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Somerset Bengali Association Newsletter
Citation preview
www.somersetbengalis.org
We come. We eat. We
enjoy cultural entertain-
ment. We gossip with
other family friends. But
then what makes Saras-
wati Puja different from
any other festivities? In
fact, what do you really
do during Saraswati
Puja?
The goddess Saraswati, is
known to be the goddess
of the knowledge and
arts, and the mother of
the Vedas. Her four arms
represent the different
aspects of human learn-
ing and knowledge; mind,
intellect, alertness and
ego.
On goddess Saraswati’s
birthday, also known as
Vasant Panchami—or
Saraswati Puja—Hindus
celebrate with much ac-
tivity and excitement.
The color yellow is given
great importance on this
day, and Saraswati is
dressed in yellow. Sweets
are given out, as always,
and many perform differ-
ent types of worship.
Many believe that the
most significant aspect of
this day, is teaching a
child their first words—
as an auspicious day to
begin to learn to read and
write. Hinduism has also
found a way to weave in
the changing seasons
with this Puja, since dur-
ing this time, spring is
approaching, signaling
the birth of new life.
There are many important
aspects to this wonderful
event. So there is a reason
why we dance, sing, and
socialize on this day. But
let’s not forget the true
reason we celebrate our
goddess, amidst the sing-
ing and dancing. Because
knowledge is so impor-
tant, and highly re-
spected. Of course, it is
also a time to show off
that new sari you were
dying to wear.
Editorial Team:
Aparajita Ray
Anjali Mitra
Esha Ray
Spreeha Choudhury
Volume 1, Issue 1
From the Editors:
What is Saraswati Puja?
February 2009
Shoes of the Wright .. 2
My Future Life 4
Live My Life Over 6
Fiscal Responsibility 11
Hunting The Hunter 12
Cuckoo 14
The World Is Different 15
Just Another Saturday 5
Winter Poems 4
What Freedom Means 5
Snowy Das 7
My Grandfather 6
Hi Friends 9
A Poem 12
Cultural Program 16
Indian Suffusion 12
Inside this issue:
Somerset Bengali Association
Saraswat i Puja 2009
Looking Back…
Even though we’ve only
been a part of this asso-
ciation for a little more
than a year, we have
gained many experiences.
Initially we were asked to
dance. Somebody appar-
ently wanted to choreo-
graph a dance number
and she needed some
teenage girls. What we
didn’t know, was that
once we joined, we
would be officially
hooked!
Now, as the next Saras-
wati Puja is rolling
around, we’ve made so
many friends, been in so
many dances, and in-
vested in so much stage
makeup. But seriously,
now we find ourselves
creating the newsletter
for the Saraswati Puja,
Bridgewater, New Jersey, USA
IN THE SHOES OF THE WRIGHT BROTHERS
Rohit Das
PAGE 2 SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
From the age of six, I had always wanted to be a pilot. I became interested in planes on my trips to
different parts of the world. While waiting at the airport, I would just sit at the window and watch all the
different planes. The different models and airlines caught my eye and soon I became fascinated with these
metal birds. I have more than 100 Die Cast models in my collected. I soon started researching planes on the
internet and at the library. I learned all about how the Wright Brothers invented the first airplane that could
be controlled while still being in the air. The Wright Brothers interested me because they tried so hard at
one thing, and never gave up. I am inspired by the Wright Brothers and I started to dream of the day when I
would be like them: piloting an airplane for the first time.
On a Tuesday, December 23, I woke up at my aunt’s house to find out that later that day I would be
able ride a small airplane around the city of Birmingham with my loving cousins. However, I never thought
that I would be given the opportunity to co-pilot the plane! I had never dreamed of this happening to me, at
only 11 years old! When we got to Birmingham International Airport, I got to meet the pilot. Then the
thought of having a plane’s steering wheel gave me cold feet. I didn’t want 6 lives on my hands! I started to
back out when I realized this was my dream! This was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. So I
plucked up all my courage and sat in the co-pilot’s seat. The captain, Mr. Danny, told me all the rules, like
how speak with him through the microphone and how to listen to the tower. While we were on the runway,
Mr. Danny let me take off. It was the greatest feeling, I felt like a bird! In the midst of flying through the
air, I got to hear the tower chanting,” Whiskey Charlie is in the air!”
We flew all over Birmingham; I saw my cousins’ house, the mall, the hospital, etc. Finally, after an
hour of flying, it was time for touch down. I drew back in my seat, sadly, thinking my job was over when I
heard Mr. Danny’s voice in the headset. “It’s time to land Rohit, parallel the plane to the runway.” I sat up
straight in my seat, thrilled to do one last thing. I had no idea how to parallel the plane to the run way, so
Mr. Danny talked me through it while I drove the plane. My mom didn’t know what I was doing so she
screamed when I drove the plane in a tilt and turned! “Rohit, please stop tilting the plane,” she said as the
plane was on its side and in my control. Five minutes later, the plane reached the ground. As I stepped out
of the plane, it finally came as an avalanche down a mountain, that I had driven a plane!
I had finally achieved what I had always wanted; I had stepped in to the shoes of the Wright Broth-
ers and I now knew how they felt when they drove their plane for the very first time.
PAGE 3 SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Snowman
One day I made a snow-
man
He was very bright and jolly.
I didn’t know what do with
him,
So I decided to call him
Wally.
Wally had a pet snow dog
Who my friends would call
Molly
They also thought the snow
dog
Looked exactly like a collie
My Future Life
Souvik Ganguly
PAGE 4 SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
I was thinking about being a veterinarian since I love animals, and I have 2 pet mice. They are one of the cutest
creatures I have ever seen. I like animals since you can teach them, play with them, and they always are on the move.
The reason I have mice instead of a dog is that my mom thinks they harm people, and they are too much work. My
mom said if we go on vacation we can’t keep the dog. The reason I can’t have a cat is that I’m allergic to them. I
can’t have reptiles and amphibians because my mom hates them. So that leaves rodents, birds, and fish as the only
choices. I don’t like birds because they can fly away from your hand. I don’t like fish because you can’t do anything
with them. So that leaves rodents as the only yet last choice. I think rodents are cool because you can play with
them, and you can hold them. My first pet was a white mouse with white, fluffy fur, red eyes, pink tail, and pink ears.
My mom said to me “We have a class pet because a family couldn’t take care of it because they had to cats didn’t like
it there” just like Tom and Jerry. So it is at school. My mom said “At school when its nap time the mouse starts run-
ning on the spinning wheel. A few days later my mom brought the mouse to my house and I kept it. It was in a small
blue cage running in circles trying to get used to its new home and owner. So now I have a mouse and I got to meet
its original owner’s family. So these are reason I want to be a Veterinarian.
I also thought about being a doctor because I want to help others who are need. Also because I hear that a lot of
my relatives and friends are passing away. I would like to be a doctor in Africa because there quality of medicine is
very poor. Another thing I would to like to do is to be a doctor in the military, army, marines, and the air force. Since
a lot of people are getting injured. I would be a doctor in the army because they would protect me when I’m healing
them. Another thing why I want to be a doctor is that there’s not a cure for cancer yet.
I would also like to be in the army as a solider because I wanted to help fight in battles to protect my country.
The problem is that if I get shot in real life I could die or injured. I wouldn’t be able to do anything else I wanted to
do. I also wanted to be a car engineer/builder because I always wanted to build my own car and sell them to others. In
videogames I used to buy a car then add more speed, better control, a faster engine, and better brakes. Then I would
add different tires, colors, and designs to the car. Then I would drive it all over the place. If I made a car I would have
to figure out where to add all the additional things such as cup holders, heated seats, and the CD player. I also play
car videogames all the time, so I have some experiences.
My last choice is a business man, because I always wanted to own my own hotel because you would earn a lot
of money, you don’t need to buy a house and you could live in the hotel, and I could get people to do stuff for me
such as getting room service everyday. All of these job choices are very good for me. Some of these jobs are very
cool. But I will wonder which one I will end up with as a job. I’ll probably figure it out later in my life as I grow
older and when it is time to pick a job I will probably pick the best one for me.
Winter Wonderland Poems
Sompurna Choudhury, Age: 9 Snowflakes
Lovely snowflakes,
Falling down,
Come close to earth
And spin around.
They touch the ground,
And then they melt,
What a short life,
That they have dealt
Snowballs
You better duck
Just in case
A gigantic snowball
Fly’s toward your face.
A place to hide’s
Behind a tree
Here comes a snowball
Not one but 3!
Winter is the Best
Summer’s too hot,
It makes my sweat.
In spring it rains,
So I get all wet.
I don’t like fall,
Because I barely get rest.
But in winter we have snow,
So winter’s the best!
Just Another SaturdayJust Another SaturdayJust Another SaturdayJust Another Saturday Anonymous (College student)Anonymous (College student)Anonymous (College student)Anonymous (College student)
PAGE 5 SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1 , I SSUE 1
"CHHOTUUUUUUUUUUUUU! SAT Class achey ak ghontar modhey! Ekhunni Utheparo!" yelled my
mother. I grudgingly turned over in my bed and cursed under my breath. I looked at my alarm clock as it blared back
at me with the same anger I heard in my mother's voice. It said 8 am and I realized that within the hour on this per-
fectly wasted Saturday morning I would be crunching vocab and algebraic equations up the wazoo!
I survived the three hour torture (I mean the scholastically renowned Princeton Review SAT Prep class guar-
anteed to get you at least a 2300) and managed to drive home. As I walked through the door, still half way asleep, I
was pleasantly greeted by the smell of my mom's daal. I completely acknowledge that Indian cuisine deserves more
praises than I could ever give, but at the end of the day I have to say that my all-time favorite dish is plain old Masoor
Daal. No questions asked. That's all I need. I sat down at the table and my mother asked "Kee holo? Atho taka
dheechi are kechoo lab hochey?" I stared blankly at my mom and said "Maaaaaa," and that was the end of that. I'm
pretty sure she didn't have the energy to respond. My perfect little sister came downstairs and into the kitchen and
quickly announced that she had already finished her homework and my mother smiled and said "Baaaah." I too could
have finished my homework in less than an hour when I was in 4th grade.
About an hour later my mother said that she was going to go to the mall and asked if I wanted to go with
her. I knew that she had just been there a few days ago and probably didn't actually need anything in particular. But
then I remember scanning the newspaper this morning and noticing some Macy's coupons missing from the
pages. There was my answer! She just can't say no to a sale!
By the time we got back it was probably almost five o'clock. After unpacking all the stuff from the car, my
mother quickly exclaimed that everyone should get ready to leave in an hour or so. Completely thrown off by this
sudden announcement I said "What? Kano?" (I think when I get flustered I start to mix my Bengali and Eng-
lish!) My mother explained that we were going to someone's house for dinner. As usual, I hadn't been informed
about the dinner party we were going to. But seeing how it was at another Bengali family's house, my guess was that
it was probably an impromptu gathering thrown together for the sole purpose of some good old "adda." I rolled my
eyes, but realized I didn't have much choice in the matter. I looked to my Bapi for some kind of reaction, but he sym-
pathetically looked at me and expressed the same confusion as me.
Yes, it ended up being just another Saturday in our normal lives. And although the tone I convey in this story
may come off as spoiled, agitated, or basically super ABCD (American Born Confused Desi), I have to say that ever
since leaving home these are the kinds of Saturdays I miss the most.
What Freedom Means To Me Ankush Rakhit, Age: 12
Everyday as you wake up, and go to school or work and live life the way you do, you use freedom. Freedom,
to me, is what symbolizes me as an American. Our ability to have a say in our government, our ability to live our nor-
mal lives without consequences or harsh restrictions all happen with our freedom as Americans. Freedom is the abil-
ity to do things without consequences. We often don’t realize it, because we are so used to our rights, how lucky we
are compared to those around the world who don’t live as freely as us. Without freedom, like we fortunately have in
America, we would not be able to rightfully protest, or have a say in our government, or even practice our beliefs and
religions without consequences. Living without freedom is as if you are living always with a watchful eye over you. I
personally feel lucky to have the freedoms that I have. Because of the freedom I have today I am able to walk freely
without the feeling of fear or pain, am able to get an education, and to work my way to success. Freedom might be
nothing to some people or they don’t think about it, but freedom is everything to me. Freedom, to me, is not just a
word, I believe that it is a part of me, and has shaped who I am.
If I had my life to live over again,
I would have watched the strokes of my life’s pen,
Instead at times not focusing on my goal,
Like a blind man upon the rim of a hole.
I would have filled the fireplace of char-ity with more wood,
And acknowledged the light of truth for good.
If I had my life to live over again,
I would have ventured out instead of staying in my den,
Exploring new horizons,
Singing new hymns,
Dancing new jigs,
Performing new gigs.
I would have laughed with no sense of doubt,
Like a baby tree beginning to sprout.
I would have let the melodious notes flow,
From my violin in the warm glow,
Of a toasty fire on a winter night,
Smiling with joy hidden from a frosty bite,
Which raged outside in a storm of snow,
While I sat hidden from the ferocious blow.
If I had my life to live over again,
I would not have cheated from my fellow men,
My wandering eyes came across the goal,
Just to find my grade dreary as coal.
I would have found the solutions from within my head,
And used my thoughts to copy down in lead.
I would have thought more of the dates,
And placed my writings in front of the gates,
Of knowledge and sight,
And the thought that I just might,
Demolish the procrastination,
And focus on the education.
If I had my life to live over again,
I would have rewritten it with my own pen.
Being a part of the Somerset Bengali
Association has taken so much time
out of our lives, but we enjoy helping
out. We too, want to make sure that
the cultural program turns out to be a
success.
Now another Saraswati Puja comes
along for us to celebrate and be joy-
ous, and we hope we can be there to
Coming out of DJ-ing for a Bijoya
party. So many songs!
Overall, the journey has been a blast,
and as we put together the final
touches to this newsletter, we can
honestly say that we have created a
friendship which each and every per-
son contributing to it, including the
many aunts and uncles.
celebrate the festivals to come with
the entire community. They’ve be-
come a sort of large, disoriented,
Bengali family. So we hope you
enjoy this newsletter we’ve put to-
gether for you all!
From the Editors
My Grandfather
Rohit Das
If I Had My Life To Live Over Again
Rounak Mukhopadhyay
Admirable, loving, and always there for me.
Three things about him- which I will never
forget.
He was my grandfather
I was his only grandson
There was a connection, a special bond
Between me and him
We understood each other-
His love for ice cream
And my small mischief’s
He was only there for 11 years of my life-
But I will treasure his memory forever
Looking Back… (cont’d from Pg. 1)
PAGE 6 SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
‘Twas the night before snow day,
There were hopes that the snow may
lay,
There was frost all around,
But there was not even a flake on the
ground;
Pajamas were turned inside out,
Although there was quite some doubt,
All hoped the school would close,
But there were other thoughts among
those;
The opening would be a delay,
School would end earlier in the day,
Nevertheless the holiday season was
here,
The air was filled with happiness &
cheer;
In the houses there was a tree,
Filled with ornaments, lights & lots of
glee,
The temperature dropped to the teens,
But not one snowflake could he seen;
Anticipation was still there,
Even though the ground was still hard,
They went to sleep, hopes extin-
guished,
But they got their wish;
School was closed that Friday,
Though the grass was green & asphalt
gray,
But then the sky broke out with snow,
The layer started to grow;
In the hills the kids went,
Though the snow did not relent,
The visibility the snow obscured,
And snowball fight occurred;
Sleds sped down the hills,
There were many thrills,
And what of those who didn’t be-
lieve,
Even they were relieved;
For school ceased,
And the snow released,
And everyone had a good day,
On this unexpected Friday;
Who would have thought that the
snowless night,
Would produce sleds and snowball
fights,
You know when holidays arise,
But a snow day is a pleasant sur-
prise;
So all should enjoy their snow days,
And to all a good day!
SNOW DAY Arka Ghose
PAGE 7 SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1 , I SSUE 1
PAGE 8 SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
PUZZLES AND
GAMES!
PAGE 9 SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1 , I SSUE 1
Welcome to SBA’s Saraswati puja. When we first planned for the puja last year, and began contacting neighborhood
friends, I could not imagine that we will continue this event for the second year. In addition to the puja, due to over-
whelming enthusiasm and interest, we have also organized picnic in the Summer and Bijoya gathering in the Fall. On
behalf of the Association, I would like to take a brief moment here to convey my sincere thanks to all of you who
made all these programs possible and successful. Also I want to mention here that these events are organized by all of
us together whether you are in a committee or not. We need input and involvement from all of you. As you know we
are a very small organization, and participations are mainly through invitation and acquaintance and not by advertise-
ment. All of us are here today because you are invited by one of your friends, who think you are special to them.
The question may come to ones mind ‘why another puja?’. The answer is ‘we just did not want to start another puja,
instead we wanted to build an organization where kids participation and involvement will be at the center’. Our main
goal is to engage our kids to know each other by participating in activities, cultural events, fun and entertainment. We
encourage kids to decorate the hall, to plan for the events, participate in the cultural program – making it successful
the way they visualize it. We want them to feel proud by calling it ‘our pujo’. During bijoya, our kids decided to be-
come DJ, and chose the music where their parents and siblings can dance together. During this Saraswati puja, our
youth group took the lead and decided to publish a news letter to share their creative side. Do you know there will
about 50 kids on stage during to-day’s cultural program?
We hope to see you all during our next events, and all of us should try their best to make every event unique, full of
fun and entertaining. We are starting the year again with a Saraswati puja, and hoping to meet all of you during our
annual picnic and Bijoya. We are hoping this will be another year of fun filled events for our Youth Group as well as
the parents. All our events were tremendously successful last year, and we hope to continue it same way.
Hi Friends ! Somesh Choudhury on behalf of Somerset Bengali Association
Call anytime to talk about your needs and the opportunities though-
out Central NJ
ANDREW SPRECHER
Cell: 908 874-8421
Century 21 Worden & Green
908-874-4700 x382
I have a wide variety of listings
for sale and lease:
• Residential
• Income Properties
• Retail
• Office
• Industrial
• Land
COMMERCIAL
RESIDENTIAL
Real Estate Services
Changes in Zoning and
Markets are bringing
both opportunities and
risks for property owners
in the Hillsborough Area
256 Rte 206 Hillsborough NJ 08844
PAGE 10 SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Fiscal Responsibility Spreeha Choudhury, Age: 15
PAGE 11 SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1 , I SSUE 1
I am a teenager. Teenagers are known for causing their parents to go bankrupt or for filling the house with
their fleeting interests. Walk into a normal teenager’s room and you will see glossy posters filling the walls, fashion
magazines falling off the bookshelves and various pieces of clothes and jewelry everywhere. Walk into my room,
and you will see a mess of printed photos instead of bought posters, hand-me-down textbooks instead of magazines
and clothes I have been wearing since 7th grade. Don’t get me wrong, my family’s not poor, quite the contrary, we
have more money than we need. I have done this to myself. My family has instilled such a strong sense of fiscal re-
sponsibility in me, I am actually afraid to spend money.
Let me share one incident where the extreme sense of fiscal responsibility was been drilled into my head at
the age of eleven. I had ballet practice in Livingston. It was late and the last time I had eaten was almost 5 hours
before. I was starving and was ready to devour anything. I complained to my mom and she gave me a stern look and
said, “When we get home.”
It took a few minuets to convince her that I needed food right there and then. So we left the studio with me
running to the car and my mom slowly walking. I tapped my foot impatiently and my stomach growled. I was think-
ing of all the great fast food places on the way home: Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Boston Market. Yum, yum, yum.
“We’ll stop at the Grand Union and you can run inside and get some yogurt,” my mom said, finally
unlocking the car. My brain froze. Yogurt? I wanted a Cheesy Gordita Crunch from Taco Bell. I had it all planned out
in my head.
“Just yogurt?” I asked getting into the car, “I wanted Taco Bell.”
“Spreeha,” my mom said, absolutely outraged at my suggestion, “We don’t have that much money
that we can spend it on food every day of the week. Sometimes you have to save money.”
So, on the way back, my mom stopped at a grocery store and handed me a five dollar bill. “Ja giye dhoi kine
niye aan,” she said, “and get the cheapest one you can find!”
So I barreled into the store and grabbed the first peach flavored yogurt I could find that was below five dol-
lars. My favorite yogurt was only $1.50, thank god it was on sale! I took it to the cash register and paid for it. I was
so hungry that just looking at the picture of the peach on the container was making my mouth water. I ran as fast as
I could back to the car and hopped in. My mom held her hand out for the change. I handed it to her and ripped
open the foil lid of the yogurt. I took out a plastic spoon I had stashed in the car and took a giant scoop of the yogurt
out. Just as I was about to eat it, my mom asked “How much was it?”
I looked at her and rolled my eyes, “A dollar fifty, can’t you count the change?” I went to shove the scoop of
yogurt into my mouth again.
“Then why is there only two dollars and 50 cents here?” she said stopping me in my tracks.
“There’s three fifty there, mom, I counted it. Can I please just eat my dhoi?” I looked at the wonderful food
on my spoon longing to eat it and at the same time wondering what was wrong with my mother.
“This was a test, Spreeha. I wanted to see if you could be responsible. And now, I know you can’t be. Where
is that dollar?”
“It was just a dollar mom, maybe it fell or something. Forget about it.”
“FORGET ABOUT IT?” my mom exploded, “Forget about it? What do you mean forget about it. It was MY
money and I want it back! Kichho paarish naa tui. I gave you five dollars, ar tui haariye felleesh. What am I going to
do with you?”
I looked at her in awe. What the heck, I thought, it was just a dollar. And then, out of my peripheral vision, I
saw it. It was laying on the sidewalk right in front of the automatic grocery store doors. If it will shut you up, I’ll go
get it, I thought as I opened the door to my car so that I could retrieve the dollar. That’s when I saw him. It was a
big, intimidating looking man, standing inches away from my dollar. If there was a physical interpretation of scary,
he was it, and I was scared. He was leaning over my dollar to pick it up and I was shrinking back into the car where
my mom was still going on and on. (cont’d Pg. 13)
There was once a time where western culture that
would work its way into India and the eastern half of
the world. The “guys and gals” would wear their “hip”
new jeans, and rock their converse. Now in the states,
it is Indian culture that is seeping into American cul-
ture. One can see Indian culture in all different aspects
of life. A few years ago, the movie “Bend it like
Beckham” was released in America, a story focusing
on an Indian girl. Even in the fresh start of this New
Year, there is a new movie, “Slumdog Millionaire,” a
movie featuring the story about a “slumdog” from
Mumbai. This story touched many hearts, and won
three Golden Globes! Indian culture has also impacted
the American fashion industry.
One hot item this winter was fashion scarves, many
with prints inspired from India. Cotton shirts and tops
have been imported from India by designer labels like
French Connection and Free People. The indisputable
conclusion from all these Indian trends in American
culture proves that India has become a worldwide
leader, and will continue to grow and prosper.
Indian Suffusion Sharmili Rakhit
A PoemA PoemA PoemA Poem Parama DasParama DasParama DasParama Das
PAGE 12 SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Hunting The Hunter Sourabh Chakroborty
Joe worked at Ecoville Zoo, which took injured animals,
endangered ones, too.
The Poacher always shot wildlife, and he often killed.
The animal parts were all sold until his wallet was filled.
Whenever lives were shot, it caused much sadness.
So, Joe decided it was time to stop the madness.
Joe was feeding the animals late at night,
in a lynx habitat when the lynx chose him to bite.
Even from a mile away, Joe could hear
a low growl with his furry ears.
Was this for better or for worse?
Was mutating a blessing or a curse?
Joe wondered throughout the night.
How could he use his power and might?
He finally decided what he wanted to do -
save wild animals and stop the Poacher, too.
Joe went to spy on the Poacher in the woods,
hiding behind a tree in a hood.
Whenever there was a howl or hoot,
the Poacher would always shoot.
Joe watched and recorded this all.
He almost dialed 911 and was about to call,
when...
He was about to be seen by a stranger!
If glimpsed, he would be in danger.
Joe knew it was the right hour
to use the full extent of his power.
He knew his transformation was not mild;
he had special powers in the wild.
Joe muttered, “I’ll give it my best shot;
the Poacher will now be caught!”
The Poacher saw Joe and thought he saw a huge cat.
In his fright, the Poacher screamed, “WHAT IS
THAT?!”
When he took his gun out to attack,
Joe decided not to fight back.
Then Joe transformed, and gave the Poacher such a scare
that he dropped down, fainted, right then and there..
Joe called nine-one-one.
The police came and the Poacher was done.
This is the last thing I want to say:
Wouldn’t you like to have Joe’s powers one day?
Wrapped around a black blanket
Wearing diamond necklaces and earrings
I wear sparkling designs, of the greats who came
before us Everyone looks up to me
for I am a great sight I am always there for everyone big or small
A mystery they say, but a wonder at the same time
Fiscal Responsibility (cont’d from Pg. 11)
PAGE 13 SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1 , I SSUE 1
“Kee holo? “Kee holo? There’s my dollar. Go get it,” she said, nearly pushing me out of the car.
“Um, I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” I said, shrinking further into the seat. He was a grown man and I
was just a tiny little eleven-year-old ballerina. No way I was going up to him and asking for that dollar.
“Maybe he needs it more than we do,” I said, hoping that this excuse would be enough to make my mom
calm down.
“You think we’re rich, Spreeha? You think money grows on trees? Well, I’m very sorry to say, but it doesn’t.
We have to earn money to live. Blood, sweat and tears go into every dollar we make. Now, go fight, Spreeha, go
fight for your money,” my mom said in such a confident tone, she
sounded like a passionate general before a war. And, for a second, I
was actually convinced that I had to swordfight with the guy to get
my dollar back. I had half stepped out of the car when I realized
that it would be a really stupid idea.
“No mom, I think I’m just gonna eat my yogurt and forget
about the dollar,” I said, closing the door and barricading myself
from the man who was now walking away from our car. My mom
flung me a look of rage and fury. She gave a low growl and started
the ignition of the car.
“You’re not going to follow him? Right, maa?” I asked
scared for my life that I would have to get out of the car and
swordfight with him.
“No, Spreeha. I’m going home now so that I can tell your
dad about how little you care about his money. I am going to tell
him everything that just happened so that he never gives you any-
thing again. Now, you really will have to fight for your money,” she
said with her teeth clenched. Suddenly, I wasn’t hungry anymore.
Whatever, I thought, I’ll always get money from my daddy and I will always spend it. My mom was a crazy
about saving money and I decided that I did not want to be like her. I didn’t want to worry about fiscal responsibil-
ity. I wanted to buy whatever I wanted. But that night, both my parents gave me a lecture I would never forget. My
dad exploded when my mom told him that I lost a dollar. He looked me straight in the eye and said, “You could have
put that money into your college fund.”
I was eleven at the time. Now I am fifteen and this incident pops into my head every time I try to spend
money. I am terrified at the notion that I might lose a bill every time I pull one out of my wallet. Every time see the
cashier smile, I think of my dad’s disappointed face saying ‘why did you buy that, Spreeha, did you really need it?
You could have put it into your college fund.’ And every time I hear the ping of the cash registers, I see my mom’s
face in my head, yelling ‘GO FIGHT, SPREEHA, GO FIGHT FOR YOUR DOLLAR!’
The wind blows
While the moon sleeps
The sun rises
While nature creeps
Through the city
One by one
Till rest is over
When night is done
Still they glide
And crawl all over
Dim as dark
Light as a clover
One pokes his head
Out from a nest
He looks and looks
For a nasty pest
He lets out
A charming song
Till the creature
Is long gone
Off to do
Some loyal deed
For a friend
That is in need
You think he’s nice
You think he’s kind
But just get that thought
Out of your mind
This creature is not
Nice everyday
He’s always lazy
And gets in the way
He pushes eggs
Out of their bed
And they lay smushed
Half dead
Yolk spilling out
From either side
No mother, no father
To say goodbye
The criminal sits
With an innocent sigh
Waving and waving
Saying goodbye
Why you ask?
Why you say?
Why is he
Like this everyday?
I don’t know why
And this is true
That he’s always nice
And evil, too
The only creature
That has done
Good and evil
All at once
Now let us put that thought aside
Let us see what is the best
About our little creature here
Who seems to be a pest
This creatures singing voice
Is really, really good
I would listen to it all day
All day, if I could
It’s like a game
Of plain, old darts
Where you pierce a needle
Through your heart
Carried by
A silver thread
It makes its way
Through the head
Placing a voice
Right there
Where it may lead you
Anywhere
To destiny
Or to the king
A place where you
Might need to sing
And that little song
Will teach you how
Since you remembered it
From the past to now
Just like the creature
You will sing it through
And in the middle
Lies a cuckoo
Cuckoo Leena Roy
PAGE 14 SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
In the day sky
A flower weeps
Endlessly hop-
ing
While it sleeps
and sleeps
Waiting for
nightfall
Everyday
So it may show
off
In a very odd way
Glowing and glowing
Letting out its bright light
Filling the whole world
Destroying the fright
Leading the way
To a magical world
Where it’s happy and joyful
Where laughter is twirled
This wonderful sight!
It drives me insane!
But I know that my friend
Will bring me here again
Still I dance the few moments
That I still own
But soon I fly away into day
Finding myself alone
Though something now seems
similar
Something, I can see
It’s that the whole world has
changed
All accept me
Day and night
passes
And my
friends walk
the line
But when I
have the sun,
moon and
Earth
It’s never time
to say good-bye
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I am in a cage
A cage made of steel bars
And locked inside
Working hour after hour
I watch the clock
The continuous tick hypno-
tizes me
I turn my head and look
outside
I see the bees buzz-
ing
Butterflies flying
And birds chirping
But I still wait
Hands moving
Body still
Mind thinking
Loosing hope for
survival
But still
Hands moving
Body still
Mind thinking
Waiting…
Waiting…
Waiting…
Finally the silence is broken
by a loud
And out of nowhere bell
Right then I rush outside
with a boulder on my back
I feel the wind blowing
against my face
I sense the bees buzzing
Butterflies flying
And birds chirping
And now I know
I am free
I am finally free
The World Is Different and School Leena Roy
PAGE 15 SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1 , I SSUE 1
PAGE 16 SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Saraswati Puja 2009
Cultural Program Schedule
Time: 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Adamsville School, Bridgewater, NJ
3:30 Welcome Mrs. Mitzi Morillo
Principal, Adamsville School, Bridgewater, NJ
Inauguration Dance “Lagi Lagena” Aditi Roy, Anika Khathuria, Anjali Mitra,
Anuranita Gupta, Anusha Banerjee, Esha Ray,
Leena Roy, Mohona Chowdhury, Parama Das,
Pranjal Thakur, Ramyani Mitra, Rhea Banerjee,
Ria Mukhopadhaya, Rini Bhattacharyya, Rohini
Sengupta, Romoli Bakshi, Shruti Roy, Shivani Ghatak,
Shreya Halder, Susmita Ghosh, Tanya Banerjee,
3:35 Children's Songs Conductor: Sudip Chakraborty
"Tog Bog Tog Bog Ghora Chutiye" Sunit Chakraborty, Soham Sen
"Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" Riki Das, Atreyee Ghosh, Rishav Das
3:45 Individual Performances
Recital - "Khichuri" Aditya Chakraborti
Piano: "Snake Song" Raaka Mukhopadhyay
Vocal: "Bulbul Pakhi Moina Tia" Shreya Haldar
4:00 Children's Drama " Ha Ja Ba Ra La" Directors: Reetika Gupta, Sangeeta Mukhopadhaya,
Sharmistha Sen
Cast: "Chhele" - Saurabh Chakraborty,
"Kaak" - Rohit Das, "Udho" - Souvik Ganguly,
"Budho" - Nina Ray, "Hijibijbij" - Rounak
Mukhopadhyay, "Chhagol" - Sompurna Choudhury,
"Sheyal 1" - Arka Ghose, "Sheyal 2" - Ankush
Rakhit, "Nara" - Soham Sen, "Pancha" - Kushaan
Misra, "Sojaru" - Sunit Chakraborty, "Kumir" -
Rishabh Das, "Kola Bang" - Atreyee Ghosh
"Chhnucho" - Arijit Dutta, "Khargosh" - Sudham Das,
“Beral” - Kushal Das, "Mejomama" - Rahul Banerjee
4:45 Individual Performances
Piano: "Ode to Joy" Deblina Mukherjee
Violin: "Snake in a Basket" Trisha Mukhopadhyay
Piano: "Alo Amar Alo", "Ami Chini Go" Joheen Chakraborty
Bengali Karaoke; “O Akash Shona Shona” Pratik Hom Chaudari
PAGE 17 SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1 , I SSUE 1
5:10 Children's Dance "Raja Ranir Golpo" Choreography and Direction: Sunrita Mitra,
Video: Shoumo Sarkar, Audio: Sunanda Mitra
"Hobu Chandra Rajar Gobu Chandra" Aditi Roy, Anika Khathuria, Ria Mukhopadhaya,
Tanya Banerjee, Shruti Roy, Shivani Ghatak,
Rhea Sarkar, Sunit Chakraborty, Rishabh Das
"Shadher Lau" Leena Roy, Parama Das, Anuranita Gupta, Anusha
Banerjee, Ramyani Mitra, Rhea Banerjee,
Sompurna Chowdhury
5:20 Individual Performances
Piano - "Mor Beena Othe Kon Sure Baaji" Arpan Chakraborti
Electric Guitar Abhishek Choudhury
5:30 Sruti Natak - "Indu Babur Kapal" Director: Rina Roy, Music: Amit Ray
Cast: Soma Chowdhury, Kallol Ghosh, Parna Ghosh,
Archan Misra and Rina Roy
5:50 "Jhoom Barabar Jhoom" Dance Choreography and Direction: Sunrita Mitra,
Video: Shoumo Sarkar, Audio: Sunanda Mitra
"Ek Do Teen" Esha Ray
"Hawa Hawai" Spreeha Choudhury
"Mere Khwabon Mein" Rini Bhattacharyya
"Yeh Ishq Hai" Pranjal Thakur
“Gore Gore Say Chore” Mohona Chowdhury
"Mere Dholna" Romoli Bakshi
"Barso Re/Kajra Re" Anjali Mitra
“Pappu Can't Dance” Leena Roy, Parama Das, Anusha Banerjee,
Ramyani Mitra, Ankush Rakhit
“Deewangi Deewangi” Mohona Chowdhury, Romoli Bakshi, Anjali Mitra,
Esha Ray, Rohini Sengupta, Pranjal Thakur, Rini
Bhattacharyya, Spreeha Choudhury, Leena Roy,
Parama Das, Anuranita Gupta, Anusha Banerjee,
Ramyani Mitra, Rhea Banerjee, Ankush Rakhit,
Vivek Mohan, Rohit Das, Souvik Ganguly
6:30 Popular Bengali and Hindi Songs Nabanita Chakraborty, Rajyasri Das, Suparna Das,
Soma Rakhit, Anjana Sarkar, Apratim Purakayastha,
Aparajita Ray, Prasun Chowdhury, Sunith Roy,
Sudip Chakraborty, Amit Ray
7:15 Closing Ceremony Thank you and Recognition to Directors
and Guest Artists
7:30 END
PAGE 18 SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
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PAGE 19 SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1 , I SSUE 1
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