What makes a Banga Sammelan successful Advancing the cause of Bengali culture literature and business sheer fun of meeting friends and late night Adda showing off of collection of Sarees and for a few basking in the reflected glory of Calcutta luminaries The answer is all of the above except anything to do with the advancement of Bengali culture literature and business. To claim that it is will be pretentious. By that yardstick the Banga Sammelan in New york has definitely been a success. Yarning for the lime light apart one has to recognize and admire the effort and hard labor of the organizers. It is no mean achievement that Banga Sammelan has come to being an institution serving the community in general. The name that comes in mind who is the undisputed leader is Prabir Roy. He not only deserves recognition and praise but our gratitude as well. In a way this meet was innovative in certain areas like involving the local talents recognizing the second generation young talents and in choosing the topics in the commemorative journal published on this occasion These are long due steps needed for establishing an identity for the Sammelan. It is also time to reflect on the charecter and nature of Banga Sammelan. Start with compilation of data as to: 1. What is the demography of the people coming to the Banga Sammelan their homes age income brackets etc. 2. At what point of the year they decided to come. 3. What kind of arena do they prefer as the venue. 4. How much they spend in all for the entire weekend. 5. What are the sources of fund for sponsors registration advertizement. 6. How much do the organizers spend under individual headings rent advertizement Calcutta artists. Calcutta writers their air fare hotel expenses their fees. 7. How many people attend literary seminars business seminars. 8. Why do people come Cultural performances of Calcutta artists talk to famous writers connecting to Calcutta for business. 9. How many people will like to see Bombay stars and at what cost. The questions above are not necessarily in order of importance These are sample questions I am sure there are many more relevant and revealing questions. Records of say last five Sammelans can be compiled and released. Now on every local organizer may be required to submit a report at the conclusion of the event. Of course there were lapses and glitches. I noticed some and I am sure others can point out to more. At the entrance of the arena a big banner with a wrong spelling was an eyesore. The word is OIKOTAN and not OIKYATAN. And then the national anthems both of them by a Bengalee poet of India and Bangladesh were disasters. Out of tune and pitch and even wrong words. Bangladeshi anthem was not even performed as an anthem. One of the most ballyhooed items the anthology of Bengalee dramas was poorly play written poorly directed poorly presented and poorly acted. It all could be due to the fact that the idea was ill conceived and from the start was designed to go no where. Bottom line: we enjoyed the meet like we do every year no more no less.