SBA Magazine, Volume 6, 2014

Somerset Bengali AssociationSomerset Bengali AssociationSomerset Bengali AssociationSomerset Bengali Association Bridgewater, New JerseyBridgewater, New JerseyBridgewater, New JerseyBridgewater, New Jersey

Saraswati Puja 2014Saraswati Puja 2014Saraswati Puja 2014Saraswati Puja 2014

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Welcometothe2014SaraswatiPujaoftheSomersetBengaliAssociation.

Saraswati Puja is one of the most important festivals for Bengalis.

On this day, we worship Saraswati Devi, the goddess of learning, music,

art and culture. This day also marks the start of the beautiful Spring

season and the wonderful festival of colors, Holi. SBA is honored to

host the 7th annual Saraswati Puja in Bridgewater. Our organization is

fairly young but we have grown rapidly, from 48 families in 2007 to

160 families in 2014! The purpose of our organization is to arrange

cultural and educational events in New Jersey that provide a platform

for our children and our community to stay connected with our roots.

We invite you to join the SBA family and bene/it from the many cultural

and educational opportunities we have to offer.

Over the past seven years, we have successfully built strong

relationships within our community - and it is no exaggeration that so

far away from our ancestral land, all of you have effectively become our

family. This becomes evident in such joyous occasions as today's Puja

as well as the mournful events that sometimes strike us, such as the

recent demise of our beloved Sharbashish Ghosh and Tarun Ghose,

who left us prematurely for their heavenly abodes. Our thoughts and

prayers remain with both families. It is a matter of great comfort that

the SBA community rallies around in such a touching and exemplary

manner in both happiness and tragedy.

We have worked hard to make this past year a meaningful one for

all our members and in October, we welcomed to our family, many new

friends and to celebrate the festival of Diwali in a new and expanded

facility in Hillsborough, NJ.

Today, on the occasion of Saraswati puja, many of our young

members will write their /irst letters with a traditional “hathe khori”

ceremony. We will host a rich cultural extravaganza, showcasing

talents by many young and adult performers. Our participants,

directors, choreographers and committee coordinators have worked

tirelessly to bring you a wonderfully diverse entertainment program

and we thank them for all of their efforts. Whether it’s the melodious

voices of our young children and adults, classical steps of an odissi

dance, lilting beats of Bangla Folk dances or the artful ensemble of

band music, you will hear tunes and melodies that are sure to /ill your

hearts with joy. Add to that, our witty “Struti Natok” which is sure to

amuse you with its heart- warming representation of a middle class

Calcutta household!

We extend a warm welcome to our professional artists, Vishal

Bhalla and Harini, both of whom are /inalists of SaReGaMaPa USA. They

will add color to our medley and regale us with their melodious music.

We thank our members, grand patrons, sponsors and retail partners

for their generous support in making this event a great success.

We hope you enjoy this magical evening with your family and

friends, savoring the delightful delicacies and enjoying the wonderful

arrangement of music and dance. We look forward to seeing you at all

our future events and becoming an active member of our organization.

Please visit our website, and FaceBook page for event updates and to

become a member. Thank you for joining us today and for making this

event a special one for all of us.

BoardofTrustees-

SharmilaGhosh AnasuaSanyal SanchoyDas KallolGhoshSomaChoudhury MausumiMajumdar JoyjitKundu

A Non-Pro�it New Jersey Corporation


Email: [email protected]

Vol.6-AnnualMagazine

EDITOR

ParnaKundu

CONTENTS

Welcome to the 2014 Puja ............. 3

All on Ice ................................................. 7

Lost in an Ocean ................................... 7

My Lovely Trip to Disney ................. 7

The City that Beckons ....................... 9

The Keys ................................................. 10

The Big Bus Tour .................................. 13

Prajapoti .................................................. 13

Flawless Nature .................................... 13

I love Rickshaws .................................. 14

Buddha .................................................... 14

Why I love Saraswati Pooja ........... 14

Children’s Song Group ...................... 16

Fun with Fear ....................................... 18

Snowman ................................................ 18

Dance Team - Nacho Toh Dekhi .... 19

Cultural Program Schedule .............. 20

Future Artist Gallery –1 ..................... 22

The Adventures of Steve ................... 23

The Ramayana: in My Eyes ............. 27

Adults’s Song Group ............................ 28

2014 World Cup ................................... 30

Future Artist Gallery –2 ..................... 31

Bara/jhora ............................................... 32

Shruti Natok Group ............................ 33

My Favorite TV Show ......................... 33

Children’s Ensemble Group ............ 34

Lessons Cancer Taught Me ............... 35

Life Poem ................................................ 37

COVERART

ClassicalSaraswati-Apaintingby

BridgewaterartistSnehaGanguly


4

SaraswatiPuja-February2014 Of�iciatingPriest:Arijit Chatterjee

EventManagers:SomeshChoudhury&KallolGhosh

PujaArrangements:SumitaDhara,SayantiBasu,LopamudraDas,SuparnaDas

CulturalCommittee:MollyChowdhury,MaliniMazumdar,SharmilaGhosh,

MausumiMajumdar

FoodCommittee:NabanitaChakraborty,ManjariChowdhury,Ashish

Das,KrishnenduMukhopadhyay,SumitSen

FundRaising&Finance:JoyjitKundu,SanchoyDasGuestRelations&Registration:SauravGhosh,SomaChoudhury,Anasua

Sanyal,KallolGhosh

FacilitiesManagement:AnisurKhan,ProbirDhara,IndrajitGhosh,Soumya

Roy,DebeshChakraborty,RajivMukherjee,SubrataRoy

DiwaliParty-November2013EventManagers:ParnaKundu&RajyasriDas

Thankstothemanyvolunteerswhomadetheseeventsasuccess

GrandPatronsWewouldliketothankthefollowingindividualsfortheirgeneroussponsorshipof

the2014SaraswatiPuja

Aparajita and Amit Ray

Ambalika and Santosh Mukherjee

Anasua and Aniruddho Sanyal

Baishali and Arijit Chatterjee

Devi and Chandrajit Bhattacharya

Kasturi and Anindo Dutta

Lopamudra and Chanu Das

Malini and Indrajit Ghosh

Manjari and Prasun Chowdhury

Molly Chowdhury and George Abraham

Mausumi Majumdar and Raja Das

Nabanita and Sudip Chakraborty

Nazneen and Somnath Mitra

Parna and Joyjit Kundu

Parna and Kallol Ghosh

Prashanthi and Sunith Roy

Rajyasri and Sanchoy Das

Rina and Subroto Roy

Sangeeta and Krishnenedu Mukhopadhyay

Sanjeeta and Shubhomoy Mukherjee

Sarmistha and Sumit Sen

Sharmila and Saurav Ghosh

Shampa and Saptarshi Bhattacharjee

Som and Anuka Chowdhury

Soma and Anup Rakhit

Soma and Somesh Choudhury

Soumya and Sayanti Roy

Sudipta and Dibyendu Chatterjee

Koel Chatterjee and Sukdeb Datta

Sumita and Probir Dhara

Suparna and Ashish Das

Suparna and Tamal Majumdar

Teesta Roy and Anisur Khan


5


6

AllonIce–ShrutiRoy

“Mama, I’m leaving. “ Sophie’s voice ringed through the busy house. The clatter of pans answered her as

her little baby cousin escaped from her aunt and ran to hug her. Mama’s voice was muf/led as she replied,

“Have a nice day, honey.” Sophie stepped out into the silent blanket of white, a never-ending sheen of

beauty. She walked over to Ella’s house, and rang the doorbell. A brilliant blue eye peeked through the

window curtain, and then Ella’s freckled face appeared in the doorway. “Come on, Sophie! Race you! Let’s

go!” Ella ran off in full gear for ice skating, her skates making a thin dent in the snow behind her. Sophie

closed the door and set off behind her, catching up quickly. Pines turned into a green blur as they whistled

their song with the wind. They followed the road until the white glimmer of the lake’s ice came into view.

Yesterday at about the same time, Sophie and Ella were gasping at the soft shine of white that the lake had

acquired. It was then that they decided that they would come back the next day to skate the day away.

Whatever came next didn’t amount to as much as the moment they spotted the wondrous lake. ‘It’s

beautiful,’ Sophie thought as she ran. She didn’t know what was coming next. But then again, no one knew

their own future.

Ella had already reached the lake, and was starting to strap on her skates. “Beat you there,” Ella yelled,

laughing as she swept her bangs to the side. “Let’s see how you do on the ice,” Sophie retorted. “Nothing

makes my day like seeing Ella /lail on the frozen lake as she tries to skate gracefully.” “Hey,” Ella said as she

punched Sophie’s arm. “It’s not like you’re so good either.” “You’re on.” Sophie stepped on the ice and glided

off. “Wait for me,” Ella yelled, taking off a second behind Sophie. Sophie twirled out of the way as Ella

zoomed toward her, but fell softly on the ice. “Can’t catch me,” Ella shrieked happily as she glided away.

Sophie got up with a bit of trouble, but starting skating in no time. Considering that they were amateurs, she

and Ella were doing just /ine.

Sophie pushed off a little wobbly, but with enough power to send herself zooming toward the middle of

the lake. The slick surface sped by beneath her skates, glittering in the re/lection of the blades. Sophie’s

speed increased and she went faster each second. Soon the lake’s surface was only a blur, with re/lecting

light that would make your eyes ache if you were looking straight down. But Sophie was only looking ahead,

and wasn’t paying enough attention to notice the little cracks appearing on the surface. As she sped along

toward the middle, bigger cracks appeared, and these Sophie noticed. But she was going so fast by now, she

couldn’t change her course. In a matter of seconds, the ice beneath her collapsed and gave way. “Help!” she

cried, just before she disappeared below the surface. Sophie gasped as she struggled her way to the surface.

The cold wind welcomed her as she gulped at the air hungrily. Her vision blurred at the edges, spots dancing

in front of her eyes. Her head was spiraling, her mind dizzied from the lack of air. She struggled to stay

a/loat, drinking the air above her. She took only a few breaths before the water claimed her once more.

Underneath, vibrations met her ears, making the softest sounds as if the breeze was whispering in her ear.

She could barely hear the words, but she knew what they were. Ella was calling for help, and Sophie

desperately needed it.

“Help! Please, can anyone hear me?! Help, please!” Ella’s voice echoed in the air, and met her own ears as

hopeless defeat. It had been 5 minutes since Sophie had disappeared under the surface, and she had only

come up 4 times. Ella didn’t know if Sophie was conscious or not, but she didn’t dare go near enough to

check in fear of falling in herself. Ella had noticed the cracks in the ice and had been about to warn Sophie

when she heard the crackle of ice and the splash as Sophie fell in. In the 5 minutes past, Ella’s voice had

grown hoarse and cracked as she /irst called Sophie, and then to the outer world for help. “Help,” Ella cried

once. “Please.” She collapsed on the ice, breathing heavily. The ice vibrated under her, and she heard the

swish of skates. She sat up like a rocket, on her feet in an instant. Joy /illed her heart. Moments later, two

teenage boys came around the bend of the lake, stopping abruptly when they saw Ella. They started up

Continuedonpage7→


7

MyLovelyTriptoDisney-PriyankaChatterjee

In my winter holidays I visited Disney World in Florida with my mom and dad. We went to Animal

Kingdom, Magic Kingdom and Sea World. First at Animal Kingdom we went on the Safari, where I was able

to see some exotic African animals. I was fascinated by the “zebra pant"-ed Addax and the enormous Hippo.

Mr. Hippo had opened his mouth and oh boy wasn’t it simply huge!!!! The wonderful light and sound of the

Finding Nemo show and the brilliant stunts at the Festival of Lion King were also great.

Next day, we went to Magic kingdom. When I reached there, I felt I was on Aladdin's magic carpet and

had indeed arrived at "A Whole New World". It was simply excellent!!!!! I took pictures with Mickey, Minnie,

Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. I saw two wonderful parades the Christmas one and the electrical one at

night. The Christmas one with all the characters singing, dancing, marching and waving to the kids was

simply amazing. And of-course there was the real "Santa Clause" at the rear calling out the kids by names.

The /irework show in front of the Cinderella castle was glittering, with a thousand different lights lighting

up the sky and the castle itself changing colors all the while. It was simply spectacular!!!! The dolphin shows

and the "Shamu" show at Sea World were also wonderful. Though I reached out quite a bit, I could not touch

the dolphin, though I saw one really close. It was an excellent trip!!!! I simply can’t wait to go back again!!!

again, heading toward her. They stopped a few feet in front of her, one boy standing back awkwardly. The

other stepped forward and introduced himself.

“Hi, I’m Jake. My friend here is Brandon. We heard your calls. What’s wrong?” Jake steadied Ella kindly

as she wobbled on the ice. “I’m Ella. Do either of you know how to swim?” Ella asked weakly. “Yeah, I do.”

Brandon stepped forward. “Why?” “My friend Sophie fell in over there about 5 minutes ago and I haven’t

seen her come up for air for 2 whole minutes.” Ella burst into tears, the salty water freezing on her face.

“That’s bad.” Jake said as he patted Ella’s back. “Brandon, do you think you can bring her back here. And

take off your skates, they’ll weigh you down.” Sure.”

Brandon slipped of his skates, and took off his jacket . He waddled carefully to the edge of the ice, testing

the way before he stepped. He dove in, the water hitting him like a hundred jabs of pain. The cold was so

intense, his body went numb in an instant. He glimpsed a /lash of skin underneath the surface, and pushed

off toward it. He grabbed Sophie’s arm, and kicked as hard as he could toward the surface. Sophie’s body

was dead weight. She had fainted sometime after her last breath, but the contact with air jolted her awake.

“Wha-what happened?” Her words were garbled as Brandon dragged her onto steady ice. Ella ran toward

her and hugged her with all her might. “Thank you, thank you thank you thank you!!!” Ella said softly to

both Brandon and Sophie. “You’re all right, Sophie!” Ella cried with happiness. “We’re all right.”

LostinanOcean-ShounakGhosh

There used to live a little /ish and a mommy /ish in a big ocean.

His mother said not to go anywhere alone except school.

One day, when he went to school, his friend said, let’s go outside

and play.

He forgot his mom’s promise and got lost. He cried and cried but

could not /ind his mom.

After few days a big /ish saw him behind a coral reef and helped

him to go back home.

Since then he never disobeyed his mom.


8


9

TheCitythatBeckons–AbantikaMukherjee

When it comes to Kolkata, the erstwhile Calcutta, some deep emotions stir up within me. The place

that rekindles my fondest memories, the city that witnessed my growing up years and above all the city

that means home to me is Kolkata! So when I get closer to it I feel grounded. For some of us, Kolkata is a

city with rich past; it is a melting pot of culture and art, city of intellectuals and luminaries. Yet to others, it

is a city of processions and strikes, way too crowded and polluted, old and dirty with stagnated growth. To

me it means much more beyond this.

This city has so much to offer for everyone - historically, culturally and gastronomically. Our love for

Bengal starts with taking pride in our language Bengali. And why not? Bengali has been recognized by

UNICEF as the sweetest language in the world. People here are friendly, erudite, sports loving, total foodie.

A city is made of its people. It is said that Kolkata is a city with heart and soul. It embraces rich and poor

alike, people from all walks of life, all faiths and religions. I love the hustle and bustle of the city, the

crowd, its zest for life, the poking and prodding neighbor, the ‘adda’ (chit-chatting), festivals and social

congregations like Durga Puja and Diwali. Being a cosmopolitan city, it houses worship places of different

religions and faiths from temple, churches, masjid to synagogue which re/lects its secular fabric. When it

comes to Kolkata my mind conjures up images of book-fair, /ilms and theaters, little magazine, colonial

architecture, Satyajit Ray, Tagore, Nandan etc. like any other Bengali. The city would never fail to entice

me with its myriad hues. To me, no city is as exciting as Kolkata.

I have stayed in Europe for few years and now have moved to the US. Every time to make myself feel

at home away from home I have tried to map the similarities between cities. I have found some historical

convergences of Kolkata with some cities in Europe. The best way to know a city is on foot. Given a chance

I would like to join ‘Calcutta Walks’ to know the city better. But to my dismay this city is not pedestrian

friendly. Footpaths are broken, unstructured and either encroached or occupied by peddlers, hawkers,

homeless, rendering the city less walkable.

Over the years so many things has changed in my city and certain things put me ill at ease. While the

city started to build many new /lyovers and bridges to ease its traf/ic /low, quite a few of them are

un/inished and delayed. Am not sure how common people will bene/it from changing the names of much

familiar metro stations or for that matter the new color schemes (blue and white) of the government.

City’s landscape is changing faster with mushrooming swanky malls, starrer hotels, high-rises and gated

apartment complex. Vacant plots of land is now a thing of past. Relatively cheaper property prices

(compared to other metro cities) luring people to invest in real estate. As a result, demand is shooting up.

Old houses are being pulled down. Land sharks are even targeting the wet land leaving the city at the

brink of natural disaster. While there is no denial of the fact that rapid urbanization is pivotal for the

emerging economy of a developing nation but creation of civic amenities has to be proportionate with the

population growth. That “old world charm” is missing. When I am vacationing there I miss out some of my

relatives, cousins and friends who have also left the city since long in search of fortune elsewhere. The city

has seen exodus of educated middle class, scholar and students over the decades. Our city is also

becoming unsafe for women folk. Was it this unsafe before? Safety and security is not a matter of luxury,

it’s so fundamental. We are worshippers of Ma Kali and Ma Durga in different forms. These mother

goddesses are the quintessence form of feminine power, strength, energy, the source of life. So it’s high

Continuedonpage10→


10

TheKeys–TrishaGhosh This winter we decided to go for a vacation during the holiday season. With everyone in our family

voting, deciding where to go was not easy. The /inal choice was between Vermont and Florida. Although

we visited Florida several times, the /inal choice of Florida was due to its warm weather.

I gazed out the window staring at the palm trees and teal waters, the Florida Keys are truly amazing.

My family and I were driving from Fort Lauderdale to Key West. I thought the 4 hour trip would be boring

and tiresome but it turned to be is very beautiful and exciting. We stopped to take pictures of a bridge that

stretched 7 miles connecting two islands. Actually there were two bridges, the old and new one side by

side. We arrived at our hotel and immediately went to see the

sunset pier. After all Key West is famous for its sunsets. Next day

Christmas Eve, was when the fun really started - We went

snorkeling, jet-skiing and parasailing. Unfortunately, I got stung by

a jelly /ish on my face which cut short my snorkeling trip. But after

applying vinegar, which the captain of the boat kept ready, I felt

much better by the evening. Both evenings were at Malory Square,

where everyone gathered to see the sunset and local shows.

The next day we headed for Miami. Before we left we visited

the southernmost point in the continental US. For 5 minutes I was at the southernmost point, isn’t that

cool! The ride to Miami was beautiful like I expected, but could not save ourselves from some scattered

rain showers. We arrived late at Miami so could not see much, except realizing it was a big city, much

bigger than the ones we passed on our way. We went to the famous Everglades the next day and took an

air boat ride. It was pouring so hard, we had a tough time keeping our eyes open in the moving boat. We

saw many baby alligators, there were so cute! Later there was a show on alligators. We saw some really

huge crocodiles which were scary, but did not seem to move. I held a baby alligator and felt its tail

twitching in my hands.

Sadly at Miami we never spent enough time at the beach, but were able to visit one for just 10

minutes. At the beach, it started to pour and it was my /irst time in the beach getting wet. Few people

started running to /ind a shaded place, few ran towards the water, I just stood there getting wet. Entire

trip I had lots of fun, even though it could have been better without the rains. Overall, we had an

unforgettable time at the Keys and surely if anyone had the best winter break, it was me!

time to wake up and /ight to protect our girls and put efforts towards making the city safe. I am appalled at

the insensitivity and people’s aversion to heritage and history and its preservation. Much needed to be

done for upkeep, maintenance and preservation of our umpteen heritage buildings and heritage precinct.

Bengal (which was India’s capital) is labelled as a ‘dying and graying’ city by many. Time has come to

revive it, a change is imperative now. State needs social reformers, grass roots organizers and responsible

government. NRI’s and expats need to involve and engage with the city in a meaningful way. We have to

come out of our nostalgia and ‘melancholy romance’ and make a difference. After almost three decades,

there has been a ‘Poriborton’ in the government. Now how the fortune of the city and its people shines

remains to be seen. Eminent leader Gokhale once said “what Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow”.

Hope it lives to that expectation.

KEY LIME FOODS –

Key Lime Pie, Key Lime sauce, Key Lime jelly bean, Key Lime ice-cream,

Key Lime chutney, Key Lime beer, Key Lime wine, Key Lime taffy, Key

Lime gelato, Key Lime candy, Key Lime yogurt, Key Lime peanuts, Key

Lime iced-tea, Key Lime lemonade,

Key Lime chocolate, Key Lime Salsa. My favorite – Key Lime ice-cream

Continuedfrompage9→ TheCitythatBeckons


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Projapoti-AditiRoy

The butter/ly spreads its wings and /lutters

through the air

Over a rainbow of /lowers without a care

Suddenly, it stops in midair

And gently lowers down to a /lowers lair

On the /lower, it is in a crouch,

It sucks sweet nectar, into its mouth.

When it is satis/ied, it /lutters up again,

As if to say, “I must leave some for my friends."

Then it joins the air once more,

In a fabulous journey, with no fear.

It stops one time, looks around then smiles,

And then it looks down and says goodbye.

FlawlessNature

-RishiMukherjee

ILovesittingbythestream,

Especiallywhenthewarmsunlightbeams,

AbovetheCloudsareFluffyCream,

AllIwanttodoisDream,dreamdream…

TheBirds/lyinguparesweet,

Astheygotweet,tweet,tweet…

That’swhatLifeisallabout.

Neverbefullofdoubts,

AppreciatewhatyouGetand

YourLifewillbeallSet!

TheBigBusTour-RishitRoy

ChapterOne:BoringTrip

There were cars and buildings passing by. I was in New York City. I was excited. I was riding a big bus. I was rid-

ing the downtown tour. The bus had two /loors. One was at the peak. One was at the foundation. I was at the

crown. In the beginning I could feel the enjoyment. I sat on a seat. I was really cheerful. I liked it. It was like a

ride. Then it was getting boring. I was about to fall asleep. The bus going about /ive miles per hour.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. I was happy there were no seatbelts but it was crowded and I was still asleep.

ChapterTwo:Sleeping

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. I wasn’t in a deep sleep. I could hear what was going on. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

ChapterThree:AlmostOver

When I woke up I was happy that the bus ride was almost over. One building looked liked it was crumpled. My

family went past Macy's and the Empire State Building. I felt tired but overjoyed. My sister was also happy. I

could feel the wind blowing. I felt how I felt on the beginning of the trip, contented. I wanted to go home and to

me the tour guide was talking like this blah blah blah blah blah blah.

Chapter4:ChickenNuggets

After we got off, we went to McDonalds to eat chicken nuggets. They tasted good. I was bored for some of the

time. I also had an amusing time. But I was happy to go home. My family was happy. We hardly have family oc-

casions. I guess that’s it, but what will happen then? I go to a tour in Princeton? Maybe I will go to Princeton.

But it won’t be easy.


14

IloveRickshaws–HiyaKhan

This winter break I was in Kolkata and Dhaka to

visit my grandparents and cousins. I had lot of fun

spending time with them. I enjoyed eating out,

visiting the Nehru Children’s Museum, the Victoria

Memorial and the river Ganges. But the best fun I had

was riding the rickshaw to go shopping at the Salt

Lake City Center with my mom. I loved it because

going on a bumpy road made me bounce up and

down. I also liked the cool breeze against my face.

In Dhaka the rickshaws are lot prettier than the

ones in Kolkata. They are more colorful and

beautifully decorated. The rickshaw rides in Dhaka

was scary as they raced with the cars and buses on

the road. My mom took a picture with me and my

cousin riding the rickshaw. Now I am back home in

USA and I look at the picture and miss Kolkata and

Dhaka a lot.

Buddha-NishkaAbraham

Buddhawasbornapproximately2,500yearsagoin

Lumbini.Hetaughtussomeamazingquotes:

• “Donot dwell in the past; do not dreamof the

future, concentrate the mind on the present

moment”

• “An insincere and evil friend is more to be

feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may

woundyourbody,butanevilfriendwillwound

yourmind”

• “Health is the greatest wealth, faithfulness the

bestrelationship”

Healsosaid thathedrinkswithhisglasseveryday

butifthewindknocksitoverhewouldsay“ahhbut

off course.” He would say this because he knew it

wouldbreaksomedaysoheenjoyedthetimehehad

withitwhilehehadit.Buddhaisanamazingperson

andwecanalllearnalotfromhim.

WhyIloveSaraswatiPooja

RishikaRoySaraswatiPoojaisaboutthegodoflearning.Duringthepooja

manywomenwearsarisandchuridars.Menwearkurtaswith

pants. I love dressing up in fancy churidars and saris. Some

people dance, sing, and do drama. My favorite part of

Saraswati Pooja is performing on stage and watching the

other performers. I love Saraswati Pooja because of the

‘hustle bustle’ and all the friends I make and meet. I love

Saraswatipoojabecauseofallofthesereasons.


15


16

Children’sSongGroup-DirectedbyMaliniMazumdar

It is again that time of the year when the kids of Somerset county get all excited and geared up to

showcase their musical talents at SBA organized Saraswati Puja. The momentum picks up two months prior

to the big day, kids along with their parents brave the brutal (Dec-Jan) cold weather to attend the

rehearsals. Apart from practicing songs with dedication, the rehearsals become a great hang-out spots for

the kids, chilling out with their buddies with the assurance of steady supply of refreshments. When the big

day arrives, it becomes not only a proud moment for the kids but also the same for their parents to watch

their little ones standing up on the stage and singing so beautifully from their heart. This year the kids will

be singing songs to celebrate the onset of Spring. When the kids go up on the stage, we will momentarily

forget about the reality of freezing temperature outside and instead be transported to the vibrant, colorful

world of Spring woven by Rabindranath Tagore and Nazrul Islam. -Teesta

This is my privilege to express my feelings on this little kids’ song programs. Lots of families like us are

far from our own loved ones, our sweet and eventful cultural environment. Saraswati puja is always the

most unforgettable event from our childhood. These little kids are the essence of Saraswati puja. Their

songs take the cultural program to a great height. It's a joy to see these young kids growing up together and

balancing their lives with both American and Indian culture. Our kids don't get chance to be exposed to our

own culture in their day to day lives. But, these couple of sweet songs stay in their hearts for many years. As

parents, we always feel happy and proud to see our kids on the stage performing Bengali songs. We take this

program as a wonderful opportunity to introduce our own special culture to our next generation. Kids feel

excited about their abilities. Appreciate the efforts from Malini Mazumdar and Soma Choudhury to hold this

together. And of course, without the enthusiastic participation of the parents, it couldn't be a

success. Thanks to SBA for giving us this opportunity. This is an opportunity where we can show our love

and respect towards Bengali culture. It’s “Show Time” !! - Sumita


17

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Snowman–TrinaGhosh

“Done” I shouted as I put the last detail needed on the snowman. Suddenly Whoosh! Whoosh! I turn

around to hear a voice “Hello I am Mr. Snow and I like pie”. I pinched and thought to myself a real snowman,

“Wow”. I couldn’t wait to go sledding on the slope behind our backyard, and have fun with snow balls. Since

there was plenty of snow so wanted to build another snowman to have a snowball /ight?

I wanted to start building the 2nd Snowman right away as I had only one day before the temperature

goes up and it all melts away. When we went down the hill while we were sledding, Mr. Snow screamed at

the top of his lungs as he never experienced going sledding down the slope. Mr. Snow loved it so much he

wanted to go a million more times down the hill. Mr. Snow wanted another snow friend, so we built another

one. When I put on the hat, Whoosh! Whoosh! “Hello I like pie”. It was just like Mr. Snow, so I named her

Mrs. Snow. Both got along just perfectly snow /ighting.

I invited my sister so the teams would be even. My sister and I were on one team and Mr. and Mrs. Snow

were on the other. My sister and I got hit Boom! they got us with that one giant snowball, we fell on the

snow. Soon the sun came out and sadly Mr. and Mrs. Snow started melting. I wanted to give some pie to

them and say good bye, but it was too late they had already melted away. I felt vey sad, I felt like crying. So, I

decided next year when it snows, I am going to again make snowmen, name them Mr. and Mrs. Snow, give

them pie and play with them.

FunwithFear–AtreyeeGhosh

“Whoosh! Zoom!” I zipped down the long rope, daring not tomove amuscle just in case something

terribleoccurs.IwasattheArenalSkyTrekinCostaRicagoingonaziplineset.AssoonasIhadstrapped

myharnessandclaspedmyhelmet,myfamilyandmyfriendAlicia’sfamilyrodetothetopofthetrekona

cablecar.“Areyousureyouwanttodothis?Youhaveziplinesoneandtwotodecide.Ifyougoonnumber

three,there’snoturningback,”ourtourguidetoldusashequicklywentovertherules.The/irsttwocables

werethetrainingcablesandweresupposedtobeeasy.Westartedwitha92footlongcable.Thatwasfairly

easy.Icouldseethedirtonthegroundandwasaweebitnervous.Thesecondsetwasalittlelongerand

slightlyelevated.Isuddenlywantedtogoback.

Ourguidetoldus,“Thereisnogoingbackfromhere!Areyousureyouwanttodothis,kiddo?”Wewere

attheplatformofthethirdcable.Ilongedtosay“No”butmyfeetmovedforward,andthetourguidetook

thatasa“yes!”Nowtherewasnopointyellingfrantically,nopointcrying,nopointdoinganything,forit

wasnouse.Iwassuddenlytrapped200metershighgoingat60milesperhour.Thenumbercircledinmy

headwhileItriedtolookdownatthevastrainforestbelow.MypalmsweresweatyandIhungontothe

ropefordearlife.BeforeIknewitIhadcompletedcablenumber3.ForamomentIfeltrelievedandhappy

likeabird/lyinghigh.

Zip zapping through cables four, /ive and six was fun. I suddenly halted at cable seven, which I

rememberedwasthelongestandthemostdif/icult.Ikickedofftheplatform,beingbraveanddetermined.It

wasagreatfeelingofbeingfreeandsomuchbraverthanIthoughtIwas.Ilookedaroundthelushgreen

rainforestandtheclearblueskyaboveme.IfeltlikeIcouldalmosttouchthecloudsandreachforthestars.

Atthe lastcableI jumpedoff theplatformoncloudnine.Myfrownturnedupsidedownasforsodidmy

feelings.AsIwasnearing theendof thezipline, Iunfoldedmy legsandslowly foundmyselfcoming toa

stop. This time, I nailed the landing! I thought tomyself “I did it!” as the tour guide toldme “you aced

ziplining!Allthetourguidesaresoproudofyouforvolunteeringtobethe/irstpersontogo!Greatjob!”I

beamed.IneverknewthatIwouldbesohappy.


19

DanceTeam:“NachoTohDekhi”-DirectedbyDebolinaSanyal

The rhythms of rural Bengal sound in the drums of the harvest festival in the month of Poush in the

Bengal Delta. Villagers gather in colorful groups to dance in celebration of a successful harvest, to cele-

brate at the fairs or PoushMelas in the red soil and mahua forests of Western Bengal. Young girls dazzle

their admirers in their /inest attire, as the wandering Baul singers strum their dotaras and sing songs of

spiritual love. Women sing songs welcoming young brides to the family, who dance in turn, in celebra-

tion of their new life. Young love cannot bear the separation as wives travel far from their husbands to

visit with parents. And, so continues the cycle of life and love.

The tableaus above are brought to life through the diverse forms of Baul,Dhamail,Rajbanshi and oth-

er dance and music traditions of rural Bengal, set to contemporary renditions of traditional songs. The

performance concludes with an ode to the diversity of traditions in Bengal set to music by Soumyojit Das

and Sourendro Mullick.

As described by a stellar cast of luminaries in the original production, “Bengal has ever been the con-

/luence of numerous cultural rivulets… Each /low has brought with it a unique /lavor that enriched the

state.” This year, the SBA Dance Team, led by Debolina Sanyal, pays homage to the rich heritage of folk

music, dance, and cultural diversity of Bengal through its ensemble performance, “NachoTohDekhi.”


20

SaraswatiPuja2014

CulturalProgramSchedule

Time:4:00pmto10:00pm

Bridgewater-RaritanMiddleSchool,Bridgewater,NJ

4:00PM WelcomeAnnouncement PrasunChoudhury

4:05PM Song:SaraswatiBandana

Participants: MaliniMazumdar,TeestaRoy,Sumita

Dhara,MiliGhosh,LopamudraDas,SudiptaChatterjee,

AnurupaMukherjee,SatabdiChoudhury,PritiDutta,

RanjanaSanyal,SreerupaGhoshal,DebashreeSaha,

SunithRoy,SwastiBal

Musicians: ChandreyeeRoy,PrashanthiRamarapu,

OmkarBhowmick,SpreehaChoudhury,SanjoyRoy

4:15PM RDM-RHYTHMSOFDANCE&MUSIC

"NRITYANJALI" an offering or anjali

through a unique dance collage,

choreographed in pure Odissi

repertoire, in the gharana of

Padmashree Guru Muralidhar Majhi.

Choreographedby:MitraPurkayastha

RDMGEMS-IshaniBanerjee,PranitaKundu,Anisha

Mitra,NayanikaRay,KrittikaPal,KuhuDatta

RDMGOLD-AhanaBanerjee,AheliBasu,Priya

Sugathan,IraChakraborty

RDMSTARS-MeenaStalhamer,VedikaSenger,Oli

Sinha,UpasanaBanerjee,SaraswatiMookherjee

RDM DYNAMITES - Sunaya Dasgupta Mueller, Manisha

Nath, Trina Ghosh, Anwesha Mishra, Isha Mohapatra

RDMJEWELS-ArushiBhatia,RiaMukhopadhya,Portia

Sarkar,TrishaGhosh,NishkaAbraham

4:30PM PrakritirChhonde-SongsbySBA

Children

SponsoredBy:DealCodeMMT-SBA

Conductor:MaliniMazumdar

Participants:ShounakGhosh,AkashDutta,Chandan

Dutta,ManuDatta,PriyankaChatterjee,Saraswati

Shee,RiaMukherjee,RishiMukherjee,AbheekDhara,

AditiDhara,HiyaKhan,RishitRoy,RashiRoy,Rishika

Roy,AditiRoy,ShrutiRoy,RiaMukhopadhyay,Nirav

Banerjee,NipunBanerjee

BackgroundTrack:DibyenduSeal


21

4:55PM BanglaStrutiNatok'Leelmoni'

writtenbyBananiMukherjee

SponsoredBy:SamragneeMajumdar

Coordinator:SuparnaDas

CAST

Sobha:SuparnaDas

Dipti:SudiptaChatterjee

Shumi:ShakuntalaSanyal

Radha:SomaChoudhury

Jhumpi:ShampaBhattacharjee

Mithu:SuparnaBakshi

Music:RishiBhattacharjee

5:30PM NachoTohDekhi,BanglaFolk

DancespresentedbytheSBADance

Team

SponsoredBy:

ChoreographedBy:DebolinaSanyal

Participants

Youth:AditiDhara,AditiRoy,AnanyaSanyal,Atreyee

Ghosh,NishkaAbraham,PranitaKundu,PrishaGhosh,

PriyankaChatterjee,RashiRoy,RiaMukhopadhyay,

RishikaRoy,RitikaSinha-Chaudhuri,RoshniDutta,

ShonchoriMukherjee,ShrutiRoy,Sohini

Bhattacharjee,TrinaGhosh,TrishaGhosh

Adults:AnukaBasu,DebolinaSanyal,DeepaTripathy,

DeviMukherjee,KoelChatterjee,MahuyaGhoshal,

MausumiMajumdar,MollyChoudhury,ParnaKundu,

PrashanthiRamarapu,SangeetaBhattacharya,

SanjeetaMukherjee,SarbaniGhosh,SayantiBasu,

SharmilaGhosh

6:00PM IntroductiontotheMCTeam Avik Sanyal, Prajit Kundu, Kirin Dasgupta Mueller,

Ricky Das, Romir Chatterjee, Shreyan Das & Anjana

Dutta

6:10PM Announcements SBABoardofTrustees:AnusuaSanyal

IntroductionofthePujaOrganizingTeam

6:25PM Children’sMusicEnsemble Conductor: AmitRay

Participants: AnudeepAakenapalli,ReshavAbraham,

SwapnanilDeb,VivekGurumoorthy,AlexKosnik,Esha

Ray,NikitaRoy,SunithRoy,andAmitRay

7:00PM DinnerBreak

8:30PM FeatureArtistShow

SponsoredBy:

SongsbySaReGaMaPaFinalistsVishalBhallaand

HariniVasudevanaccompaniedbyliveband

10PM Closing


22

FutureArtistGallery-1

4thofJulyFireworks-PranitaKundu

AwayFromtheCity-AditiDhara

AMajesticHorse-ArushiSanbui

FlawlessNature-RishiMukherjee

ASnowyDay-RickyDas

MotherBird-RiaMukherjee


23

TheAdventuresofSteve–PrajitKundu

Training. That was the one thing Steve was constantly doing and thinking about. He didn’t have a choice

though. His teacher, Sensei Rudy, was strict. Steve once asked his sensei why he trained so much. “It’s a dark

and dangerous world out there,” he had said. “To survive there is only one thing you can do: /ight the

monsters.” “So the rumors of the undead and are true?” Steve had asked. “Alas, the rumors are true but that

is not the worst of it,” Rudy had said. “There is a dragon that lives in the abandoned castle of Herobrine,

whom your father defeated. He is strong, fast and agile; three things that spell out obvious doom to all who

dare to attempt to slay him.” “But who would even think about trying to slay the beast?” Steve had asked.

“Only the very brave or the very foolish,” Rudy had replied and had ended the conversation there, giving

Steve much to worry and ponder about.

A loud roar echoed throughout the endless void. The /lapping of giant wings was unmistakable. Steve

turned around, desperately trying to /ind the dragon or, at the very least, an exit. A diamond sword shone

brightly in his hands. Suddenly, two glowing, bright white eyes pierced through the darkness. “Those eyes.

I’ve seen them but where?” thought Steve. Suddenly, Steve was knocked out of the air. He crashed into an

island made of stone. He saw a streak of black and white and turned around. And then the dragon /lew

straight at him. Steve sat up in cold sweat. “Was that a dream, or is this a dream?” Steve wondered. He

pinched himself just to make sure. “Okay, so it was a dream but what should I make out of it?” Steve asked

himself. “Is it a glimpse of the future or a warning? Perhaps I should consult Sensei Rudy.” But Sensei Rudy

would not tell him anything other than: “Only time can tell.”

So Steve had no choice but to think and to train. Steve decided that training would give him something

else to think about. He grabbed an iron sword from the weapons rack and walked onto the training grounds.

As he walked in, twelve /igures popped up from the ground. Steve took notice of them and the swords in

their hands, but ignored them. Suddenly he spun around with his sword and chopped one of the /igure’s

head clean off. The other /igures stepped out of the shadows and Steve quickly examined them. There were

six zombies and /ive skeletons. He narrowed his eyes and charged at the monsters. The monsters sent out

four warriors to attack Steve. Steve ducked under the /irst monster and sliced him in half. Two monsters

charged at him from opposite sides. Steve was just standing there but right when the monsters swung their

swords, he jumped over them and the monsters /inished each other off. He rolled under the fourth monster

and kicked him into one of his allies, sending both of them to the ground. He spun around and then three

more warriors crumpled to the ground. There were three monsters left. He charged at the monsters and

defeated two of them. He looked around for the last monster and spotted him trying to escape. He threw his

sword and a loud thump proved that he had defeated every monster.

A cloaked /igure stepped onto the training grounds. Steve picked up a sword from one of the fallen

monsters and charged at the /igure. The cloaked /igure unsheathed a brilliant golden sword and parried

Steve’s blows easily. He then started to attack Steve and Steve was forced to become defensive. Steve had to

call on all of his techniques to avoid the golden blade. His opponent didn’t seem to be tiring at all. Suddenly,

his opponent used the disarming technique and Steve’s sword went /lying. The cloaked /igure started to

attack Steve more ruthlessly. Steve had to jump, duck and roll until his opponent started to show signs of

fatigue. But it didn’t appear that that was going to happen soon. Steve suddenly kicked his opponent in the

chest, and his opponent was startled. He wrenched the sword out of the cloaked /igure’s hand and knocked

him to the ground. Steve held the sword mere inches from his opponent’s neck. His opponent slowly pulled



24

back his hood. “You are ready,” said Sensei Rudy. “Sensei?” asked Steve in surprise. “Why did you send

monsterstoattackme?Andwhydidyouattackme?”“Toprepareforwhatliesahead,”repliedSenseiRudy.

“Wearegoingtoslaythefearsomedragononceandforall.”

Stevesatonhisbed,ponderingoverwhatSenseiRudyhadsaid.“Slayingthedragon?That’snotgoingto

happen,” Steve wondered aloud. “Amazing things can happen,” said Sensei Rudy. Steve jumped up in

surprise,forhewasunawareofhissensei’sarrivalandthathewastalkingoutloud.“Sorry,didn’tmeanto

scareyou,”saidSenseiRudy.“Weleaveforthecastleatdawn.

Andso itwas thebeginningofadangerousquest.SteveandSenseiRudy tookbows,arrows,swords,

pickaxes,regularaxes,shovels,torches,food,ropeandmanymoresupplies.Thebeginningoftheadventure

was not very dif/icult, for the terrainwas grassy and thereweremany inns and tavernswhere the pair

rested. But after crossing the border of their land, things got farmore dif/icult. They had to search for

shelterandhadtofendofftheincreasingamountofmonsters. Itwasanight,exactlysevenmonthssince

theyleft,thatcausedaseriousturningpointintheadventure.

SteveandRudystoodback toback,swordsdrawn. “Just likeold times,”saidRudy. “Yes, just likeold

times,”agreedSteve.Monsterspouredoutof theshadows,chargingat thepair.Theysplitoff inopposite

directionsandtoreintothemonsters.Onebyonethemonstersfell.Stevewasswinginghissword,slicing

intothemonsterwarriors.Rudywaseasilychoppingdowneverymonsterinhispath.Suddenly,ahailof

arrows/lewintotheclearing.“Theyhavearchersinthetrees!”exclaimedRudyandthenrolledaway.Steve

de/lectedarrowswithhisswordbutknewthathecouldn’tkeepthisupforever.Hethrewhissword,anda

skeletonfelloutofthetree.Ithadhisswordstuckinitsleg.Hesmashedtheskeletonagainstthetreeand

took its bow and arrows. He climbed into the treewith the sword on his hand and a bow on his back.

Suddenly,skeletonswent/lyingoutofthetree.Hesnipedallofthemonstersontheground.Hesuddenly

spottedamonsterinarmornearaportalstandingoverhissenseiwithitsmaceraised.Hetriedtoshoothim

butallthearrowshitothermonsters,whichhadrandomlyspawned.Hejumpedoutofthetreeandsliced

throughthemonsters.Hethrewhisswordatoneofthelastonesandpunchedtherest.Hethentackledthe

armoredoneintotheportalandthendeactivatedtheportal,cuttingthemonsterinhalf.Heshookhissensei

a fewtimesandhisworst fearscametrue.His friendandmentorwasdead.SoStevewascrushedbythe

deathofhissensei.Heburnedwithhateontheinsideanddesperatelywantedtoslaythedragon.Hefound

andtamedahorseandthenfollowingamaphefoundinhissensei’spocket,herodetoHerobrine’scastle.

Andhere,hisadventureended.

Herolledoutofthewayjustintime.ThedragonrammedrightintothestonenexttoSteve.“Itlookslike

thatdreamwasaglimpseofthefuture,”Stevethought.“Youwillneverdefeatme!”roaredthedragon.“If

you knowwho I really am, then youwill understandmuchmore.” “You’reHerobrine!” exclaimed Steve,

realization/loodingintohim.“But,nonetheless,Iwillstillslayyou,ordietrying.”“Igaveyouachoicetorun.

Butnow, Iwillhave tokill you!” said thedragon, lungingatSteve. Steve rolledanddodged thedragon’s

/ireballs until he de/lected one of the /ireballs back at the dragon. Steve jumpeddown to the island and

attacked the dragon. He buried his diamond sword to the hilt into the dragon’s chest breaking the

‘indestructible’diamond,whichwasthedragon’s lifesource.TimeseemedtoslowdownasStevepushed

theswordevendeeperintothedragon.Shardswere/lyingeverywhere.Thedragonletoutone/inal,terrible

roarandthencloseditsglowingwhiteeyesforthelasttime.Stevekneeledinmemoryofhisfallenmentor

andwhispered,“Ihaveavengedyou,Sensei.”


25

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TheRamayana:inMyEyes-AbheekDhara

The Ramayana is one of India’s greatest epics. My favorite character is Rama, one of the sons of King

Dashratha who defeated Ravana and became king. This starts when Rama is born as one of the four

children of Dashratha and the three queens named Kaushalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyee. The other children

were named Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna. After their childhood, they went to watch Sita’s

Swayamvara. Lots of kings tried to /ix the bow and win Sita as his wife. When Rama tried to /ix the bow, it

broke in half! That’s how Rama won Sita as his wife. When King Dashratha was very old, he thought about

crowning Rama as king. He asked the judges if he could. It took them a long time to decide, but /inally, they

all said yes. Dashratha was full of joy! He rushed to tell Rama that he would be crowned king the next day.

But in the next day, things did not go right because Rama was sent on a fourteen year exile.

Rama went to exile because Kaikeyee wanted Bharata to be king instead of Rama because Manthara,

Kaikeyee’s helper, convinced her that if Rama is king, she would be nothing but a poor slave to Rama.

Dashratha had given 2 boons to Kaikeyee before. Now she asked the two boons to King Dashratha. The /irst

one is that Rama will go to exile for 14 years, and the second one is that Bharata should be crowned king.

Dashratha fainted that moment. When he opened his eyes again, he started crying. He didn’t want Rama to

go to exile. Rama spent his exile with Sita and Lakshmana at the Tasma River. On the way they faced 2

demons. It was easy to kill them. Ravana’s sister Surpanakha wanted to marry Lakshmana. He cut her nose

and ears. When Ravana (king of demons) heard about this, he was really angry. He made a plan when he

heard this. Meanwhile, Lakshmana was building a small hut for them to live in. He was heartbroken when

he heard that his father died. Suddenly, a golden deer with silver spots (Ravana’s helper!!!!!!!) started

roaming near the hut. Sita got attracted to the deer and made Rama go fetch the deer. He went and killed

the “deer”. But the deer changed its voice and imitated Rama’s sound. Sita told Lakshmana to go /ind Rama.

He went. Just then Ravana came out and kidnapped Sita.

While Ravana was driving his chariot, Jatayu saw this and tried to help. But, because of old age, he

couldn’t do much. Ravana cut off his wings and killed him. Everyone tried to /ind Sita. Then Hanumana

found her. The bad people caught him and set his tail on /ire. Hanumana then made the city burn down and

came back. Everyone was happy to see him back. When Rama heard this, he felt grateful. They made a

bridge to get to the island. They had a big war. Lots of people from both sides got killed. One of the demons

(Meghnada) shot an arrow that left Rama and Lakshmana unconscious on the battle/ield. But, they regained

health and were stronger than before. Ravana was wounded badly by Rama when he went to battle. The

next day was a big battle. They killed Kumbhakarna. Also, Lakshmana had fallen into swoon by Meghnada.

Hanumana /lew to the Kailash peak and got the medicine to revive Lakshmana. When he regained life, he

went and killed Meghnada. When Ravana heard this, he went to the battle/ield himself and thus, Rama

killed him and because of that, they won the battle and saved Sita.

The same day, Sita had a /ire-test. Everyone was afraid, and they were surprised to see her come out of

the /lames safe and sound, too. Rama was /inally crowned king when they came back to Ayodhya. But

people of Ayodhya didn’t accept Sita as the queen. So, Rama sent her to an exile in the forest. There, she

gave birth to twins, named Kusha and Lava. By accident, they had a /ight with Rama, their father. But, then

they got to know each other. After a few years, Rama decided to go to heaven. He crowned Kusha and Lava

as king and went to Heaven.— Ilikethisbookbecauseithasalotofadventure,suchaswhenRamafaces

morethan10demons.It’salsoaculturalbookbecauseyougetlotsofIndiancultureandtraditioninit.


28

The Goddess Saraswati is known

as the Goddess of Knowledge and

Arts. It is an auspicious day to begin

the journey of education by writing

the /irst word popularly known as

"Hathe Khori". Saraswati Puja plays

very important role among Bengalis.

It takes us back to our childhood days

when we all used to seek blessing of

the Goddess wearing yellow saree.

Our song "Hey Sharaade Maa" is a

small endeavor to acquire blessings

from Goddess Saraswati. From the

core of my heart I want to thank all

the participants without whose

relentless effort this would not have

been possible.

Adults’sSongGroup-DirectedbyMaliniMazumdar


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Bara�jhora-Suchetana

MukhopahyayChakraborty

"Yakundendutusharhaardhabala,-----samampatuSaraswatibhagavati,nishweshajadyapaha”.

OntheoccasionoftheworshipofDeviSaraswati"Nibhritobashinibinapani,amritomooratimotibani",RDM-

Rhythms ofDance&Music ([email protected]), presents "NRITYANJALI" an offering or anjali through a

unique dance collage, choreographed in pure Odissi repertoire, in the gharana of Padmashree Guru

MuralidharMajhi.


33

ShrutiNatokGroup:Leelmoni-TeamDirectionbytheActors

Last year's thunderous applause for our "Shruti natok" was still ringing on our ears as we set about

planning for the 2014 Sarawati pujo cultural program. So instead of "Kreme Kreme Prosthan" we decided to

make a grand re-entry on SBA stage - this time with more new faces and new laughs. This year, we present -

"Leelmoni" - a comical farce penned by Banani Mukherjee , our dear "Banani Mashi". We appreciate her help

& guidance in staging this. Leelmoni is a tale of mothers and daughters; maids and maidens - their

problems, idiosyncrasies and the ensuing kerfuf/le - all woven together with the thread of humor and

laughter. While all characters are strictly imaginary, you may see some resemblance to real-life ones - and

that's what will make you relate and be regaled!! Bringing the characters to life are (in order of appearance)

Suparna Das, Sudipta Chatterjee, Shakuntala Sanyal, Soma Choudhury, Suparna Bakshi, and Shampa

Bhattacharjee. Music for the play is being arranged and provided by Rishi Bhattacharjee. We also

acknowledge Parna Ghosh for her help in selecting the play and Aparajita Ray for procuring the script.

Hope we bring tears to your eyes, make your tummy ache, sides split ....with laughter!

MyFavoriteTVShow-Devjit(Adi)Bhattacharya

My favorite TV show is Phineas and Ferb. My favorite character is Perry who is a platypus. I like this

show because it is funny. My dad likes the show a lot too. Phineas is creative and loves to build stuff with his

stepbrother Ferb. Ferb is very quiet but good with mechanics. Perry likes to be called “Agent P” as he /ights

evil. His nemesis’s name is Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz. Doofenshmirtz never stops trying to defeat Perry and

take over the tri-state area. Phineas’s sister’s name is Candace. Her goal in life is to bust the boys but she

never succeeds; no matter how much she fails she keeps on trying.

There is also a character named Baljeet who is Indian. He is very smart and likes to help with

Phineas’s creations. His most favorite thing in the world is a calculator and all he cares about are good

grades. Isabella is the girl who lives across the street from Phineas. She is also the leader of a group called

Fireside Girls. She helps the team earn badges. Isabella’s secret dream is to marry Phineas but she never

lets Phineas know about it and he does not share the same feelings. My dad and I spend most of our time on

the weekends watching the show because we both love it so much.


34

Children’sEnsembleGroup-DirectedbyAmitRay

The children's ensemble is a unique /lavor of musical presentation brought to our stages by Amit Ray for

the last 5 years. The ensemble consists mostly of high school teenagers with impressive musical talent in

various instruments. While the parents have heard their children play at their school concerts or other

events on western compositions, they rarely get a chance to see them play together the kind of music that

they may be more familiar with.

This is a rare showcase in this country for Indian children playing various instruments together. "I try to

create the bridge between the children and their parents by producing compositions of both Indian and

Western music more familiar to the parents", Amit says. "It is challenging no doubt every year to create new

music as the team does change when some kids graduate out of high school or become busy with other activ-

ities. Hope the children and all the parents have some fun through this experience".


35

LessonsCancerTaughtMe-MitushiBanerjee Every mom I know has moments of self-doubt, times where we felt unappreciated, un-cherished and

taken for granted. Many a times I have wished my family would understand what it felt like if I just stopped

doing all the stuff I always did for them. I had the grand misconception that everything would come to a

standstill and the Earth would probably stop revolving. But when my illness abruptly made me stop,

miracles happened. Well for one my family got how much and what I did and that part was very gratifying;

but another thing happened next; self-realization and boy was that an eye opener. It made me proud and

humiliated at the same time. I had done stuff my way for a long time and I was doing a lot of it wrong. I had

in my mind decided my way was right all the time, instead of pausing to think if that was necessarily the

right course of action. I walked around thinking “I am a big saint and martyr combined and you people have

no idea how much I sacri/ice/care/do for you”. I had become the unelected dictator who was not treating

my husband of thirteen years like the partner he was and seeing that my kids could do more for themselves

unassisted. Maybe a part of me judged my self-worth based on the dependency everyone had on me.

If there is anything my illness taught me, it made me acutely aware of what my marriage was made of.

You know what they say about when going gets tough… With me completely in a daze with my diagnosis

and chemotherapy everything fell on him. He had no warming up period, no two-week notice; he just had to

roll with the punches. Life has a way of derailing you mostly when you think everything is going great. I

learned our marriage could survive a derailment however catastrophic it may be. In some ways the illness

brought back a much needed balance. I won’t sugarcoat it. The /irst few weeks after I was diagnosed were

dreadful for both of us. We both struggled to accept the news. We both reacted poles apart but I know now

that while his initial reaction may not be what I want or expect, that I can count on him to come through for

me and our kids for when it matters the most. That both us will do whatever needs to be done, sometimes

with a frown but usually with just a slight grimace. And that’s OK, because this is real life and unlike

Facebook posts most times real life is not picture perfect.

Often when a bunch of us friends get together the topic often leads to the lamenting of how after many

years of marriage the romance has faded. The stolen glances, /lowers and chocolates have become the

exceptions to the norm. Reserved for holidays and mother’s days. How our husbands would rather watch

cricket than spend time with us. Me being sick made me realize that while my husband may not remember

dates and get gifts which I end up exchanging, when it came to taking care of me he did remember every

tablet, every injection I needed. He stayed besides me every chemo session pseudo-working on his laptop

balanced on his knees in the small chair he got at the treatment center. While he may not be my ideal

romantic with the long walk on the beach when it came to the awful nights where I stayed up sick, he was

there trying to make me comfortable. While there is a lot of compassion and empathy for the cancer patient,

what people often tend to forget is how much their signi/icant other has to suffer. The upheaval in their

lives. The sorrows of seeing a loved one suffer while being faced with an uncertain future. I realized my

husband was the perfect partner to me now that I gave him that freedom and did not try to be a saint.

My parents came to help me with the kids. Since my husband worked away from home an adult was

sorely needed. But what surprised me was how much my kids were capable of doing on their own. It totally

altered how I viewed them from behind my rosy eyed glasses of motherhood. Out of necessity or design, my

kids realized that there was a lot they could do for themselves. It’s ironic because while I wanted to bring up

independent kids; it was I who was mollycoddling them to being dependent on me. I learned to be patient

and see that how when they go to do things for themselves it was actually a good thing in the long run. Life

threatening illnesses are a good /ilter to knowing who your true friends are. There were people I could have

bet upon would be there for me when I needed them. And they were not. So I had a choice: I could change

my expectations of them to better re/lect the reality of our relationship or I could move forward without



36

them. Either way, I was better off. But surprisingly for every person who disappointed me, another

surprisedme by providing support in an unexpectedway. I just needed to be open to the thought that

everyonehandlescrisesdifferently.

ThebestthingthoughwasI learnedtotakeitslow.Normallifemovesataveryfastpace.Workboth

personal and professional never seems to cease. School, after school activities, birthday parties every

weekend.Everyonerunningfromonedestinationtoanothersometimeswitherrands,sometimesfor fun.

Foralittlewhilelastsummer,myworldgotveryconcise,calmandsnail-paced.Ialwayscomplainedabout

howthingswouldbebetterifIhadamomenttositdownanddonothing…butIhavetoconfess,IthoughtI

wouldloveitbutIhatedit.Iwasbored.Ifeltclaustrophobicandisolated.Ihatedbeingalonewithmyown

thoughts.Butitwasgoodforme.Irealizedthisconstantpaceoflifeiswhatlivingisallabout.Theconstant

chatter of kids, the small and sometimes large arguments with my hubby, the being pulled in many

directionsatonceisallapartofthefabricoflife,whatmakesitworthliving.

Ispentalotoftimewondering“whyme”andfrankly,feelingreallysorryformyself.Iguessit’saphase

everyonegoesthrough.Atthatmomentintime,itallseemedsounfair.Ifeelshamefulnow,notfortheself-

pitybutbecauseittookmealittlewhileto/igureoutthatitwasn’t justhappeningtome.Becauseitwas

happeningtoeveryoneIholddear.Myhusbandhadtocarryalltheweightthatmysickbodycouldnot.My

kidshadtoadapttoamotherwhocouldnotdoasmuchasshedidearlier.Myparentshadtoleavetheir

worldtoadjustinmine.Butwedidadapt.AndwearestillaWEandthatissomethingnooneshouldtake

forgranted.Ihadgotmylifeback.AndIappreciateditasIneverhadbefore.AndthereisonemorelessonI

learned;albeitbrie/lyIknewwhatitmeanttobereallysick.Tobedisabledandtired.Iknownowwhatit

meanstobeentirelydependentonthosearoundme.Toreally,reallyneedhelp.AndIwillneverlookatthe

worldthesamewayagainandneverforgetthelifelessonshavingcancertaughtme.

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Continuedfrompage35→ LessonsCancerTaughtMe


37

Life–RajyasriDas

Life is covered by layers of skins with different mean-

ings- education, culture, dignity, friends, neighbors

and liberty

As these skins fall slowly, one cannot touch the softest

metaphors of communication - light itself for success

in life

A snake of life

Poisonous layers of knowledge of the world

Ancient wisdom comes back as a river of lost foot-

steps

In the forest of the mind

A snake

Layers of skins peeling off with age and maturity

Now you are a man, not a human seeking the humani-

ty you yourself are longing for

A snake losing its pathways on earth

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Documents

SBA Magazine, Volume 6, 2014