Brinda Guha There is no need to be sarcastic about how much the “second generation” does or does not participate in community activities. I can name approximately 100 off the top of my head maybe not in this Durga Puja but in other major community functions and events that do a lot to participate myself included. And also yes we are privileged for living a life in this country as a result of my parent’s hard work through education and immigration but that doesn’t mean we sit around and don’t care. The question that I have is why isn’t our generation interested in Durga Puja anymore on a general level We have to ask ourselves why just a few years ago a large amount of people who came to Durga Puja fell within the 10-25 year old age group and now that has slowly been slinking away. The program that I mentioned above in my take on Sunday’s lineup included two “privileged second generation” artists who worked very hard to put a program together and were rudely interrupted AND kicked off stage. As a “privileged second generation” member myself I can say that we definitely could take a step in towards producing events ourselves but it is also very hard to relate to ‘our inherent bengaliness’ as we are American children as well as Indian ones. For the many people in my age group and my older brother’s age group who participate in community functions it takes a lot including parental support but also inner curiosity to perform in classical/creative dance numbers bengali plays hindi theater vocals etc. That needs to be recognized. And by most people who have children who are involved in the community it is recognized which makes it easier for the children to continue in those kinds of activities. Anyway enough rambling. What do we privileged second generation kids know anyway right http://www.kalamandirdanceco.com