\r\nFor details Contact: 9084291120,\r\n609-890-4890\r\nRSVP will be appreciated.\r\nEmail: <a href="mailto:bhawmikm@gmail.com" target="_blank">bhawmikm@gmail.com</a>,  <a href="mailto:mayuresh.khare@gmail.com" target="_blank">mayuresh.khare@gmail.com</a></div>\r\n</div>', 'Raag-Rang presents Kal Ke Kalakar', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'raag-rang-presents-kal-ke-kalakar-2', '', '', '2011-02-09 00:30:36', '2011-02-09 04:30:36', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=554', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(555, 1, '2011-02-10 00:03:13', '2011-02-10 04:03:13', 'New York City has always  been the launch place for successful American plays. Plays by newcomer playwrights launch their life from off-off Broadway  and gradually filter to Off Broadway and then the lucky few goes to the Broadway. However, recent trends have shown that many new plays now premiere at Regional Theaters around the country and gradually make their way to the glitz and fame of Broadway if they get noticed. Recently, I had the opportunity of watching the premier of Sarah Treem''s new play "The How and the why" at the McCarter theater in Princeton New Jersey. The play was directed by Emily Mann and performed by Mercedes Ruehl (the Oscar winning actress) and Bess Rous. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nRevivals of successful old plays can never match the thrill and spontaneity of a brand new drama. The producer and the director has to take on a huge risk to make the play work. The playwright too, goes through a period of nail biting and hair raising experience as she watches the audience reactions and critical reviews. "The How and the Why" has been quite a challenge and I commend McCarter Theater and Emily Mann for investing in this venture. This was not an easy play. Two women sparring on stage with scientific jargon and long expository speeches is not the kind of play common people would like to watch, unless the playwright has the capability to weave a story that the audience gets hooked on to from the beginning to the end,  and unless the play is  performed by a cast and crew who knew their craft so well that they can keep the audience mesmerized for the entire duration. Let me get into the details of each of the above aspects I mention.\r\n\r\nSarah Treem, a graduate of Yale School of Drama, is a relatively new playwright although her bio in the playbill says that she has quite a few plays and television dramas to her credit. Sarah has chosen a topic that many of us are not aware of, the evolutionary biology of the human female. Two contending scientific theories, "the grandmother hypothesis" and "menstruation as defense" - each trying to explain the "Why" aspect of female menstruation and menopause, are brought into direct confrontation on stage along with two contending generations of females - both scientists specializing in evolutionary biology. The two women are not only of different generations, but as the play progresses we find that they also have a genetic link as the mother and daughter, who try to discover the "how" and "why" of their life.  The interplay between science and life is what makes this play so poignant and different from being a "feminist" play. To justify the science, the playwright had to resort to lot of exposition, but she always resorted to the bare minimum that was required to make the characters and their story believable.\r\n\r\nThe actors, Mercedes Ruehl and Bess Rous also belong to the two generations as the characters in the play. They too share a common profession as the characters do. Hence they both look extremely natural on stage. Two person plays demand a lot from the actors, and both Ruehl and Rous meet them exceeding all expectations.  To watch Mercedes Ruehl on stage is a learning experience for any student of the art. How she uses space and time, how she controls her emotions and delivers her often long speeches with ease is something to be experienced. Bess Rous worked extremely hard to keep up with her veteran co-actor and she did an extremely good job. The confusion, the high strung attitude, and the passionate approach to science that the character possess, was well portrayed by Bess.\r\n\r\nEmily Mann and her production team does deserve our thanks for putting this up on Princeton stage. The superb stage design was a treat to watch. The attention to details and the creation of  space was very well thought. Although it was not clear why the highly emotional and loud second act took place in a restaurant where there were no other customers and no waiters to attend the tables. For if they were, I am sure the characters could not behave the way the did.  Another issue which struck me  was the awkward blocking which made the actors expressions hidden from audience view on few occasions which could have been avoided.\r\n\r\nI hope McCarter Theater brings more such plays from new playwrights to Princeton stage.', 'The How and The Why - A New Play by Sarah Treem', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-how-and-the-why-a-new-play-by-sarah-treem', '', '', '2011-02-10 00:03:13', '2011-02-10 04:03:13', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=555', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(556, 1, '2011-02-10 00:14:12', '2011-02-10 04:14:12', 'If you are interested, you may read a review of my collection of plays (Natak Samagra) in <a href="http://parabaas.com/PB47/LEKHA/brRajat47.html">Parabaas.com</a> 47th issue. The link is given below.\r\n\r\n<a href="http://parabaas.com/PB47/LEKHA/brRajat47.html">http://parabaas.com/PB47/LEKHA/brRajat47.html</a>\r\n\r\nPlease note  that your browser should be able to render dynamic font. Here is what Parabaas suggests if you cannot see Bangla fonts.\r\n\r\n<span class="header01">What you can do if the dynamic Bengali font is  not rendered</span>\r\n\r\n<span class="bodytext4"> 1. If the URL shows as "http://parabaas.com/...", try first by inserting  a "www." before "parabaas"--i.e. "http://www.parabaas.com/...".</span>\r\n\r\n2. Download the itxbeng.ttf font and save it in the font directory of  your computer. {To do that, (a) first <a onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/www.parabaas.com/Parabaas_Axar/itxbeng.ttf?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/archives/556'');" href="http://www.parabaas.com/Parabaas_Axar/itxbeng.ttf">download</a> the font and save it, say, on the Desktop. (b) Click ''Start'' -&gt;  ''Control Panel'' -&gt; ''Fonts'' (c) "Drag and drop" (or "Copy and Paste")  the downloaded font from the "Desktop" (or wherever you have saved it)  into the Fonts directory.)\r\n\r\n3. From the Menubar in Microsoft Explorer choose ''View'' -&gt; ''Encoding''  -&gt;\r\n''User Defined''.\r\n\r\n3a. If using Firefox browser, from the Menubar choose ''View'' -&gt;  ''Character Encoding'' -&gt; one of the ''Western (Windows)'' fonts displayed in the list.\r\n\r\n4. On Netscape choose ''Edit'' -&gt; ''Preferences'' -&gt; ''Appearence''  -&gt; ''Fonts'' -&gt;\r\n''Use document specified fonts including dynamic fonts''.\r\n\r\n5. Browsers older that Explorer 5.0 or Netscape 4.5 may not be able to\r\nrender dynamic fonts. Netscape 6.2 is also unable to render dynamic  fonts.\r\nIf your browser is unable to render the Bengali font because of the  above\r\nreasons or due to a setting that intereferes with dynamic fonts, the  easiest\r\nremedy is to download the font ''ItxBeng'' from this page and load it in  your\r\ncomputer.', 'Review in Parabaas.com', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'review-in-parabaascom', '', '', '2011-02-10 00:15:18', '2011-02-10 04:15:18', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=556', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(557, 1, '2011-02-14 23:43:13', '2011-02-15 03:43:13', 'Anandabazar Patrika is Bengali''s most favorite daily newspaper. However, until recently reading Anandabazaar Patrika online was severely restricted due the technology it used to render the Bangla fonts. Only Internet Explorer supported the technology, but that too crashed frequently. But recently <a onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/anandabazar-unicode.appspot.com/proxy?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/wp-admin/edit.php'');" href="http://anandabazar-unicode.appspot.com/proxy">Anandabazar</a> is available in Unicode and can be enjoyed in any Unicode compliant browser. Just click on the following link:\r\n\r\n<a onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/anandabazar-unicode.appspot.com/proxy?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/wp-admin/edit.php'');" href="http://anandabazar-unicode.appspot.com/proxy">http://anandabazar-unicode.appspot.com/proxy</a>', 'Anandabazar in Unicode', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'anandabazar-in-unicode', '', '', '2011-02-15 11:08:53', '2011-02-15 15:08:53', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=557', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(558, 1, '2011-02-16 22:00:20', '2011-02-17 02:00:20', 'My play, "The Redemption" (the English version of "KaalSuddhi") is now available for viewing on YouTube. This recording was done from our show at the Dixon Place in Manhattan during the 2005 New York International Fringe Festival. \r\nHere is a small synopsis of the play:\r\nThis play is about Subimal who, once an active naxalite, had to flee his own country and come to America in search of a new life. Although Subimal did find a new life for himself, his past always haunted him, a past which he had always kept a deep secret. Suddenly, one day this secret starts to reveal itself to his son Somu from a long lost diary. Somu, a Harvard junior, is extremely curious to know the details of his father''s past, wants to know more about the Naxalite movement. But he never could have guessed the kind of murky and deep waters he is getting into. Subimal tried to prevent the inevitable, but his failure to do so ultimately leads him to his redemption. \r\n\r\nCast: \r\nSankar Ghoshal, Amitabh Roy, Mayuresh Khare, Keka Sircar\r\n\r\n<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FkgJaEsevnE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>', 'Watch "The Redemption"', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'watch-the-redemption', '', '', '2011-02-16 22:01:20', '2011-02-17 02:01:20', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=558', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(559, 1, '2011-02-23 00:21:47', '2011-02-23 04:21:47', 'On August 6th 2011, Kalamandir Dance Company will be hosting a Festival of South Asian Dance in a beautiful theater in New Brunswick, NJ. We are searching for individuals and groups who perform classical or contemporary South Asian dance or whose style is influenced by elements of South Asian culture.\r\n\r\nThe following are required to apply:\r\n-A clip of your proposed performance piece (Links to YouTube, Facebook, or uploads to MediaFire are great)\r\n-The festival application (<a href="https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&amp;pid=explorer&amp;chrome=true&amp;srcid=0BxRjQz8e6UO6MThlNWUxY2UtZGEzNC00MTVmLTg0MjYtYzVlNWU2ZDA0YjZh&amp;hl=en&amp;pli=1">download here</a>)\r\n\r\nAll materials should be emailed to kalamandirdanceco@gmail.com\r\n\r\nPlease Note: Pieces should be about 8-12 minutes in length. A $100 performance fee will be required from each group if they are chosen to participate in the festival. There is no application fee.\r\n\r\nIf you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email or call us!', 'Festival of South Asian Dance', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'festival-of-south-asian-dance', '', '', '2011-02-23 00:21:47', '2011-02-23 04:21:47', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=559', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(560, 1, '2011-02-23 12:25:29', '2011-02-23 16:25:29', '<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/click_for_boi.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-561" style="float: left; margin: 2px;" title="Click For Boi" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/click_for_boi.jpg" alt="Click For Boi" width="337" height="295" /></a>If you are a book lover in Kolkata or any other part of West Bengal or India, your options for reading books are quite limited. The local books stores have a limited stock and they may take days to get you a copy of the book you are looking for. Your next option would be to go to the College Street book stores which is an uphill task during these hectic days and traffic congestion. Your local libraries can stock only a limited number of books constrained by their meager budget. <a onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/clickforboi.in?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/'');pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/clickforboi.in?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/archives/560'');pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/clickforboi.in?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/'');pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/clickforboi.in?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/archives/560'');" href="http://clickforboi.in">ClickForBoi</a> resolves all that problem by allowing you to get your favorite books online.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nImagine Netflix for books, and that''s what ClickForBoi does for you. Book lovers in Kolkata/West Bengal and India can now join this novel subscription service by clicking on<a onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/clickforboi.in?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/'');pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/clickforboi.in?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/archives/560'');pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/clickforboi.in?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/'');pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/clickforboi.in?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/archives/560'');" href="http://clickforboi.in"> ClickForBoi.in </a>. Subscription starts from Rs 199.00 per month which includes as many books as you can read, including delivery and pick-up charges. Once you become a subscriber, you can select books and make your own queue. ClickForBoi will send you books from the queue and once you return it, they''ll send the next one. Unfortunately, this service is available only to readers in India.\r\n\r\nThe creators of Click For Boi also has an online book store named <a onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/www.clicktobuyboi.in/?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/'');pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/www.clicktobuyboi.in/?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/archives/560'');pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/www.clicktobuyboi.in/?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/'');pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/www.clicktobuyboi.in/?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/archives/560'');" href="http://www.clicktobuyboi.in/">ClicktoBuyBoi.in</a> . This store works in the same model as Amazon.com or any other online book store. <a onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/www.clicktobuyboi.in/?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/'');pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/www.clicktobuyboi.in/?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/archives/560'');pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/www.clicktobuyboi.in/?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/'');pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/www.clicktobuyboi.in/?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/archives/560'');" href="http://www.clicktobuyboi.in/">ClicktoBuyBoi.in</a> sells Bengali books of all genres and of all authors and their stock keeps on growing. They offer good discounts and their shipping charges are very nominal. For example, a book shipped to Bhubaneshwar from Kolkata was only charges Rs 20.00.  However, their shipping is now limited only within  India, with plans of expanding and reaching out to expatriate Bengali readers all over the world. But for now, Bangla book lovers living abroad can gift books to their loved ones in India using this site. The site accepts credit cards. And just to add a shameless plug, <a onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/www.clicktobuyboi.in/catalog/product/view/id/4927/category/51/?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/'');pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/www.clicktobuyboi.in/catalog/product/view/id/4927/category/51/?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/archives/560'');pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/www.clicktobuyboi.in/catalog/product/view/id/4927/category/51/?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/'');pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/www.clicktobuyboi.in/catalog/product/view/id/4927/category/51/?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/archives/560'');" href="http://www.clicktobuyboi.in/catalog/product/view/id/4927/category/51/">ClicktoBuyBoi.in</a> also has my book (<a onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/www.clicktobuyboi.in/catalog/product/view/id/4927/category/51/?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/'');pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/www.clicktobuyboi.in/catalog/product/view/id/4927/category/51/?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/archives/560'');pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/www.clicktobuyboi.in/catalog/product/view/id/4927/category/51/?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/'');pageTracker._trackPageview(''/outgoing/www.clicktobuyboi.in/catalog/product/view/id/4927/category/51/?referer=http://nynjbengali.com/archives/560'');" href="http://www.clicktobuyboi.in/catalog/product/view/id/4927/category/51/">Natak Samagra</a>) in their stock.\r\n\r\nImage courtsey - ClickForBoi.com', 'Click For Boi : Online Bangla Boi Subscription', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'click-for-boi-online-bangla-boi-subscription', '', '', '2011-02-23 23:07:07', '2011-02-24 03:07:07', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=560', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(561, 1, '2011-02-23 12:08:42', '2011-02-23 16:08:42', 'Click For Boi', 'Click For Boi', 0, 'Click For Boi', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'click_for_boi', '', '', '2011-02-23 12:08:42', '2011-02-23 16:08:42', '', 560, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/click_for_boi.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(562, 1, '2011-02-23 12:33:20', '2011-02-23 16:33:20', 'Natak Samagra', 'Natak Samagra', 0, 'Natak Samagra', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'natak_samagra', '', '', '2011-02-23 12:33:20', '2011-02-23 16:33:20', '', 560, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/natak_samagra.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(563, 1, '2011-03-16 22:32:47', '2011-03-17 02:32:47', 'The Department of African, Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Literatures at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey State (New Brunswick Campus) has an opening for a part-time Instructor of Bengali for 2011-2012 Academic year. Qualifications include: Native or near-native proficiency in Bengali, experience in teaching Bengali (preferably in a North American university) and competence in communicative, l earner-centered language pedagogy. \r\n\r\nPlease forward your CV, cover letter, and the names and contact information of three referees to Professor Alamin Mazrui, Department Chair, at  amazrui@rci.rutgers.edu. ', 'Seeking a Bengali instructor for Fall 2011 - Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'seeking-a-bengali-instructor-for-fall-2011-rutgers-the-state-university-of-new-jersey', '', '', '2011-03-16 22:32:47', '2011-03-17 02:32:47', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=563', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(564, 1, '2011-04-11 14:22:13', '2011-04-11 18:22:13', 'Ethnomedia Music Studio presents an evening of instrumental Music by\r\nShree Sugato Nag on sitar and Anirban RoyChoudhury on tabla.\r\n\r\nDate: 8th May, 2011\r\nTime: 6 pm to 8 pm.\r\nDonation: $15.00 per person.\r\nRSVP will be appreciated\r\n\r\nVenue: Hills Club House\r\n75 Hansom Road\r\nBasking Ridge, NJ  07920\r\n\r\nGoogle maps provides good directions.\r\n\r\nContact information:\r\n\r\nAparna Khurjekar. <a href="tel:%28908%29-234-0476">(908)-234-0476</a>.<a href="mailto:akhurjekar@hotmail.com">akhurjekar@hotmail.com</a> or\r\n\r\nUrmila Palnitkar . <a href="tel:%28609%29-443-0489">(609)-443-0489</a>.\r\n<a href="mailto:urmila_palnitkar@yahoo.com">urmila_palnitkar@yahoo.com</a>', 'Sitar Concert by Sugato Nag', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'sitar-concert-by-sugato-nag', '', '', '2011-04-11 14:22:13', '2011-04-11 18:22:13', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=564', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(565, 1, '2011-04-11 14:50:26', '2011-04-11 18:50:26', 'Raag-Rang is proud to present a magical afternoon of Music and Dance.\r\nGanesh Vandana (dance presentation) by the students of Guru Divya Yelluri (Kuchipudi)\r\nTabla Duet by Amod Dandawate and Pratik Devasthale with Kedar Naphade on harmonium\r\nDarbari Ensemble by Pt Ramesh Mishra (Sarengi), Allyn Miner (Sitar),\r\nSteve Gorn(Flute) and Dibyarka Chatterjee (Tabla).\r\nDate-- 4th June 2011\r\nTime 4 pm Sharp.\r\nVenue--- Balaji Temple community center auditorium.\r\nDonation:  Non-members--$20.00, $10.00 (Kids below 12 years)\r\nMembers--$15.00, $7.00(Kids).\r\n\r\nRSVP will be appreciated.\r\nContact: email: <a href="mailto:manritdev@yahoo.com">manritdev@yahoo.com</a>,   <a href="mailto:gpai03@gmail.com">gpai03@gmail.com</a>,  <a href="mailto:devang42@yahoo.com">devang42@yahoo.com</a>\r\nContact numbers: <a href="tel:%28908%29-429-1120">(908)-429-1120</a>,  <a href="tel:%28609%29-890-4890">(609)-890-4890</a>,   <a href="tel:%28908%29-240-8289">(908)-240-8289</a>.\r\nCall <a href="tel:%28908%29-429-1120">(908)-429-1120</a>,', 'Raag-Rang Concert ', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'raag-rang-concert', '', '', '2011-04-11 14:50:26', '2011-04-11 18:50:26', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=565', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(566, 1, '2011-04-11 18:55:58', '2011-04-11 22:55:58', '<span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>By Amitava Sen</strong></span>\r\n\r\nHave you noticed that the City of Joy has turned out to actually be a City of Billboards? The skyline as viewed from the roads is plastered with huge hoardings. If only they were placed somewhat lower, they could hide the squalor directly below. The displays for luxury apartments hang directly over the shack dwellings; advertisements for purified drinking water cast a shadow over the polluted cesspools that are the byproduct of cleaning and washing by the shanty dwellers. Then there are displays for fancy snacks and beverages, frowning directly on the people down below who live on less that one dollar a day.  But the advertisers have a point in placing their billboards here, for they are not meant for the pedestrian hoi polloi, you can only view these displays from a distance if you are riding an automobile.  In addition to the billboards, Calcutta has a tradition of roadside walls and building facades covered with paper posters, to be on the eye level of the passers by. The billboards are gaining in prominence as the car population in Calcutta is climbing exponentially every day. <!--more-->The posters are still there, but for the benefit of the politicians seeking your votes and cheering you up to attend a huge rally for protesting something the government has done. They probably recognize that many people who can afford a car do not even vote at the election time or care for protesting all that is abysmal around. But if you think the protest is from the out of power opposition party only, you will be wrong.  Unless you run down the establishment in a public platform you have a fat chance of being heard.  So the ruling party protests their own action and denounce themselves in those huge rallies-everyone negating everyone else and sometimes the self also.  There are also posters for low budget Bengali movies, which are not ones that car owning intellectual middle class of Calcutta watches. Bills for miracle herbal medicine and promises for the cure of all sexual dysfunction or offering a year of computer education with the assurance of a job, possibly followed by a placement in America are in abundance too for the eye level masses.  Educations being a major, if not the only industry in Calcutta, revenues generated by education business are substantial.  Not surprisingly, advertisements inviting enrollment in sprawling high priced private schools and ubiquitous professional business and technical colleges are subjects reserved for billboards.\r\n\r\nYet Calcutta billboards are quite fascinating and sometimes intriguing.  For example, some advertising campaigns start with teasing questions aimed at generating curiosity in viewers’ minds.  Assuming, the answers will be forthcoming shortly, people start speculating about what it could be and guess what would be the product being promoted. That certainly raises curiosity and interest as a marketing strategy. Recently, one such billboard introducing yet unknown merchandise was all over the city.  The question posed was “Why are Bengali eyes tearing up?” with a likeness of the renowned writer Sunil Ganguly looming large. Mr. Ganguly wore a grim sorrowful look and slightly disheveled hair. What would be of such a concern for him and what panacea would Mr. Ganguly, a serious thinker and author, be coming up with?  Is he referring to the Netai massacre of civilians by Marxist Communist cadre (cadre in Calcutta political parlance euphemistically means strong-armed goons)? Is he recommending throwing them out of power?  Is this really a political advertisement? But not knowing his political inclination, I was not sure whether that was the correct answer.  See, all writers, playwrights and artists have some political affiliation and patronage, which they do dare not to mess with.\r\n\r\nMr. Ganguly’s distress is surely not about the high cost of Moog Dal at eighty rupees or potatoes’ being sold at forty rupees a kilogram – the billboards are out of the line of sight of folks who are finding it hard to put food on their table because of out-of-reach prices. Could it be the blinding air pollution that was causing burning eyes? That was unlikely. Why should someone spend their own money just to empathize with the fellow citizens?  After much thought I finally settled on the premise that Mr. Ganguly would soon be publishing a very tragic novel which would make the Bengalis cry. That would be quite welcome and something to look forward to, as Mr. Ganguly is indeed a very powerful writer, the most acclaimed among the current throng of Bengali authors.\r\n\r\n<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/sunil-ganguly.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-567" style="float: left; margin: 5px;" title="Sunil Ganguly" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/sunil-ganguly.jpg" alt="Sunil Ganguly" width="361" height="270" /></a>The wait was not long before the answer was added in the billboards.  It was really a brand of mustard oil that would surely make the Bengalis cry, Mr. Ganguly promised.  Its pungent smell and its aroma, Mr. Ganguly claimed, will irritate the sinuses like never before done by any other brand of mustard oil.  Enjoy cooking in mustard oil while shedding tears of joy at the same time.  That would really be exciting, I conceded.  Monounsaturated fatty acids with high uric acid in mustard oil are a minor distraction.  Cholesterol is not good. Who says? We should not believe pharmaceutical companies. They have a vested interest; they only want to sell more of their statin drugs.  Trust our own, especially if he happens to be a celebrity novelist. Who is most qualified to be a brand ambassador for something which makes people cry?  A widely successful and much revered novelist indeed, whose business is to make people laugh and cry.  (With only one exception: the one person who knew more about mustard oil was my mother – eternal peace be with her – who not only cooked in mustard oil all the time, but knew how to relieve congestion by rubbing warm mustard oil on your chest, or how much water to mix with mustard oil to use it as hair nourishment.  Though, of course, never shed a tear over it.)\r\n\r\nNow, for the first time, a standard for judging the efficacy of cooking oil has been introduced – a Tear Index.  Imagine how convenient it will be for Sarshe-Ilish loving Bengalis to compare a good cooking oil with not-so-good ones by reading the packaging only. If Ganesh brand claims two milliliters of tears per cooking for their product, not to be undone, Emami brand may post 3 milliliters in their packaging.  It also reveals for the first time to his numerous fans and followers around the world that Mr. Ganguly also cooks an occasional meal or two enjoying first hand his sentimental mustard oil moments.\r\n\r\nThe trivialization of the Bengali ethos and evoking grave sentiments in a certain population, ironically with a banality like mustard oil, that too by a serious prolific writer who has otherwise done exactly the opposite with an astute socio-political representation in literature, to say the least, sounds inconsonant.  But give him credit for what is his due; for his compassion and understanding for fellow Bengalis. With all the chaos, privations, killing and banditry around, perhaps Bengalis have no feelings and emotions left; only acceptance of what is ugly and cruel in life. We have stopped empathizing; our eyes have permanently dried up. A tear or two would be timely, even if prodding from a billboard brings it upon us.', 'Why are there Tears in Bengali Eyes?', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'why-are-there-tears-in-bengali-eyes', '', '', '2011-04-11 18:56:59', '2011-04-11 22:56:59', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=566', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(567, 1, '2011-04-11 18:52:08', '2011-04-11 22:52:08', '', 'Sunil Ganguly', 0, 'Sunil Ganguly', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'sunil-ganguly', '', '', '2011-04-11 18:52:08', '2011-04-11 22:52:08', '', 566, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/sunil-ganguly.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0);
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(568, 1, '2011-04-27 22:02:41', '2011-04-28 02:02:41', 'What:\r\n<div><strong>The Mosaic Dance Festival</strong></div>\r\n<div><strong><em>An exchange on Indian culture with international movement</em></strong></div>\r\n<strong><em>featuring  incredible companies, schools and soloists from the tri-state area\r\n</em></strong>\r\n<div>\r\n</div>\r\n<div>Where:</div>\r\n<div><strong>The Funktion Dance  Complex</strong></div>\r\n<div><strong>4260 US HWY 1, Suite 6\r\nMonmouth Junction, NJ</strong></div>\r\n<div><strong>\r\n</strong></div>\r\n<div>When:</div>\r\n<div><strong>Saturday,  August 6th, 2011</strong></div>\r\n<div><strong>2pm &amp; 8pm shows</strong></div>\r\n<div><strong>\r\n</strong></div>\r\n<div>Tickets:</div>\r\n<div><strong>Soon  to be available at</strong></div>\r\n<div><strong><a href="http://www.kalamandirdanceco.com/" target="_blank">www.kalamandirdanceco.com</a></strong></div>\r\n<div><strong>\r\n</strong></div>\r\n<div>Event RSVP:</div>\r\n<div><strong><a href="mailto:kalamandirdanceco@gmail.com" target="_blank">kalamandirdanceco@gmail.com</a></strong></div>\r\n<div><strong>or</strong></div>\r\n<div><strong><a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=202483249771775" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=202483249771775</a></strong></div>\r\n<div>\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n</div>\r\n<div><strong>\r\n</strong></div>\r\n<strong>\r\n</strong>', 'The Mosaic Dance Festival', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-mosaic-dance-festival', '', '', '2011-04-27 22:02:41', '2011-04-28 02:02:41', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=568', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(569, 1, '2011-04-27 22:14:14', '2011-04-28 02:14:14', '<strong>Chhandayan Presents "Rabindra Natak"</strong> - plays inspired by Rabindranath Tagore in celebration of his 150th Birth Anniversary\r\n\r\n"<strong>The Last Flames</strong>"\r\nan ECTA production\r\nWritten and directed by Sudipta Bhawmik\r\n\r\n<em>Basanta  Koomar Roy, an expatriate journalist from India, is credited by many as  one of the key persons responsible in popularizing the Nobel laureate  poet Rabindranath Tagore in USA.  But Roy fell from his idol''s grace for  reasons that torment many a biographer and journalist even today.  "The  Last Flames" attempts to re-examine the relationship between Roy and  Tagore and provides a peek at the human side of the great Poet''s  personality.</em>\r\n\r\n"Mrinal''s Letter"\r\nan Epic Actors Workshop production\r\nConcept and execution by Gargi Mukherjee\r\n\r\nBased on Rabindranath Tagore''s <em>Streer Patra</em>\r\n\r\nMay 28, 4pm and 8pm\r\n\r\nActor Theater Workshop\r\n145 West, 28th Street\r\nNew York, NY (3rd Floor)', 'Chhandayan Presents "Rabindra Natak"', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'chhandayan-presents-rabindra-natak', '', '', '2011-04-27 22:14:14', '2011-04-28 02:14:14', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=569', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(570, 1, '2011-04-27 22:19:50', '2011-04-28 02:19:50', '<div id=":164" class="ii gt">\r\n<div id=":163">\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;" align="center"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ''Bernard MT Condensed'',''serif''; color: #00b0f0; font-size: 36pt;">Tagore’s</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;" align="center"><span style="line-height: 115%;">150<sup>th</sup> Birth Anniversary Celebration</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;" align="center"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ''Castellar'',''serif''; color: #00b0f0; font-size: 36pt;">Organized  by</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;" align="center"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Cultural Association of Bengal</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;" align="center"><span style="line-height: 115%;">A two  day Program</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;" align="center"><span style="line-height: 115%;">May 14</span><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ''Bernard MT Condensed'',''serif''; color: #f79646; font-size: 36pt;">, 2011 Saturday at Rutgers  university, NJ and</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;" align="center"><span style="line-height: 115%;">May 15<sup>th</sup></span><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ''Bernard MT Condensed'',''serif''; color: #f79646; font-size: 36pt;">, 2011 Sunday at Hindu  Temple, Flushing, New York</span></p>\r\n<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;" align="center"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: #f79646; font-size: 36pt;">For more information, please visit</span><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 36pt;"> <a href="http://www.cabusa.org/rabindranath" target="_blank"><span style="color: #800080;">http://www.cabusa.org/rabindranath</span></a></span></span></p>\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n</div>', 'CAB Celebrates Tagore''s 150th Birth Anniversary', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'cab-celebrates-tagores-150th-birth-anniversary', '', '', '2011-04-27 22:19:50', '2011-04-28 02:19:50', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=570', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(571, 1, '2011-05-16 19:19:01', '2011-05-16 23:19:01', '<p id="internal-source-marker_0.7825742000602396" style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ECTA Celebrates  Rabindranath Tagore''s 150th Birth Anniversary with "Rajar Chithi"</span></p>\r\n<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>\r\n\r\n<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ECTA  celebrates the great Indian Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore''s  150th birth anniversary with a new play "Rajar Chithi'' (Letter from the  King - a play in Bengali with subtitles in English) at the Edison Valley  Playhouse, 2196 Oak Tree Road, Edison NJ on June 11th (6.30pm), and  12th (5:00pm). Tickets are $20.00 and can be reserved by email to </span><a href="mailto:bhawmik@gmail.com"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: #0000cc; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">bhawmik@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> or online at </span><a href="http://ecta.ticketleap.com/rajar-chithi"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000099; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://ecta.ticketleap.com/rajar-chithi</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">During  Rabindranath Tagore’s visit to San Francisco in 1916, media reports  claim that there was an attempt by Indian nationalists to assassinate  Tagore. Fortunately the plan did not succeed and the poet was provided  with high level security by the local administration. It was further  reported that the primary cause for their failure was that the  nationalists could not agree amongst themselves as to whether they  should carry out the assassination.  But was it really a failure that  they couldn’t assassinate Tagore? Or was it the right thing to do? </span>\r\n\r\n<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The play  “Rajar Chithi” is a fictional account of the moral, ideological and  psychological conflicts these nationalist freedom fighters of India  possibly had to experience to arrive at this decision.  The play also  offers a deep insight into the social, political and philosophical  influence Tagore had on the people at a time when the entire World was  going through a great turmoil.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The play is written and directed by Sudipta  Bhawmik.  The cast includes some very talented stage actors like  Subhodev Das, Pinaki Datta and Piu Majumdar.</span>', 'Rajar Chithi', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'rajar-chithi', '', '', '2011-05-16 19:19:01', '2011-05-16 23:19:01', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=571', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(572, 1, '2011-06-04 01:26:13', '2011-06-04 05:26:13', '<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/badal_sircar.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-573" style="float: left; margin: 4px;" title="Badal Sircar" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/badal_sircar.jpg" alt="Badal Sircar" width="287" height="302" /></a>On 13th of May 2001, when the entire state of West Bengal was experiencing the euphoria of change, the landscape of Bengali theatre also changed forever. Badal Sircar, the maverick of Indian theatre, passed away almost unnoticed. But I am not going to write an obituary of Badal Sircar, neither I am going to write his biography. Rather I''d like to share with you my experiences with this theater personality through his work and from few of my personal interactions with him.\r\n\r\nMy first experience with Badal Sircar was when I was a child. In our campus (I grew up in IIT Kharagpur campus) the faculty, staff and students often staged plays and I think it was with "Boro Pishima" I first experienced theatre and it changed my life in many ways forever. Later I saw "Solution X" where my mother also participated in one of the lead characters. Few years later, when I was in high school, I went to see a student''s production (TDS _- Technology Dramatic Society) and was shaken to the core to see "Michhil" performed. It was an experience that I could never have expected. For the first time I realized that theater does not require a stage, does not require any expensive sets, any lights or any sophisticated sounds. All it needs are performers and an audience. And in most cases, the barrier between a performer and audience faded away - they became one whole theatrical entity.  I also learned the term "Third Theatre". The apparent simplicity of these production made me think, can theatre be so easy?  My friends and I started to produce Badal Sircar, "Michhil", "Bhoma" and others. We even started performing regular proscenium kind of plays in third theatre form.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nAfter I joined IIT as a student, my involvement with TDS became more strong. Badal Sircar was the rage those days. Several groups were performing Badal Sircar - "Spartacus", "Bhoma", "Sukhopathya Bharoter Itihas", "Hatta Malar Opare" and not to mention his proscenium plays like "Jodi Ar ek Baar", "Baaki Itihas", "Pagla Ghora", "Ballabhpurer Rupkatha", "Ebong Indrajit" - we couldn''t have enough of Badal Sircar. One of our seniors was a regular performer in Badal Sircar''s group Satabdi, and he often would bring fresh new plays to the campus.\r\n\r\nBadal-da himself often came to the campus. Sometimes with his group Satabdi to perform, sometimes to conduct workshops with the students. I still remember the experience of watching "Spartacus" performed by Satabdi on our Basketball court. It was then I realized how far our productions have been from their true potential. And then when I joined Badal-da''s workshop (conducted on our open air theatre stage), I realized how wrong I was in thinking that his productions were easy to perform. How much one needs to train himself, train his mind and body to not only perform, but also to become an integral part of theater. While working with us on some of the  trust games during the workshop he mentioned, "The key aspect in theatre is to have complete trust on your co-performer. You should be able to take the greatest risk, either physical or emotional, fully trusting  that your co-performers are there to support you. Until you develop that relationship with your team mates, you can never give your 100% to theatre." This lesson stuck with me all along. I realized, that this is not only true for theater, but also for each and every aspect of our life, our family, our work, our society.  Some of the other workshop exercises taught me several aspects of using space, dynamic compositions - creating new stage pictures, breaking them instantly and then recreating them almost organically. It  taught me, how versatile is this instrument of acting we have - our own body. How we can create not only human characters, but also physical objects and properties and infuse life in them with our body and mind. A desk and a chair created by human bodies, no longer exists only as a mere objects in space, but carries with them a deeper meaning that is truly human.\r\n\r\nLater, I have moved away from Badal-da''s form of theatre  for many reasons. One of them was the fact that I didn''t feel we were doing justice by performing "Third Theatre" in a proscenium environment.  Third theatre can never succeed on a stage within three walls with the audience sitting fifty meters away behind the fourth wall.  We were cheating ourselves, and defeating Badal-da''s primary reason for developing this form.  I''d rather not do such theater and stick to the conventional style. Maverick''s are rare in our society - not everybody can traverse the trailblazing path that people like Badal Sircar can tread. But the lessons I learned from this great master would always show me my path during the difficult times in my theater life.\r\n\r\nOn Saturday June 4th at 2.00pm, a memorial service for Badal Sircar has been organized by his protege, Subhashis Das at the <span class="fn org">Woodbridge Library, George Frederick Plaza,  Woodbridge, NJ 07095. It is unfortunate that I won''t be able to make it due to my rehearsal commitments, but I hope Badal-da would pardon my absence for the sake of theatre.\r\n</span>', 'Badal Sircar - The Maverick of Indian Theatre', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'badal-sircar-the-maverick-of-indian-theatre', '', '', '2011-06-04 01:26:48', '2011-06-04 05:26:48', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=572', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(573, 1, '2011-06-04 01:10:28', '2011-06-04 05:10:28', 'Badal Sircar', 'Badal Sircar', 0, 'Badal Sircar', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'badal_sircar', '', '', '2011-06-04 01:10:28', '2011-06-04 05:10:28', '', 572, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/badal_sircar.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(574, 1, '2011-06-09 13:54:10', '2011-06-09 17:54:10', '<div><span id="internal-source-marker_0.18080697627738118"><a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/tagore_in_berkeley.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-575" style="float: left; margin: 4px;" title="Rabindranath Tagore in Berkeley California" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/tagore_in_berkeley.jpg" alt="Rabindranath Tagore in Berkeley California" width="380" height="235" /></a></span>About a year and half ago, when I was researching on Rabindranath Tagore’s visits to the USA, an incident caught my attention. It said, that apparently there was an assassination attempt on Rabindranath  by some Indians during his visit to San Francisco in October of 1916. This piece of information shocked me to say the least and I started to dig into the matter further.  I looked into several books on Tagore by well regarded scholars and slowly an image started to take shape.  I’ll refrain myself from getting into the details of the various accounts published in several books (you may look for them in the attached bibliography), but just to put matters in context I’ll quote some references:<!--more--></div>\r\nSan Francisco Examiner of 6th October 1916 reported, “<em>Word of a plot to assasinate Sir Rabindranath Tagore, Hindu poet and Nobel Prize winner, reached the police yesterday and let to extraordinary precautions to guard him in his apartment at the Palace Hotel and at the Columbia Theatre where he lectured in the afternoon.</em>”  Several other newspapers also carried the story. Allegations were pointing towards the Indian revolutionary organization Ghadar, then operating in the USA, primarily based on the writings of  the then Ghadar leader Ramchandra. Ramchandra however denied the allegation.  Rabindranath himself did not believe that his countrymen could even think of doing something like this. He did not cancel any of his assignments and sent a signed statement to the Los Angeles Examiner on 7th October 1916 saying, “<em>I have cancelled no engagements and I came to Santa Barabara by the train which had been arranged for me by my manager. As for a plot to assassinate me, I have the fullest confidence in the sanity of my countrymen and shall fulfill my engagements without the help of police protection. I take this opportunity to emphatically assert that I do not believe there was a plot to assassinate me, though I had to submit to the farce of being guarded by the police, from which I hope to be relieved for the rest of my visit to this country</em>.”\r\n\r\nIn 1933 the Calcutta Statesman published a report from an anonymous  ex Ghadar party activist who had returned after living in USA for many years and it said, <em>“When Dr. Tagore visited the United States during the war, the party actually deputed two of its members to murder the poet at the hotel in San Francisco where he was staying. The two men fell out in the lobby of the hotel as there was a difference of opinion between them as to whether Dr. Tagore should be murdered, and thus the plot was disclosed. The motive for the attempted murder was that the party regarded Dr. Tagore as an agent of the British Government.</em>”\r\n\r\nResponding to a query by Ramananda Chattopadhyay on this news article, Rabindranath gave a more detailed account regarding how he was protected by the police during those few days but he reiterated his trust on his countrymen. But this time he did mention that his speeches on Nationalism were not well received by some Indians in the audience and he did feel a strong sense of antagonism towards him. However, the fact remains that it can never be said for certain as to whether such a heinous plot was ever conceived or not.\r\n\r\nThe story that is told in the play “Rajar Chithi”  is based on the above incident but it should not be considered as history in any way.  It is a  work of pure fiction based on historical references. The characters are fictitious, but they are inspired by real characters of the period who were involved in the Nationalist movement. The inspiration for the character of Mary comes from several American woman of that time who actively helped the Indian freedom struggle.  The play may seem to be a departure  from the kind of plays we produce in ECTA, that is “to tell our stories through theater.”  But to me, it is still “our story” - it is the story of our predecessors in this country who struggled not only for their survival, but also for the freedom of their homeland.\r\n\r\nThe play does not try to pass any judgement on the policies and beliefs of the nationalist freedom fighters of India, or on the philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore regarding nationalism and universal humanism. The play only tries to depict the eternal conflict between indoctrinated dogma and conscience,  between organized beliefs and common sense,  between our brain and our heart - a conflict that is as relevant today as it was during the early part of the twentieth century or even earlier.  And in this process the play makes us think once again about the great genius that was Rabindranath Tagore in a new light.\r\n\r\nBibliography:\r\n1. Sikhs, Swamis, Students, and Spies - The India Lobby in the United States, 1900-1946 : Harold A Gould\r\n2. Tagore and USA : Dr. Panchanan Saha\r\n3. Rabindranath Tagore - The Myriad Minded Man : Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson\r\n4. Life and Letters of A Revolutionary in Exile : Tapan K Mukherjee\r\n5. Rabindranath Tagore in America : Stephen N Hay\r\n6. A Passage to America : Sujit Mukherjee\r\n7. Nationalism - Rabindranath Tagore\r\n8. Cast and Outcast - Dhan Gopal Mukherjee\r\n9. Daughter of the Earth - Agnes Smedley\r\n10. Letters to a Friend: Rabindranath Tagore''s Letters to C.F. Andrews - Rabindranath Tagore\r\n11. http://gadar.homestead.com/GadarHist.html - Gadar Heritage Foundation\r\n12. Selected Letters of Rabindranath Tagore - Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson', 'Rajar Chithi : A Playwright’s Note', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'rajar-chithi-a-playwright%e2%80%99s-note', '', '', '2011-06-10 01:14:27', '2011-06-10 05:14:27', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=574', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(575, 1, '2011-06-09 13:44:27', '2011-06-09 17:44:27', 'Rabindranath Tagore in Berkeley California', 'Rabindranath Tagore in Berkeley California', 0, 'Rabindranath Tagore in Berkeley California', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'tagore_in_berkeley', '', '', '2011-06-09 13:44:27', '2011-06-09 17:44:27', '', 574, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/tagore_in_berkeley.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(576, 1, '2011-07-20 23:56:21', '2011-07-21 03:56:21', 'Bharat Sevashram Sangha presents the following events on July 24th as part of their Fund Raising Event:\r\n\r\nHindustani Classical Vocal by Mitali Banerjee Bhawmik with Pandit Sameer Chatterjee on Tabla and Kedar Naphade on Harmonium\r\n\r\nablaphilia: A Presentation of the four stages of life through vocal and instrumental music, composed and conducted by Pandit Sameer Chatterjee\r\n\r\nand\r\n\r\n"Ekti Gnaye Thaki" a play in Bengali (with English supertitles) written and directed by Sudipta Bhawmik, and produced by ECTA\r\n<h6 class="uiStreamMessage"></h6>\r\nWhat makes a family? Who are our family members?\r\nWho is our brother  and wh<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/ektignaye.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-577" style="float: left; margin: 4px;" title="ektignaye" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/ektignaye.jpg" alt="" width="208" height="276" /></a>o is our sister?\r\nWhat expectations do we have for our family?  What are our demands?\r\nDo we all live in a village of strangers?\r\n\r\n<span class="text_exposed_hide">...</span><span class="text_exposed_show">Villagers:  Sankar, Lili, Subhodev, Aparajita, Dwaipayan, Sudipta, Abhijit\r\nMusic:  Samya Goswami</span>\r\n\r\n"Ekti Gnaye Thaki" is the story of Ranjana and her  brother, Rajat, reuniting after fourteen years. Rajat immigrates to the  US with his family after Ranjana sponsors their green cards. The  reunion is marked by its usual excitement followed by nostal-gia for  their hometown Gobindapur they both left behind. Rajat becomes a  critical link for Ranjana to relive her past, while Ranjana helps him  come to terms with his decision to abandon his familiar world in  Gobindapur. Ranjana is also ill and Rajat''s presence offers a long  awaited emollient. As the brother and the sister often slip into the  past, the rest of the characters are excited at the prospects of their  future in the US, especially Rajat''s son, Rajib. Life gradually settles  down and a quotidian harmony evolves. Yet from the beginning, the play  occasionally and quite subliminally alludes to an underlying subplot  that threatens the apparent calm between the two families. Eventually,  through a set of related incidents, the undisclosed piece - a rather  disconcerting one - is revealed. The disclosure tears apart the growing  assurance of the families'' suburban life, and more importantly, sets in  motion a drift into the past that interrogates those relationships that  were deemed normal. Though this interrogation fractures a happy picture,  however, it is through this fracture, we are invited to revisit  something more important - the attachment between human be-ings. The  play above all, irrespective of its specificities of time and place, is a  commentary on what it means to be a human being in relation to those we  hold dear in our lives.\r\n\r\nTickets are $75.00, $40, $25, student with ID $15.00 Dinner is included. For more information, please call Ashram at 732-422-8880, email: bssnj@hotmail.com', 'Bharat Sevashram Sangha NJ to present "Ekti Gnaye Thaki"', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'bharat-sevashram-sangha-nj-to-present-ekti-gnaye-thaki', '', '', '2011-07-20 23:59:09', '2011-07-21 03:59:09', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=576', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(577, 1, '2011-07-20 23:52:15', '2011-07-21 03:52:15', '', 'ektignaye', 0, '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'ektignaye', '', '', '2011-07-20 23:52:15', '2011-07-21 03:52:15', '', 576, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/ektignaye.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(578, 1, '2011-07-26 14:19:47', '2011-07-26 18:19:47', 'The venue of the program by IIPA on the 7th August, Has been changed to CROSSROADS THEATRE, 7 Livingston Ave , New Brunswick, starting at 12 noon.The Artsuniversity auditorium  has been shut down by fire marshal for safety hazard. . There will be launch available  for a fee from 11am to 12. 30 pm. But seating should be complete by 12.30. for the start of the program. We have to vacate the auditorium by 6pm.\r\nWould like to apologise for any inconvenience.\r\nH.Guha. President. IIPA\r\n\r\nRabindranath: A Remembrance Participants:\r\n\r\nKrishna Dutta: Author/ Biographer “Rabindranath Tagore: The Myriad Minded Man” is the keynote\r\nspeaker of the event. Specializing in the cultural history of Bengal, her books include “Calcutta: A Cultural\r\nand Literary History” was published to critical acclaim.\r\n\r\nProfessor Mohan Singh (Khangura): Born into a cultural family of music lovers of Punjab, Mohan\r\nSingh was selected National Music Scholar by the Ministry of Education. At present he is the Head of\r\nthe department at Visva Bharati, Santiniketan. Mohan performs regularly on All India Radio as well as\r\nin major concerts all over the world.\r\n\r\nBiplab Mondal: Percussion virtuoso, Biplab is the most sought after accompanist in any Rabindra\r\nSangeet program. As a distinguished professor of Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata he has perfectly\r\nepitomized the troves of theoretical knowledge and practical dexterity.\r\n\r\nDr. Subhasish Bhattacharya: A lecturer at Rabindra Bharati University, Subhasish is a well known face in\r\nthe performing arts circle for his excellent rendition of Classical dance style as well as Rabindrik Nritya.\r\n\r\nTapan Basu: With a strong musical background, Tapan has undertaken and executed several events\r\nfor Saregama, HMV, Chirag, ETV Bangla, Doordarshan, and many other private organizations. He has\r\ngraciously accepted our invitation to be the Event Coordinator for Rabindranath: A Remembrance.\r\n\r\nAniruddho Sanyal: Documentary filmmaker Aniruddho has won critical acclaim for his film on Raja\r\nRam Mohan Roy titled: “A Bristol Pilgrimage: In Search of Raja Ram Mohan Roy” &amp; “Disconnected\r\nGenius: Dwarakanath and Rabindranath”. This year the documentary on Rabindranath was presented\r\nat the Tagore Festival in London. Aniruddho will be the anchor of a segment of our program where he\r\nwill show a very rare documentary on Tagore with testimonials from various luminaries.\r\n\r\nJoydeep Bhattacharya: A Rabindrasangeet enthusiast, Joydeep’s musical taste has been built on this\r\nparticular genre of music. As such Joydeep will illuminate the public with discussions on Rabindra\r\nSangeet.\r\n\r\nSuparna Guha: Director/ Coordinator Indian Institute of Performing Arts. Suparna was brought up in\r\nthe cultural environment of Visva Bharati, Santiniketan. Suparna continues to play an important role in\r\npopularizing Tagore’s works in the US.', 'RABINDRANATH: A REMEMBRANCE', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'rabindranath-a-remembrance', '', '', '2011-07-26 21:03:20', '2011-07-27 01:03:20', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=578', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(579, 1, '2011-08-11 20:05:37', '2011-08-12 00:05:37', 'In commemoration of Tagore''s 150th Birth Celebration, Bengal Foundation  of America is proud to present Tagore''s classic tale, Shesher Kobita as a  play!!\r\n\r\nDirected and Dramatized by Nupur Gangopadhyay Lahiri\r\nProduced  by Bengal Foundation Of America\r\n\r\nTo be held at George Street Playhouse, New Brunswick, New Jersey\r\n\r\nOther performances include:\r\n\r\nRhythms of Life\r\nFoorty\r\nManjari School of Performing Arts, NJ\r\n\r\nFollowed  by a post performance seminar on Rabindranath Tagore''s drama.', 'Sesher Kobita ', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'sesher-kobita', '', '', '2011-08-21 22:43:06', '2011-08-22 02:43:06', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=579', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(580, 1, '2011-08-21 22:40:28', '2011-08-22 02:40:28', 'by <strong>Amitava Sen</strong>\r\n\r\n<img class="alignleft" style="float: left; border: 2px solid black; margin: 4px;" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/durga-protima.jpg" alt="Durga" width="296" height="199" />A few years ago at the annual Durga Puja, the organizing club published a booklet for the benefit of the generation born and raised here, explaining the significance and meaning of the festival and its various events on different days. Rightly so, the narration started with Mahalaya, the new moon day preceding the Puja. Mahalaya is actually a day when Hindus, typically Bengali Hindus pay homage to the ancestors, culminating in Sharodiya Durga Puja six days later. Indeed, it is a Hindu practice to invoke the blessings of the ancestors before any solemn occasion, be it a wedding or an Annaprasan. But that was not what the author of the little booklet wrote in his explanation of Durga Puja for our children.  Mahalaya, according to his narrative was the day on which Calcutta radio broadcast an audio musical, Mahishasurmardini.  And that was all, what Mahalaya meant!<!--more-->\r\n\r\nIt was an ignorant and a weird way of explaining a significant Bengali institution to our children. It was like saying July fourth was all about fireworks. Hindu customs and religion are a little more involved and nuanced than of other major religions of the world. Its philosophies, theories and practices are not all explained and enunciated in a single book. Acquiring ultimate knowledge of our religion is just not memorizing one single book of scripture.  As a result the Hindus, I think are a bit doubtful, if not confused about sources and meanings of our numerous and sometimes complex texts and edicts.  So I do not accuse anyone of ignorance or lack of clarity about Mahalaya or Kali Puja or Kalpataru Utsav, a few amongst typical occasions very much confined to Bengalees. Many amongst us have no clue about historical and mythical background of even Durga puja, the mother of all Bengalee festivals. Of course you are guilty of no major crime either if you do not know all about our heritage, unless of course we desire to teach it to our “second generation.” Thus, we have to be very careful in the kind of epistemic inheritance we are providing for our next generation.\r\n\r\nIn our desire to make very “cultured” Bengalees out of our children, the word that is kicked around frequently is heritage.  Heritage is something that we inherit by our birth and which flows from being born out of certain parameters and culture of our parents and society. The larger question here is-are we the so-called first generation quite aware of our heritage? We first need to educate us on our heritage if we want to pass it to our children. Unless you own it how can you bestow it on others?\r\n\r\nI suspect not many of us have read Rabindranath, Sarat Chandra or Bankim Chandra in any depth; not many of us are aware of the work and lives of Sri Chaitnya, Sri Ramakrishna or Ram Mohan Roy.  What is Bengali heritage without their legacy? How can we be aware of our heritage without the knowledge of the Bengali Renaissance of the nineteenth century? Let’s ask an honest question:  how much do we know about the period of great awakening and reform which is unique in the history of all regional Indian cultures.\r\n\r\nI want to emphasize that this is not an all embracing assessment of or an expression of general disappointment about us that is the first generation here in the United States. There are members in our community who can really teach us about our culture and our heritage. Yet, I want to stress on the critical learning of our generation (the first generation) which may be a more universal concern.\r\n\r\nLet’s get to know our literature, our culture and our religion, in other words our total heritage before we exert big effort and throw in big money for the expressed goal of bringing our heritage to the second generation.\r\n\r\nLet’s start with the meaning of Mahalaya.', 'Learning About Our Heritage: A Task For The First Generation', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'learning-about-our-heritage-a-task-for-the-first-generation', '', '', '2011-08-21 22:40:28', '2011-08-22 02:40:28', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=580', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(583, 1, '2011-08-31 19:41:58', '2011-08-31 23:41:58', 'Kallol of New Jersey Celebrates Durga Puja on Sept 30, Oct 1 and 2, 2011\r\n\r\nat the Ukranian Church and Cultural Center, 135 Davidson Ave, Somerset, NJ 08873\r\n\r\nCultural Program Highlights:\r\n\r\nFriday, Sept 30 : \r\n“Duhshomoy” – Direction and narration by Dr Faruqe Azam\r\n"Durga Stotra" - Mili Bhattacharya\r\n''String Struck'' - Purbayan Chatterjee (Sitar) Anindyo Chatterjee (Tabla) \r\n\r\nSaturday, Oct 1: \r\n"Kabar" - a play by Munir Choudhury, directed by Taarun Chatterjee\r\n\r\n"A Wonderful World" Children''s play directed by Aparajita Das\r\n\r\n''Nritya Creation'':   by Mina Basu Nag & Sanjeeb Bhattacharya\r\n\r\nNachiketa Chakraborty "Tumei Sesh Porjonto"\r\n\r\nSunday, Oct 2: "Troyee" choreographed by Sunrita Mitra\r\n"Banchaar Jonyo Gaan" by Aakash Deep\r\nAparna Sen with ''You &amp; I'' presents ''Your''s Truely'' (USA premiere of a famous 2011 show)\r\n\r\nVisit Kallol.com for registration information.', 'New Jersey Durga Puja of Kallol', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'new-jersey-durga-puja-of-kallol', '', '', '2011-09-25 23:24:18', '2011-09-26 03:24:18', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=583', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(584, 1, '2011-09-13 21:45:24', '2011-09-14 01:45:24', 'Garden State Cultural Association (GSCA) Celebrates Durga Puja\r\nat\r\nPlainfield High School\r\n\r\nOctober 1 and 2, 2012\r\n\r\nSat, Oct 1\r\nGSCA Chairman''s speech  	6:15-6:20 PM  	 \r\n  	Speech by Chief Guest: Deputy Speaker of New Jersey Assembly, Hon. Upendra Chivukula 	6:20-6:30 PM 	 \r\n  	Dance recital by Mitra Purkayastha''s troupe 	6:30-7:00 PM 	 \r\n  	Bengali play "Eta Byaktigoto": directed by Soumendu Bhattacharya. 	7:10-8:00 PM 	 \r\n  	Songs by Pratibha Singh & Soumen Nandi (Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2009 finalists)\r\n\r\nPrize distribution (Arts & Craft)  	5:30 - 6:00 pm  	 \r\n  	Surer Biswayane Rabindranath, a GSCA production 	6:00 - 6:30 pm 	 \r\n  	Quiz show 	6:30 - 7:00 pm 	 \r\n  	Songs by Monomoy Bhattacharya (Kolkata) 	7:00 - 9:00 pm 	 \r\n', 'GSCA Durga Puja', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'gsca-durga-puja', '', '', '2011-09-13 21:45:24', '2011-09-14 01:45:24', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=584', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(585, 1, '2011-09-13 23:32:08', '2011-09-14 03:32:08', 'We Bengalis have a special characteristic. We tend to setup familial relationships with almost any person we get acquainted with, especially when they are older than us. We cannot just address them by their names. We always want them to be our brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, grandparents etc.\r\n\r\nWe do it with good intentions. We feel that it would be irreverent of us to address the middle aged gentleman we just met as "Arunabho" or "Satyen". Addressing them by their first name is next to impossible. So we need to make a quick judgment call and decide what relationship we would like to establish with this new friend. Based on the looks, if the gentleman or lady  seem to be close to our age, we try to make them our elder brother (Dada) or sister (Didi). If they seem to be middle aged, then "Kaku" or (Uncle) seems to be appropriate for men, and "Mashi" (Aunt) for women. For women, a subtle transition from "Mashi" to "Mashi-ma" can occur but one needs to be quite careful with that judgement.  Often it so happens, that if it is a couple we meet, we call the husband "Kaku" (paternal uncle) and the wife "Mashi" (maternal aunt) - an almost absurd (although not impossible) relationship. When we meet a couple, "Kaku/Kakima" or "Mashima/Meshomoshai" is a better bet.  It is odd though that the relations, "Mama" (maternal uncle) or "Pishi" (paternal aunt) are not used very often for such acquaintances.  If you are ever doubtful about your social status in this relationship scale, I suggest you walk down the pavement in Gariahat Kolkata. The hawkers and roadside vendors will give you a perfect judgment about your age. Many ladies have experienced their development from "Didi" to "Boudi" to "Mashi" to Mashi-ma" to "Thakuma" from these experts. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nWhen I was younger, I too used these relational attributes to show my respect to my seniors. But as I am growing older, I have realized that it may no longer be appropriate to assume anybody as my "Kaku" or "Mashi", maybe not even "Dada" or "Didi". The realization becomes stronger when someone whom I know to be my contemporary, or even older than me, addresses me as "Dada".  Some people just cannot see themselves as older than anybody else and this often cause a lot of heartache for many. Few days ago a young lady at my place was visibly upset when a middle aged friend of mine called her "Aunty"!\r\n\r\nPersonally, I have tried to keep myself detached from such trivial issues claiming it really doesn''t matter to me how someone addresses me. But recently when some twenty something was struggling to decide whether to call me "Kaku", "Jethu" or "Mesho-moshai", I had strong feeling that it is high time we change this system.\r\n\r\nI agree, we may not feel comfortable to address our seniors by their first names. We may also feel a bit awkward to listen to a young boy half my age, calling me by my first name. Although it is quite common in this country to use first names, but we still feel uncomfortable to use them within our community. Hindi speaking people have resolved this issue by adding a suffix "ji" to any name - Sudipta-ji, Sutapa-ji etc. It is almost like using Mr. or Mrs. to ones name to show your respect, although Mr. and Mrs. works with last names only. Not too long ago, Bengalis too used the suffix (sometimes even as a prefix) "Babu" with male names and "Debi" with female names, to show their respect. Sudipta-babu, or Mrinalini-debi was used amongst the urban elites. But somehow, over the years, "Babu" and "Debi" has lost their gravity and today many feel insulted if they are addressed as a Babu or Debi.  So, what can be the solution?\r\n\r\nThe best solution would be to use our names - just as they are. Names are given to identify a person, to address a person. We all have names. So lets use them. Why do we have to make somebody my "Dada" when I am not sure if he is older than me? Why should I accept someone calling me "Mesho-moshai" when I know that I never had a "Shyalika" or sister-in-law?  Let''s drop this pretense of being a nephew or a niece and call Subhashis as Subhashis, Ajit as Ajit, Shanti as Shanti.\r\n\r\nBut if this sounds too radical, I am willing to accept a compromise. Just like the suffix "-ji", lets use "-da" for men and "-di" for women as a sign of respect, irrespective of their age. You may call Subhashis as Subhashis-da, Ajit as Ajit-da, Krishna as Krishna-di. Remember, this "-da" or "-di" is not the same as "Dada" or "Didi" and they imply no familial relationship.  Besides we have been using these suffixes for quite some time and it maybe easier for us to adopt. It will resolve many complicated issues and awkward situations that Bengali naming conventions have put us into. No longer will young Sucharita feel guilty in calling her boy friend Subir as Subir-da. Now Subir can also call her Sucharita-di,  until they cross the boundaries of Bengali social formalities.', 'We All Have Names! Let''s Use Them!', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'we-all-have-names-lets-use-them', '', '', '2011-09-14 12:26:26', '2011-09-14 16:26:26', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=585', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(586, 1, '2011-09-15 21:30:18', '2011-09-16 01:30:18', '<div id=":190" class="ii gt">\r\n<div id=":18k"><em><strong>A  Lecture-Demonstration session on Gwalior Style of Singing, </strong></em>\r\nby Smt. Neela Bhagwat of Mumbai, on Sunday, October 9, 2011 at Warren, <strong>NJ</strong>.\r\n\r\nTopic of discussion\r\n\r\n1----- The Gwalior Gharana of Khayal music\r\n<div>2----The influence of Bhakti and Sufi on Khayal music.</div>\r\n<div>3----The expressive idiom of Khayal.</div>\r\n<div>4----Use of Classical idiom of expression to express contemporary  themes\r\n\r\n<strong>Venue</strong>:\r\n14 Quail Run\r\nWarren, <strong>NJ - </strong>07059\r\n\r\n9th  October.\r\n\r\nTime- 2 pm to 4-30/5 pm\r\n\r\n<strong>RSVP</strong>: <a href="mailto:raagrang07@gmail.com" target="_blank">raagrang07@gmail.com</a> or call: <a href="tel:732-377-9362" target="_blank">732-377-9362</a> or <a href="tel:908-429-1120" target="_blank">908-429-1120</a>\r\n\r\n<strong>Entry Fee</strong>:  $10 per person\r\n\r\n</div>\r\n</div>\r\n</div>', 'Raag Rang Presents: A Lecture-Demonstration on Gwalior Style of Singing', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'raag-rang-presents-a-lecture-demonstration-on-gwalior-style-of-singing', '', '', '2011-09-15 21:30:18', '2011-09-16 01:30:18', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=586', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(587, 1, '2011-09-15 23:10:18', '2011-09-16 03:10:18', '<div style="padding: 1pt 4pt; border: 1pt solid windowtext;">\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span><strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span>Ananda</span></span> <span><span>Mandir</span></span>,  NJ <var></var> announces the following winners of 2011 Gayatri GaMarsh Memorial Awards </span></strong></span></div>\r\n<strong><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></strong>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">for Literary Excellence:</span></strong></span></div>\r\n<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;">Gouri  Datta </span></strong><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;">(Newton, Massachusetts)</span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;">(In  Bengali Publications Category)</span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;">Tathagata Ghosh </span></strong><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;">(Bridgewater, New Jersey)</span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;">(In  English Publications Category)<span> </span></span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;">*** </span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span><span><strong> </strong><span style="font-size: medium;">The following were the<strong> </strong></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> judges who provided their</span> </span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;"> invaluable support </span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;">in evaluating the submitted nominations  :</span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;"> For  Bengali Literary Award: </span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;">Sujan DasGupta, </span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;">Alolika Mukherjee</span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;">Sakti Sengupta</span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;"><span> </span></span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> and</span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> For English Literary Award:</span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;">Sumit Roy</span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;">Arundhati Sanyal</span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;">Narasingha Sil</span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>\r\n<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0in; border: medium none currentcolor; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;DejaVu Sans&quot;; font-size: 14pt;">For  information on the submission of next year''s award, please check <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.anandamandir.org/" target="_blank">www.anandamandir.org</a> or contact Pronoy Chatterjee: <a rel="nofollow" href="mailto:pkc_usa@yahoo.com" target="_blank">pkc_usa@yahoo.com</a> or Debajyoti  Chatterji: <a rel="nofollow" href="mailto:debsmee572@gmail.com" target="_blank">debsmee572@gmail.com</a> </span></span></div>\r\n</div>', '2011 Gayatri GaMarsh Memorial Awards', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', '2011-gayatri-gamarsh-memorial-awards', '', '', '2011-09-15 23:10:18', '2011-09-16 03:10:18', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=587', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(589, 1, '2011-09-27 18:58:55', '2011-09-27 22:58:55', 'Fifth New Jersey Independent South Asian Cine Fest (NJISACF), 2011,\r\n\r\nproduced by the Asian American Film and Theater Project, will showcase independent films by or about South Asian women from all over the world that challenge the stereotypical and traditional portrayal of South Asian women in mainstream commercial cinema. The two day-long festival will introduce new and established independent women film artists, from South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora. The festival will also feature filmmaker Q&As and panel discussions with participation from scholars and academics from a variety of disciplines.\r\n\r\nJury and Audience Choice Prizes will be awarded for excellence in various categories.\r\nOctober 21, 22, 23 2011\r\nat Big Cinemas, Edison, New Jersey', 'Fifth New Jersey Independent South Asian Cine Fest', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'fifth-new-jersey-independent-south-asian-cine-fest', '', '', '2011-09-27 18:58:55', '2011-09-27 22:58:55', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=589', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(590, 1, '2011-09-28 23:25:53', '2011-09-29 03:25:53', '<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/omkar_souvik.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-591" style="float: left; margin: 4px;" title="Omkar and Souvik" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/omkar_souvik.jpg" alt="Omkar and Souvik" width="327" height="269" /></a>When we celebrate Durga Puja in this adopted homeland of ours, one thought keeps on playing in our minds - how much does our children enjoy this festival? Do they feel the same as we did when we were kids in our homeland? Many of us had the idea that our children really don''t care much about this favorite festival of ours. Often we have seen bored kids playing hand held video games in the hallways of our festival venue while their parents enjoyed inside. We sometimes debated, whether we are forcing our kids to come to the festival just because we want to, or it is our duty as a parent to introduce them to our culture and traditions? Is it working? Can they feel the spirit of the best festival of our community?\r\nTo get a more definitive answer, I asked my fourteen year old son Omkar and his friends a simple question. What does Durga Puja mean to them? And here are their responses.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nSouvik Ganguly, a freshman at Bridgewater Raritan High School said -  "For me, Durga Pujo is one of my favorite times of the year because I get to see all my friends and forget about school for a weekend."\r\n\r\nAishik Mukherjee, a Montgomery High School junior, responds -  "During Durga Puja, I have more freedom to do the things I loved as a kid, such as running around outside. I also enjoy some of the performances during the Pujo. Last year, I was watching this one short film that my brother was in about learning how to read and write Bengali, and I was the tech man when it was being shown. I was surprised at how interesting the film was."\r\n\r\nRishav Ghosh, a seventh grader says, "My favorite parts of Durga are being able to hang out with my friends for a few days as well as participating in some plays with them."\r\n\r\nAnd finally Omkar, a Bridgewater Raritan High School Sophomore, says -  "My favorite part of Durga Pujo is definitely seeing my close friends and hanging out with them for a full weekend. I also enjoy some of the kids'' performances, as they can be fun to watch. The festive ambiance of the whole event just ties everything together and makes it a bit more enjoyable."\r\n\r\nSo if we take these four kids to be a random sample of our community children, then it seems their view of Durga Puja is not entirely different from that of ours. The religious part of the festival may not excite them a lot (neither does it excite all the adults), but I think they got the real essence of the Puja festival - to meet friends and have a good time together.', 'Durga Puja and Our Teenagers', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'durga-puja-and-our-teenagers', '', '', '2011-09-28 23:25:53', '2011-09-29 03:25:53', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=590', 0, 'post', '', 2),
(591, 1, '2011-09-28 23:20:09', '2011-09-29 03:20:09', '', 'Omkar and Souvik', 0, 'Omkar and Souvik', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'omkar_souvik', '', '', '2011-09-28 23:20:09', '2011-09-29 03:20:09', '', 590, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/omkar_souvik.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(592, 1, '2011-10-06 00:43:35', '2011-10-06 04:43:35', '<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/orange_tag.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-593" style="float: left; border: 2px solid black; margin: 4px;" title="Orange Tag" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/orange_tag.jpg" alt="Believe me, it was white until it fell in your mutton curry." width="373" height="339" /></a>Yet another Durga Puja festival concluded with great pomp and fan fare. And each year we see the festival transforming itself in different ways. Some people hate change. They feel that tradition is something that should be protected with great care. Others feel, nothing should be cast in stone - rules and traditions should be broken to herald in fresh views and thoughts. I am okay with either school of thought, although I tend to lean towards the latter philosophy. Organizing an event like Durga Puja is not a trivial task, and not all things work according to plan. Besides it is not easy to satisfy everybody.  However, I can speak about my experience and what I felt about the festival this year, especially the one celebrated by Kallol of New Jersey. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nThe process of pre-registration, that caused lot of heart burns few years ago, seems to be well accepted by now. The process is also quite streamlined if you are internet savvy. This year Kallol formally introduced pre-registration of daily passes. I have been asking about this for quite some time, and I am happy to see the committee members introduce this feature. The system of retaining reserved seats for the high-paying registrants (read donors, patrons etc) with white tags, still seem to cause quite a bit of dissatisfaction amongst the traditionalists. One cause for concern is, that in this hall, even with the best audio system, only the first few rows can listen to the sound with some degree of clarity. The rows in the back can only hear a cacophony of reverberations mixed with constant chattering of the socialites. Hence anybody who wants to seriously listen to what''s being performed on stage, need to stay within the first few rows - a large portion of  which were reserved for the white tag holders. Hence  it was no surprise when artistes like Anindyo Chatterjee and Purbayan Chatterjee found the rows in front sparsely populated and had to request the audience to move up to those exclusive seats. I understand that those who contribute more financially, need to be given some incentives or rewards. But the Kallol execs should also understand that there are many who may not be contributing as much financially but are giving a lot of physical effort and their time voluntarily for the success of this event. They also deserve to be treated in better ways. I have heard complaints that some such people were rudely asked to get off the white tag seats just because they wanted to seriously watch a program they love but were wearing an orange tag badge.\r\n\r\n<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/shue_poro.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-594" style="float: left; border: 2px solid black; margin: 4px;" title="Shuye Poro" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/shue_poro.jpg" alt="" width="448" height="307" /></a>Kallol also tried, to some limited degree, to enforce the policy of no seat blocking with shawls and other objects.  It has been an old practice of throwing a shawl or some other object on the seats early in the day and stake a claim during the high profile programs.  Some times they do not even come back during the show while people who would like to watch it are prevented from sitting on those seats. Kallol committee members this year were quite strict about this and have fought quite a few nasty battles to recover those protected seats for their guests. But until we try to co-operate with them and try to understand that this is a community event and every body deserves a seat , we cannot get rid of this menace.\r\n\r\nThe food service was excellent and I haven''t heard much complaints. The lines were well managed and the food quality was very good.\r\n\r\nThe entertainment program was quite good, especially the local artistes (kids and adults) did a fantastic job.  Of the visiting artistes, Pt. Anindyo Chatterjee and Purbayan Chatterjee were excellent.  Nachiketa disappointed us by singing fewer songs than expected. He should have sung few more songs and waste less time in  breaks. Tarun Chatterjee''s play "Kabar", although a very powerful play, was certainly not appropriate for the venue. The play also seemed to be not very well prepared, although Tarun Chatterjee''s performance was above par. Aparna Sen and "You and I" program was one of the key attractions of this event, but it failed to impress me. Ms. Sen is an excellent screen actor and a superb film maker, but her reading did not do justice to those love letters and their writers. To bring a letter to life on stage just through reading demands a different kind of skill which very few posses.  The music by Soumyajit and Sourendra had no synergy with the letters except for the theme "love". Soumyajit and Sourendra are both well trained and talented musicians, but I don''t know why they had to mix multiple songs for no reason. For example, I have no clue why he felt compelled to switch to Manna Dey''s "Lolita" from the famous Mand rendering of "Kesaria Balama..." ! Why couldn''t they perform each song as they were meant to be performed. Gimmicks can potentially impress some people, but for many it can be a source of annoyance.\r\n\r\nOverall, the festival was quite enjoyable and I thank all the organizing committee members and volunteers for giving us a very pleasant weekend of Durga Puja celebrations.', 'New Jersey Durga Puja 2011: A Personal Perspective', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'new-jersey-durga-puja-2011-a-personal-perspective', '', '', '2011-10-06 11:31:47', '2011-10-06 15:31:47', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=592', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(593, 1, '2011-10-06 00:39:09', '2011-10-06 04:39:09', '', 'Orange Tag', 0, 'Believe me, it was white until it fell in your mutton curry.', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'orange_tag', '', '', '2011-10-06 00:39:09', '2011-10-06 04:39:09', '', 592, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/orange_tag.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(594, 1, '2011-10-06 00:41:56', '2011-10-06 04:41:56', '', 'Shuye Poro', 0, '', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'shue_poro', '', '', '2011-10-06 00:41:56', '2011-10-06 04:41:56', '', 592, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/shue_poro.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(595, 1, '2011-11-10 00:22:45', '2011-11-10 04:22:45', '<strong>By Amitava Sen\r\n</strong>\r\nWhy do we buy things?\r\nSome for immediate consumption, like food, which we need for survival or mere delight of palate.\r\nWe buy theatre tickets, for enjoyment and entertainment.\r\nOr, books and arts, to meet our intellectual needs.\r\nWe spend money on investment, with expectation for a return in cash or kind.\r\nAlso, for long term uses, like houses for shelter. The range of items like homes and cars are not always based on a minimum need; often times they exceed the rational limit.  But their uses remain utilitarian nevertheless.\r\nAmongst many others, clothing is an important area we spend our money on, so that we maintain a societal decorum and do not bare us to the world; and for sartorial splendor, of course.\r\nGenerally, we acquire thing to meet some kind of needs or perceived needs, material, physical or intellectual.\r\nBut there are a few items we get out of sheer obsession of the moments with complete disregard for need or return on investment and we make irrational judgment about the value of the acquisition. Consider for example, saree-buying frenzy of an India born women in our Bengalee community.\r\nA mirror view is satisfying, but principally nice attire helps us look good in others’ eyes. At least that is a reasonable assumption. But observing some Bengalee women here, saree possession seems to have crossed the threshold of reasonableness; it looks like an uncontrollable mania.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nAs a dress, a saree does have certain uniqueness. It is the only garment in the world which fits one size all!  Even Dishdasha for Arab men , Abaya worn by Arab women or Burqua of South Asian Muslim women, all basically shapeless coveralls  resembling a drape more than a clothing, have to be tailored to size. A saree on the other hand does not require cutting, formatting, not a stitch of a single thread. A saree is also the greatest and most effective camouflage ever, especially for laterally challenged.\r\nOnce when I invited my friend Richie and his wife to a dinner, he declined because his wife Doris had been on a diet and slimming down regime for two weeks so that she can shape up and fit in a nice dress to attend an impending wedding. Tongue in cheek, I suggested that Doris could wear a saree for the wedding that would save her from starvation for two weeks.  Throw an unmanageably long wrap around you and then other appurtenances of female beauty, which is your body, are effectively hidden from public eyes.\r\nBut you pay a price; your vanity and your pride are undermined.  Your beauty, your grace and your elegance that either the nature has endowed you with or you have cultivated so assiduously over the years are taken out of view for anyone to see and appreciate.  The piece of fabric around you gets all the attention.  You feel good when other women come to you and express their admiration for your saree. Not a word about how nice you look in that saree and or how elegant you are. The admiring woman may even break your heart if and when she adds “I have an exact similar piece which I am yet to wear.” That effectively deflates whatever ego you have had satisfied when the saree was praised.\r\nOf course there are other reasons for why you are ignored and the dress you are wearing gets all the attention instead; appreciating another woman may not come naturally to a woman in our self-conscious Bengali society. Compliments generally come from a woman and almost never from a man. The concept may sound like contrary to evolutionary common sense which conjectures that the purpose women strive to look good is to attract potential mates of the opposite sex. The truth in our Bengali diasporas is that women dress to impress each other. That often is partly a result of environment in which we socialize and the way we are. Whether in a party or a social event or in a Puja the women folks congregate in a close cluster and men are segregated which gives the men scant opportunity to look at the women, get friendly and say a word of appreciation.\r\nBringing men into the picture can add some sense and sensibility to the mad world of saree acquisition.  If men were the target for getting noticed there would not be the need for buying so many of them. Men have shorter sartorial memories. It is unlikely for a man to remember if that piece of apparel has already been worn once before. It is close to a blasphemy to a Bengalee saree wearing woman to be told that a saree has already been worn once before albeit by the same person. Women can and will easily point out the repeat use of your dress, length of the intervening period regardless. Even if they do not tell you in that many words, wearer will instantly know from the knowing look of the observers that she has been caught red-handed. Men may also have a nice word for you, and that is likely to be honest. Truth is men have a discerning eye for compatibility of the dress and the person putting it on. The women surprisingly have a strange skill of only looking at the saree without even noticing the person wearing it and an incredibly long memory span for sarees. Unfortunately you meet the same and repeat bunch of people wherever you go dressed up, in our close-knit Bengali society. And there is always someone to remember your saree, even if it is not so remarkable a piece.\r\nThe fallout from the addiction is wider. Expenses on saree account have a profound impact on the cost of our social lives. In our burgeoning society we have a closeness in order to function and flourish socially and we do have vigorous and frequent interactions with our friends and acquaintances, which we cannot do without. Formal occasions like wedding, birthdays and casual ones like a weekend dinners, demand gifts. Cost for two persons attending, works out to $200-$300.00 (unless of course you are close to the host) in a wedding; $100.00 for a birthday (For a Sunday lunch at Akbar or similar not so lustrous places, $60.00 should do for two guests) and there are anniversaries, annaprasans, you name it. In a routine dinner party you can get away with a $16-20.00 bottle of wine. Now comes the collateral cost. Add to each of the above the cost of single-wear saree (between $200-250,) a blouse (guessing the value of a blouse is tricky. A blouse may be pricey, but sometimes, judging from the amount of cloth material that are used in a blouse in modern fashion, it is not unrealistic to appraise that it may cost little or nothing)   and occasional matching costume jewelry (between $50 and $100.00.)  Attending Puja is not cheap either these days; organizers will shut the door on you unless you pay a high entry fee in advance and do not forget to account for the fresh purchase of one or two sarees from those luring saree stalls at the Puja place.\r\nNow, please do the math!\r\nOne has to wonder, even considering the single wear scenario, when and where all the sarees are actually worn. Admittedly, our community here has more get-togethers, more occasions than others on a yearly basis but the sarees most likely outnumber the opportunities to wear them. In practice it is just impossible to wear all of them within a reasonable period of time before it becomes old and out of fashion.  The momentary infatuation, bordering insanity that overtook the buyers senses had passed or in hold till another irresistible piece overwhelms. The pieces in storage left unused would probably be not worth wearing and showing off. One has to suspect that quite a few of them stay in closet unused, ultimately finding their way to the storage in the garage.\r\nOf course I am not proposing this as a generalized truth dictum for all the saree wearing women all over the world, I am focusing on the behavior of a certain class of Bengalee women in our midst, who in their obsessive saree fetish have lost somewhere a sense of proportion.', 'A Discourse on the Saree Fetish', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'a-discourse-on-the-saree-fetish', '', '', '2011-11-10 00:23:46', '2011-11-10 04:23:46', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=595', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(596, 1, '2011-11-23 11:23:08', '2011-11-23 15:23:08', '<img class="alignleft" style="float: left; border: 2px solid black; margin: 4px;" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/bhupen-hazarika.jpg" alt="Dr. Bhupen Hazarika" width="400" height="329" /><strong>Raag-Rang presents its last concert of the year in memory of Late Dr Bhupen Hazarika.</strong>\r\n\r\nDate &amp; Time: 3rd December from 3 pm to 6 pm.\r\nVenue: Sophia Fahs Theater (Unitarian Universalist Congregation Of Princeton)\r\n50 Cherry Hill Drive,\r\nPrinceton- 08540.\r\nConcert will start with Dashavatar, an Odissi dance presentation by students of Smt Mitra Purakayastha\r\nfollowed by a bouquet of nostalgic melodies composed by Dr Hazarika. The focus of the concert will beon his musical career, his philosophy on music and his compositions based on ragas. Participating musicians are Shree Parthasarathi Mukhapadhyay, Smt Mitali Banerjee Bhawmik, Smt Gayatri Sharma &amp; Smt Indrani Chakrabarty Khare. Shree Anirban Roychoudhury will accompany on tabla.\r\n\r\nAdmission: $15.00 per person for non-members.\r\n$10.00 per person for members.\r\n\r\nRSVP is requested as seats are limited.\r\nContact: raagrang07@gmail.com\r\nOr call (908)-429-1120, (732)-377-9362', 'Bhupen Hazarika Memorial Concert', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'bhupen-hazarika-memorial-concert', '', '', '2011-11-23 11:27:47', '2011-11-23 15:27:47', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=596', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(597, 1, '2011-11-23 11:21:13', '2011-11-23 15:21:13', '', 'bhupen-hazarika', 0, 'Dr. Bhupen Hazarika', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'bhupen-hazarika', '', '', '2011-11-23 11:21:13', '2011-11-23 15:21:13', '', 596, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/bhupen-hazarika.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(598, 1, '2011-12-01 00:34:37', '2011-12-01 04:34:37', 'New Jersey Independent South Asian Cinefest (www.NJISACF.org), 2011 that recently concluded at the Big Cinemas in Edison New Jersey announced the award winners at a special event. The 2011 award winners are:\r\n \r\nBest Student Film: Aadmi Ki Aurat Aur Anya Kahaniya (Directed by Amit Dutta and produced by FTII, Pune)\r\nBest Production by a Woman: Sunanda Shetty for Desire Of a Woman\r\nBest Background Score: Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (Desire of a Woman)\r\nBest Documentary (feature length): Inshallah Football directed by Ashvin Kumar\r\nCritic''s Choice Award (for a film): Flying Fish directed by Sanjeewa Pushapkumara\r\nOutstanding Debut Feature ( both male & female): Meherjaan directed by Rubaiyat Hossain, produced by Ashique Mustafa\r\nBest Actor (Male): Rajat Kapoor (I am 24) and Adil Hussain (GANGOR)\r\nBest Actor (Female): Priyanka Bose (Gangor) and  Humaima Malik (Bol)\r\nBest Directorial Debut By a Woman: Anjali Menon for Lucky Red Seeds\r\nBest Director (feature): Shoaib Mansoor (Bol), Italo Spinelli (Gangor)\r\nBest Director (Female): Rubaiyat Hossain (Meherjaan)\r\nBest Feature:  Gangor directed by Italo Spinelli, produced by Niravana Entertainments and Bibi Films (Italy)', 'New Jersey Independent South Asian Cinefest 2011 ', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'new-jersey-independent-south-asian-cinefest-2011', '', '', '2011-12-01 00:34:37', '2011-12-01 04:34:37', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=598', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(599, 1, '0000-00-00 00:00:00', '0000-00-00 00:00:00', 'Presentation Ceremony: December 3, 2012\n\nAGENDA\n\n1:30 – 1:45 Set-up and Preparation\n1:45 – 2:00 Meet and Greet\n\n2:00 – 2:05 Welcome and Introduction\n2:05 – 2:15 Gayatri’s Literary Contribution to the Community\n2:15 – 2:25 Thoughts behind the Literary Award\n2:25 – 2:30 Ananda Mandir and Cultural Promotion\n2:30 – 2:45 Award Presentation to the Winners\n\n2:45 – 3:00 Break for Refreshment\n\n3:00 – 4:00\n\nAmitabha Bagchi &amp; Team\nAll\n\nPronoy Chatterjee\n\nDebajyoti Chatterji\nJerry GaMarsh\nDipak Sarkar\nPronoy, Jerry and Dipak\n\nStage Setting for Literary Readings\nShort Reading of Original Work\nShort Reading of Original Work\nShort Reading of Original Work\nShort Reading of Original Work\nThree Short Readings of Poems\n\n4:00 – 4:10 Literary Pursuit in a Foreign Land\n4:10 – 4:20 Literary Pursuit in a Foreign Land\n\nAmitabha Bagchi\nTathagata Ghosh (English)\nGouri Datta (Bengali)\nNupur Lahiri (English)\nSudipta Bhawmik (Bengali)\nSubrata Bhaumik (English)\nSushmita Dutt (Bengali)\nVishnupriya De (English)\n\nAlolika Mukherjee (Bengali)\nAmitabha Bagchi (English)', '', 0, '', 'draft', 'open', 'open', '', '', '', '', '2011-12-01 00:42:55', '2011-12-01 04:42:55', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=599', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(600, 1, '2011-12-01 00:54:08', '2011-12-01 04:54:08', 'Gayatri GaMarsh Memorial Award for Literary Excellence\r\nPresentation Ceremony: December 3, 2012\r\nEast Brusnwick Library\r\n2 Civic Center Drive\r\nEast Brunswick, NJ 08816\r\n\r\nAGENDA\r\n\r\n1:30 – 1:45	Set-up and Preparation		Amitabha Bagchi & Team\r\n1:45 – 2:00	Meet and Greet			        All\r\n\r\n2:00 – 2:05	Welcome and Introduction			Pronoy Chatterjee\r\n2:05 – 2:15	Gayatri’s Literary Contribution to \r\n			the Community				                 Debajyoti Chatterji\r\n2:15 – 2:25	Thoughts behind the Literary Award		Jerry GaMarsh\r\n2:25 – 2:30	Ananda Mandir and Cultural Promotion	Dipak Sarkar\r\n2:30 – 2:45	Award Presentation to the Winners		Pronoy, Jerry and Dipak\r\n\r\n2:45 – 3:00	Break for Refreshment\r\n\r\n3:00 – 3:05	Stage Setting for Literary Readings	Amitabha Bagchi\r\n3:05 – 3:15	Short Reading of Original Work		Tathagata Ghosh (English)\r\n3:15 – 3:25	Short Reading of Original Work		Gouri Datta (Bengali)\r\n3:25 – 3:35	Short Reading of Original Work		Nupur Lahiri (English)\r\n3:35 – 3:45	Short Reading of Original Work		Sudipta Bhawmik (Bengali)\r\n3:45 – 4:00	Three Short Readings of Poems	Subrata Bhaumik (English)\r\n								       Sushmita Dutt (Bengali)\r\n								       Vishnupriya De (English)\r\n\r\n4:00 – 4:10	Literary Pursuit in a Foreign Land	Alolika Mukherjee (Bengali)\r\n4:10 – 4:20	Literary Pursuit in a Foreign Land	Amitabha Bagchi (English)\r\n\r\n', 'Gayatri Gamarsh Literary Award Presentation Ceremony', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'gayatri-gamarsh-literary-award-presentation-ceremony', '', '', '2011-12-01 20:59:44', '2011-12-02 00:59:44', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=600', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(601, 1, '2012-01-08 01:43:41', '2012-01-08 05:43:41', 'NJPA Cordially Invites you and your family and friends to the:\r\nNJPA Saraswati Puja 2012 Celebration\r\nKiddie Keep Well Camp\r\n35 Roosevelt Drive\r\nEdison, NJ 08902\r\n\r\nSaturday, January 14, 2012\r\nPuja: 2.00pm\r\nDinner: 5:00pm\r\nCultural Program: 6:30pm\r\nSpecial performances by local artistes.', 'NJPA Saraswati Puja 2012', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'njpa-saraswati-puja-2012', '', '', '2012-01-08 01:43:41', '2012-01-08 05:43:41', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=601', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(602, 1, '2012-01-08 01:45:28', '2012-01-08 05:45:28', 'ICC warmly welcomes you to attend Saraswati  Puja to be held on Sunday, January 29, 2012 at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, Whippany. Besides a variety of programs presented by our very own ICC children, there will also be a musical performance by well-known local artist.\r\n\r\nHere are the details of ICC Saraswati Puja 2012:\r\n\r\nOn: Sunday January 29\r\n\r\nPuja: 2:00 PM\r\n\r\nPushpanjali: 2:30PM\r\n\r\nPrasad: 3:00PM\r\n\r\nCultural Program: 4:00 PM\r\n\r\nDinner: 6:30PM\r\n\r\nVenue:\r\n\r\nUkrainian American Cultural Center of New Jersey\r\n\r\n60 North Jefferson Road, Whippany, NJ 07981 ', 'ICC Saraswati Puja, 2012', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'icc-saraswati-puja-2012', '', '', '2012-01-08 01:45:28', '2012-01-08 05:45:28', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=602', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(603, 1, '2012-01-08 01:49:54', '2012-01-08 05:49:54', ' Dear GSCA Patrons and Members\r\nBoard of Trustees, Garden State Cultural Association, would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued commitment and patronage. A very Happy New Year to you and your family.\r\n\r\nWe also would like to invite you and your family at the Saraswati Puja festival to be celebrated on Saturday Jan 28 at Woodrow Wilson Middle School, Edison, NJ. We will have Puja, Pushpanjali, Prasad, Dinner, Variety Cultural Programs, Children Arts and Crafts competition for your entertainment. Don''t miss it! Details below -\r\n\r\nPuja                     12 noon to 2 p.m.\r\nPushpanjali           2 p.m. to 3 p.m.\r\nHate Khari             2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.\r\nPrasad                  2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.\r\nArts and Crafts      3 p.m. to 4 p.m.\r\nDinner                   4 p.m. to 5 p.m.\r\nCultural Program    5 p.m. to 9 p.m.\r\n\r\nCultural Program Highlights:\r\n# Drama : "Banijye Basate Laksmi" - a play by Sudipta Bhawmik\r\n# Tabla Recital by 8 kids\r\n# Vocal Music\r\n# Kids Dance Drama Presentation\r\n# Possible surprise guest with Bollywood Music\r\n\r\nFor further details and online registration, please visit www.gsca.us. Again, please note that the online registration is available until Sunday Jan 22. Rates at the gate will be higher. We encourage you to help us estimate attendance better by registering online. The email you receive from PayPal at the end of the registration serves as your receipt. Please bring a copy of that email with you at the Puja and show it at the reception desk.\r\n\r\nBest wishes,\r\n\r\nBoard of Trustees\r\nGarden State Cultural Association, New Jersey, USA ', 'GSCA Saraswati Puja, 2012', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'gsca-saraswati-puja-2012', '', '', '2012-01-08 01:49:54', '2012-01-08 05:49:54', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=603', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(604, 1, '2012-01-08 01:52:09', '2012-01-08 05:52:09', 'You and Your Friends and Family are cordially invited to\r\n2011 Swaraswati Puja \r\norganized by\r\nSREESHTI of New Jersey\r\n\r\nJanuary 28, 2012\r\n10:00 AM to 8:00 PM\r\n\r\nFREE ADMISSION FOR ALL\r\n\r\nSpecial Attraction Event:  Akashdeep\r\n\r\nAlso, Pushpanjali, Hathe Khari, Lunch, Kids program, cultural programs will be there. \r\n\r\nWhere:\r\nLivingston Park Elementary School\r\n1128 Livingston Avenue, North Brunswick Township, NJ 08902-1886\r\n \r\nwww.sreeshti.com\r\n\r\nEvents:\r\nPuja                        10:00 AM\r\nAnjali                                12:00 PM\r\nHathe Khari              12:30 PM\r\nKids Arts and Crafts   1:00 PM\r\nProsad & Lunch        2:00 PM\r\nEthnic Dress Parade      3:00 PM\r\nCultural Program       5:00 PM', 'Sreeshti Saraswati Puja 2012', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'sreeshti-saraswati-puja-2012', '', '', '2012-01-08 01:52:09', '2012-01-08 05:52:09', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=604', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(605, 1, '2012-01-08 01:57:25', '2012-01-08 05:57:25', 'Saraswati  Puja 2012\r\nSOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION\r\nSaturday, January 21, 2012\r\nBridgewater Raritan Middle School\r\n425 Foothill Road, Bridgewater, NJ 08807\r\n\r\nREGISTRATION WILL CLOSE ON JANUARY 4, 2012\r\nRegistration is currently at 90% of permitted capacity. Please register to ensure your participation.\r\n\r\nPUJA SCHEDULE:       11:00 am – Puja & Anjali              \r\n                                              1.00 pm – Bhog Prasad & Lunch - Khichuri, Labra & Mishti\r\n                                              3.00 pm - Kids Snacks -  Chips, Brownies & Juice                  \r\n                                              4.00 pm – Cultural Program\r\n                                              8.30 pm - Kids Dinner - Hakka Noodles, General Tso''s & Pizza\r\n                                              8.40 pm - Adult Dinner - Goat Curry, Fish Curry, Kofta, Sandesh etc.\r\n\r\nCULTURAL SHOW:      \r\nFeaturing Darshana Menon - Winner Zee Saregama USA 2008\r\nBaad Protibad - A Hilarious Play by Sudipta Bhawmik & Tushar Mukherjee\r\nRhythms of Life - Sunrita Mitra\r\nRhythms of Dance & Music - Mitra Purkayastha\r\nFusion Orchestra - Amit Ray\r\nChildren''s Songs - Soma Choudhury\r\n                                  \r\nDONATION:                    Family (2 Adults + 2 Children) - $80,\r\n                                             Extra Child - $10, Senior Parent - $25, Couple (2 Adults) - $65,\r\n                                             Single - $40, Student - $25, Grand Patron Family - $125\r\n\r\n REGISTRATION:          Please register online at www.somersetbengalis.org\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n', 'SBA Saraswati Puja 2012', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'sba-saraswati-puja-2012', '', '', '2012-01-08 01:57:25', '2012-01-08 05:57:25', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=605', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(606, 1, '2012-01-08 02:00:26', '2012-01-08 06:00:26', 'Sararattir Presents "Pakhir  Moton Sokaal"\r\nat Edison Valley Playhouse (EVP http://www.evplayhouse.com/ )\r\non 21st and 22nd January 2012\r\n\r\nDesigned and Directed by Subhashis Das \r\nTheme Music and Ambience by Partha Sarathi Mukhopadhyay \r\nLight, Photography and Illusion by Sunanda Mitra \r\nMarketing by Gargi Mukherjee\r\n\r\nProduced by SARARATTIR\r\n\r\nActors are \r\nKeka Sircar\r\nSoumendu Bhattacharya\r\nArpana (Bubu) Bhattacharya\r\nIndranil Mukherjee\r\n\r\n\r\nShow times\r\nSaturday 21st two shows @3pm and @6pm\r\nSaturday 22nd two shows @2pm and @5pm\r\n', 'Sararattir Presents - Pakhir Moton Sokal', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'sararattir-presents-pakhir-moton-sokal', '', '', '2012-01-08 02:00:26', '2012-01-08 06:00:26', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=606', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(607, 1, '2012-02-20 12:49:05', '2012-02-20 16:49:05', '<object width="526" height="374">\r\n<param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"></param>\r\n<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" />\r\n<param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/>\r\n<param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param>\r\n<param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"></param>\r\n<param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talk/stream/2011G/Blank/AlaindeBotton_2011G-320k.mp4&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/AlaindeBotton_2011G-embed.jpg&vw=512&vh=288&ap=0&ti=1327&lang=&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=alain_de_botton_atheism_2_0;year=2011;theme=is_there_a_god;theme=what_makes_us_happy;event=TEDGlobal+2011;tag=atheism;tag=culture;tag=philosophy;tag=religion;&preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;" />\r\n<embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgColor="#ffffff" width="526" height="374" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talk/stream/2011G/Blank/AlaindeBotton_2011G-320k.mp4&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/AlaindeBotton_2011G-embed.jpg&vw=512&vh=288&ap=0&ti=1327&lang=&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=alain_de_botton_atheism_2_0;year=2011;theme=is_there_a_god;theme=what_makes_us_happy;event=TEDGlobal+2011;tag=atheism;tag=culture;tag=philosophy;tag=religion;&preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;"></embed>\r\n</object>\r\n\r\nRecently I watched this wonderful TED talk by Alain de Botton. He was talking about atheism, but unlike many other more radical atheists, he did not reject religion altogether. His philosophy is that, there is a class of people who do not really believe in the existence of god or gods, but they like the other aspects of religion like the rituals, the music, the literature, the art, the myths.  Alain says that these aspects of religion, the more popular aspects which enrich us in many positive ways, we don''t have to reject them.  I don''t want to go into the details of his talk, you can watch the video and listen for yourself, but this concept which Alain calls Atheism 2.0 rang a bell in me. \r\nI love to attend our Durga Puja festivals, love to hear the mythological stories associated with Durga and Mahishasur although I don''t believe they really exist. I love to listen to the sonorous chanting of the "Chandi" or listen to the ecstatic Kirtan music and feel elated. I love Shyama Sangeet, I like to watch plays and listen to stories of Hindu mythology and the epics, although I don''t feel compelled to believe them as historical truth.  And I believe, I am not alone. Many of us who have been sitting on the fence of religion, wondering which side to land on, now have this third option - Atheism 2.0.  We refuse to be indoctrinated by religion, refuse to believe that ours is the best and for that matter any religion to be better than any other. But we gladly accept the goodies that these religions offers us and thus enrich ourselves with those aspects.  \r\nI would like to know what others think about this.', 'Atheism 2.0', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'atheism-20', '', '', '2012-02-20 13:48:46', '2012-02-20 17:48:46', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=607', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(608, 1, '2012-02-20 17:21:13', '2012-02-20 21:21:13', '<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/74tVsHh9Ekg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>\r\n\r\nRecently ECTA presented a one man show, "Banijye Basate Lakshmi", a play written and performed by Sudipta Bhawmik, and directed by Sankar Ghoshal. Gagan Goswami, a motivational speaker, talks to his audience and inspires them to be successful in business. In a ninety minute long speech, Gagan chronicles his colorful journey as a Bengali entrepreneur seeking the answer to the most important question of one''s life - Why?\r\n   ', 'Banijye Basate Lakshmi : Trailer', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'banijye-basate-lakshmi-trailer', '', '', '2012-02-20 17:21:13', '2012-02-20 21:21:13', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=608', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(609, 1, '2012-03-01 01:43:39', '2012-03-01 05:43:39', '<a href="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/midnight_in_paris_poster.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-610" title="midnight_in_paris_poster" src="http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/midnight_in_paris_poster.jpg" alt="Midnight in Paris" width="183" height="269" /></a>Recently I watched Woody Allen''s latest film "Midnight in Paris" in which the central character (Gil Pender), during his visit to Paris with his fiance'', manages to slip back in time to the Paris of the early 1920s.  There Gil meets the greatest of the worlds literati during the period like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and many others. Gil always thought that the 1920s was the golden age of literature and art and Paris was the center of this world. It was Gil''s dream come true. There in the 1920s Gil falls in love with the beautiful Adriana, Pablo Picasso''s lover. But to Adriana of the twenties, the golden age was "la Belle Epoque", the European revival during the late 19th century. By a twist in the tale, Gil and Adriana travel back to the "belle Epoque" era to Maxim''s and meet Edward Degas, Toulouse Lautrec and Paul Gauguin, the great artists of the period. But when asked, these great artists say that to them the golden age was the period of Renaissance!<!--more-->\r\nSo it seems, that to each generation the golden age belongs to the past. We often think that our past was much better than what we have today. Is it because that only the good things of the past remains in our memory, as the Bengali proverb says - Smriti Satatoi Sukher? Is it that we always tend to forget the miseries of the past? In the film at one point, when Adriana refuses to return to the future, Gils tells her, they have no antibiotics.\r\nOr is it, that we are so backed up in our knowledge that we tend to overlook the great things that are happening around us. We fail to recognize the beauty of the wonderful creations that keep on happening all around us.  We always tend to belittle modernity in favor of the past. Nostalgia is good, but it should not blind us from enjoying the beauty of our period. All ages are golden ages, in their own right. So let''s enjoy what we have right now. Let''s appreciate the creators of our times. Let''s not hold back our creativity just because some other genius has created something similar in the past. Let the past be our inspiration and not a deterrent to our creative motivations.', 'The Golden Age', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'the-golden-age', '', '', '2012-03-01 01:46:41', '2012-03-01 05:46:41', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=609', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(610, 1, '2012-03-01 01:42:03', '2012-03-01 05:42:03', '', 'midnight_in_paris_poster', 0, 'Midnight in Paris', 'inherit', 'open', 'open', '', 'midnight_in_paris_poster', '', '', '2012-03-01 01:42:03', '2012-03-01 05:42:03', '', 609, 'http://nynjbengali.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/midnight_in_paris_poster.jpg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(611, 1, '2012-03-01 14:43:12', '2012-03-01 18:43:12', '<span>Raag-Rang presents first concert of the year Kal Ke Kalakar featuring</span>\r\n<span>four forms of Dance by young dancers under the guidance of their</span>\r\n<span>Gurus. Bharat Natyam presentation under the guidance of Guru Smt Sudha</span>\r\n<span>Shekhar Devulapalli, Kuchipudi by Guru Smt Divya Yelluri, Odissi by</span>\r\n<span>Guru Smt Mitra Purkayastha and Folk by Gurus Shree Pratik Devasthali</span>\r\n<span>and Madhavi Devasthali.</span>\r\n\r\n<span>Date-11th March.</span>\r\n<span>Time 4 P.M. sharp.</span>\r\n<span>Venue: Balaji Temple</span>\r\n<span>Auditorium (HTCS)</span>\r\n<span>1075 Route 202/206</span>\r\n<span>Bridgewater, NJ 08807</span>\r\n<span>For Directions Visit:</span>\r\n<a href="http://www.venkateswara.org/" target="_blank">www.venkateswara.org</a>\r\n\r\n<span>Admission</span>\r\n<span>NonMembers:</span>\r\n<span>$15 (Kids $10)</span>\r\n<span>Members: $10 (Kids $7)</span>\r\n<span>For Details Contact: </span><a href="tel:908-429-1120">908-429-1120</a>\r\n<span>(RSVP appreciated)</span>\r\n<a href="mailto:raagrang07@gmail.com">raagrang07@gmail.com</a>\r\n<span>Visit </span><a href="http://www.raagrang.org/" target="_blank">www.raagrang.org</a>', 'Kal Ke Kalakar : Four Indian Classical Dance Forms', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'kal-ke-kalakar-four-indian-classical-dance-forms', '', '', '2012-03-01 14:43:12', '2012-03-01 18:43:12', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=611', 0, 'post', '', 0);
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(612, 1, '2012-03-05 15:02:33', '2012-03-05 19:02:33', 'ECTA Presents\r\n\r\n"The Last Flames"\r\n\r\nApril 15, 2012; 3:00pm and 5:30pm\r\n\r\nFahs Theater,\r\nUnitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton\r\n50 Cherry Hill Road, Princeton, NJ 08540\r\nWritten and directed by Sudipta Bhawmik \r\nCast: Sankar Ghoshal, Keka Sirkar, Abhijit Neogy\r\n Music: Akaash Deep; \r\nSound: Dwaipayan Mukherjee, Lights: Subhodev Das \r\nAdmission: $15.00\r\n(The event is free for active ECTA Members )\r\n<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_vM0--Qa0LY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>\r\nSynopsis: Basanta Koomar Roy, an expatriate journalist from India, has been credited by Tagore researchers as a key person (besides W. B Yeats and Ezra Pound) responsible for popularizing Rabindranath Tagore in USA. But Roy fell from his idol''s grace for reasons that torment many a biographer and journalist even today. "The Last Flames" attempts to re-examine the relationship between Roy and Tagore through a fictional encounter and gives us a peek at the human side of the great Poet''s personality.  Samar, a young trainee journalist, comes to interview Basanta Koomar Roy at his apartment in New York city, sometime in 1948. Basanta is excited to share his experience as an Indian nationalist freedom fighter in USA. But Samar tells him that he is interested in knowing about his experience with Rabindranath Tagore, since he was the first to write Tagore''s biography in English for the American people. Basanta refuses to talk about his Gurudev until Samar uses his ultimate weapon that opens the flood gates of memories and emotions of this old admirer of Tagore.   The following obituary of Basanta Koomar Roy was published in The New York Times on June 8, 1949: Basanta Koomar Roy, Indian author and free-lance journalist, who had lived in this country for many years, died on Sunday in St. Luke’s Hospital after a brief illness. His home was at 116 West Eightieth Sreet. Born in Orissa Province, India, and a member of the Brahmin caste, Mr. Roy came to the United States around 1910 and studied at the University of Wisconsin, from which he was graduated and where he was later an extension lecturer. He was instrumental in arranging a lecture at the university in 1916 by the great Indian poet, the late Rabindranath Tagore. Mr. Roy was long a writer and speaker for Indian freedom and has been active in the Friends of Freedom for India. He was the author of a biography of Mr. Tagore and of “Dawn over India”, a book telling of the Indian underground movement against British rule.\r\n\r\nAdmission: $15.00\r\n\r\nContact: kaudata@yahoo.com\r\n\r\n(The event is free for active ECTA Members )', 'ECTA Presents: "The Last Flames"', 0, '', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'ecta-presents-the-last-flames', '', '', '2012-03-05 15:05:28', '2012-03-05 19:05:28', '', 0, 'http://nynjbengali.com/?p=612', 0, 'post', '', 0);

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