sba magazine, volume 6, 2014
DESCRIPTION
Published by Somerset Bengali Association, NJ on the occasion of 2014 Saraswati PujaTRANSCRIPT
Somerset Bengali AssociationSomerset Bengali AssociationSomerset Bengali AssociationSomerset Bengali Association Bridgewater, New JerseyBridgewater, New JerseyBridgewater, New JerseyBridgewater, New Jersey
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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
www.somersetbengalis.org
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
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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
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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
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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.
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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→
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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.
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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.
www.somersetbengalis.org
15
www.somersetbengalis.org
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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
www.somersetbengalis.org
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18
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.
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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.”
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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
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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
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22
FutureArtistGallery-1
4thofJulyFireworks-PranitaKundu
AwayFromtheCity-AditiDhara
AMajesticHorse-ArushiSanbui
FlawlessNature-RishiMukherjee
ASnowyDay-RickyDas
MotherBird-RiaMukherjee
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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
Continuedonpage24→
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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.”
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25
©2011 The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. All rights reserved. PNC Bank, National Association. Member FDIC.
ACHIEVEMENT is a registered mark of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.
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A A H A R What A Bengali Calls Food
Weekly Home Made Authentic (‘Ghoroa’) Bengali Food Packets
Delivering to New Jersey and PA Every Weekend
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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.
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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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29
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Includes appetizers, drinks, and desserts. From the kitchen emerge golden knots of samosas alongside korma dishes and halal meats, and
Punjabi and Mughlai influences gleam through in some concoctions. When the buffet is in action, more than 60 items fill the gleaming ban-
quet table, which billows hot steam that foretells of fresh-from-the-oven tandoori dishes and goat biryani.
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Jay Mehta, CPA, CFP®
Tax & Financial Planning Services
This Certified Financial Planner™ and CPA puts years of large company experience to work
for you. The firm will develop comprehensive business and personal plans by listening and
analyzing your concerns. I will work with the current and future financial life cycle through
the retirement and transfer to next generation. Various solutions are proposed to you
within the framework of income tax impact and other risks at least in the areas of:
• Tax including International
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• Education Retirement and Estate Planning
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724 Probst Avenue Unit B, Fairview, New Jersey 07022,
Tel: 201-941-5309 Fax: 201-215-9772 Email: [email protected]
FutureArtistGallery-2
AnnafromFrozenPrishaGhosh
FlowerCollageRashiRoy
PokémonRishitRoy
www.somersetbengalis.org
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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.
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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.
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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".
www.somersetbengalis.org
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
Continuedonpage36→
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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.
With best wishes from JSMN Interna6onal Inc!
JSMN Interna�onal Inc is a computer consul�ng company in Jersey City, NJ 07306. We give training and
placement in Dot Net & related technologies, JAVA/J2EE & related technologies, Data warehousing & In-
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to talk with us. For OPT/ CPT/H1B Ravinder Thota, President
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We aim to provide complete career service to become an Expert in all Technologies.
Continuedfrompage35→ LessonsCancerTaughtMe
www.somersetbengalis.org
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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