journal of durga pujo collector's edition vol v
DESCRIPTION
Published on October 16th, 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA by Bengali Student Society of MinnesotaTRANSCRIPT
Journal of Durga Pujo Vol. V
collector’s edition
Vol II. cover page design by Rajesh Mukherjee.
Vol III. cover page design by Bodhisatwa Sadhu and Saurav Mitra.
Vol IV. journal cover page design by Kaushik Basu and Purnendu Chakraborty.
October 16, 2010SPSC,UMN8AMBSSM Presents
Vol. I cover page design by Rajesh Mukherjee and Rajdeep Dasgupta.
Supported by Minnesota Student’s Association and Graduate and Professional Student Assembly
Though I had been associated minorly or majorly with the Magazine section during BSSM Durga Pujo, from its design to final printing to writing the introductory column on the first page of each issue, but, I had never played the role of Editor as such. As I worked on this Collectors’ Edition I realized what an arduous ask it is. I have my heartfelt compliments for my predecessors who enacted this role without much complain. The reason, I am telling you all this, is to justify any syntactical, formatting, grammatical error that have got unnoticed in my eyes. I am optimistic and heavily banking on your magnanimity.
The primary idea this time had been, to keep the design international , rather than using motifs which might end up representing only Bengal. English being a bit more international than Bengali, the motivation was to keep the content dominantly in the former state. That is for one, secondly, most of us, who are living far away from Bengal for years now, have long inculcated the habit of thinking in English as well, even though we might be using Bengali words to transliterate them.
The secondary motive had been, to project a proper reflection of thoughts of the BSSM members in the magazine and thus came the idea of Guest Columns(Edition’s Special), Photo Gallery (Point of View) and Interviews (Opening Spell and Walking Down) of the people inside. In present days of intense facebooking and orkutting and blogging and youtubing and forward emailing, there isn’t much novelty to offer with respect to literature and short stories and poems about World or Durga Pujo. All that you want to see or read is just a click of mouse away from you. On the contrary, much of BSSM artifacts are not well-documented in internet. Hence, the intent was to keep BSSM-centric thoughts, anecdotes, conjectures, words of wisdom and collect them. That would explain, why it is a Collector’s Edition. However we did have space, though ashamedly in minute amounts, for non-BSSM-ic literary inputs.
I would like to thank Purnendu Chakraborty (our Editor in 2008-09) and Gaurav Das ( a childhood friend of mine) who helped me out with fonts in Bengali. The magazine was designed and laid out in iWork/Pages. It is tad bit difficult to handle Bangla fonts here and multiply that difficulty by n-number of times, since you need to factor in, my own inexperience in the whole process.
Let me list down some names who had played an active role in the sixth edition of BSSM Durga Pujo. Few of them have performed multiple roles but their name had been listed under one particular category, choice of which had been arbitrary.
Officers:-Basabdatta, Subhrajit and Shameek.
Protima Design:-Kaushik, Rahul, Ayan, Sauptik, Soumyadeep and Arpan.
Pujo Proceedings:-Nilanjana, Debashish, Aditi, Devleena, Payel, Joon, Meenakshi, Amit, Taraswi, Arpita, Dipta, Sonia and Shankar.
Cultural Program:-Aniruddha, Projjwal, Rajes, Sandeep, Nandini, Puja, Shilpi, Diya, Subhabrata, Ankur, Sharmishtha, Baishali, Sayan and Sohini.
Printing:-Abhijit, Aman and Snigdhanshu.
EDITOR’S NOTE
Saurav Mitra
OFFICE1025 Selby Ave.St.Paul
MN55108,USA
BSSM:- When did you come to Minneapolis and how did you get to know about BSSM ?
It is exactly, two months ago that I landed here from Kolkata. It was 15th of August, 2010. One being an Indian would always remember such a date. The only person I knew in Minneapolis was Rajarshi Guha Niyogi, who was a classmate of mine, as we were both from the same school in Kalyani. Subhrajit-da is my labmate here, so the BSSM connection followed thereafter.
BSSM:- Being a Bengali, would you have any particular expectations, the way Probashi Bangalis should behave, walk, talk etc. ?
To be fair, I am not in that zone right now to analyze. But just to clear the air, after I completed my B.E. in Jadavpur, I was in IIT-Chennai for a couple of years and I was associated with a Bengali Society therein. So, in a way, I am aware of Bengalis outside Bengal. I would prefer to be a Bangali than being a Bong.
BSSM:-Tell us something about your pursuits.
I had a formal training on classical vocals for three years. My father is a flutist. I picked it up from him when I was in JU. Not that I am extremely proficient, but I think I am decent enough. I picked up guitar as well, would be able to play some chords. As it happens, with many of us, you tend to perform in para-r functions and in schools and colleges and in Universities and you tend to carry on with it. Same is happening with me. I had led my own hostel group for a cultural night in IIT-Chennai. It’s not that I was a band-lead, it was merely sorting out things musically for the performers in my group.
BSSM:- What kind of music do you personally prefer?
I prefer to listen to good Bengali music, there is a certain kind of inherent sweetness attached to it, be it Rabindrasangeet or Nazrul Geeti. I do like Chandrabindu as well, but for a different reason and the reason is not musical.
BSSM:- Do you follow current Bengali literature or cinema ?
I am not a voracious reader, but used to make a point till certain point of time to read all the kishore uponnyash, comic strips, Anandamela, Pujabarshikis of both Shuktara and Anandamela. I am an old school in that sense. Present trends of urban sophistication does not appeal to me much. Present Bangla cinema is affected by this sophistication syndrome as well. The so called good Bengali cinema- of today represent a class of people, who are financially well-off. It is only a minority in Bengal now. As I said before, I prefer to be Bangali and not a Bong. Post 2000, the only Bangla movies that I had liked were “Patalghar” and “Teen Ekke Teen.”
BSSM:- Your Durga Pujo thoughts and memories ?
Durga Pujo had always been a chance for me to get together with my school friends, whom I treasure the most. Not so much of religious appeal or that I would indulge in pandal-hopping in Kolkata. Boshey adda maarbo, ghonta-r por ghonta. Khub miss korbo amar Kalyani-r para-r pujo-ta. Amader ayibaar 25th year celebrations chilo. Eeshhhhhh !!
Sayan Ghoshal
OFFICE200 Union St SEMN 55455,USA
OPENING SPELL
Waiting For The Gala FestivalA Retrospective on Durga Puja, from Kolkata to Köln from Maddox Square to Minneapolis
It is Autumn once again. And the silky Autumnal sky is jubilantly awaiting the invocation of Mother Goddess Durga on this earth. Charioted by the floating clouds above, the Himalayan daughter Parvati is all set to imprint her foot steps not only in Bengal in India, but also in the far off states/ lands like Köln in Germany and Minneapolis in USA. And we the passionate devotees are all eager in the various corners of this earth to welcome the annual home-coming of our Mother Goddess Durga from Her heavenly abode.
The mythological background behind Durga Puja goes like this. Suratha, an ancient king, got back his lost kingdom, after worshiping the goddess Durga some time in the season of Spring. Accordingly, this Durga Puja is also celebrated in the spring season as the Basanti Puja. But the Bengali Hindus celebrate the Durga Puja in Autumn, as Rama Chandra in his venture to get back his stolen wife Sita from the clutch of Ravana, worshipped the goddess Durga in Autumn. Whatever be the mythological background, the intrinsic spirit of Durga Puja lies in the commemoration of the victory of Durga over the demon Mohishasura, which is basically a message of the victory of auspicious power over the demonic strength.
Let us go back to Durga Puja in Bengal, and particularly in Kolkata. Bengal is the sanctified altar for this greatest festival of the Bengali Hindus. But nowhere it is held with so much pomp and grandeur as in Kolkata. This social festival in Kolkata has taken the hue of national fervour with the participation of all communities from North to South and from East to West. All through the four-day-long festive days the passionate hit the streets and the swelling masses squash them till they travel from one pandal to the next big one. While the Maddox Square holds the first name that pops up when you think puja hangout, Ballygunge Cultural comes a close second. From the evening to the next dawn Bagbazaar Sarbojanin, College Square, and Md. Ali Park are the crowd pullers, while at Deshapriya Park, Jodhpur Park and at Saltlake the adda warms up with the taste of midnight snacks from Flurrys and the like. While some excels in erecting towering pandals with their design of renowned temples and ethnic historical background, others display a fascinating lighting and illumination- which are the results of the year-long efforts of the members of the Puja Committee. It is really an incredible experience of an holy atmosphere mixed with an aching joy for the shortlived festive days.
I now press the button and the windows amiably slide down. I look at the monitor and the views of Köln and Minneapolis Pujas arrest my sight.
In Köln mostly the Bengali families settled in Germany organize this mega event. Every year the idols of goddess Durga and her
Kallol Ray
OFFICEBrook-Taylor Strasse 2Humboldt University
12489, Berlin
berlin.de
company are imported from India to give the festival a Kolkatan touch. Huge amount of money and labour is spent on this on this five-day-long festival in Köln from Sasthi to Bijaya Dasami. It is a grand reunion of the members of the Bengali families from almost all over Germany. There is no dearth of food and adda. But one thing strikes me hard. Even before the super power- the Goddess Durga, the Big Guns of typical Indianised society vie with each other to establish one’s superiority over the others. The ladies’ gossips centre round the criticism of one group against the others. Let the good sense prevail to sanctify the holy arena.
Now I switch to the celebration in Minneapolis, where I was also an active participant during my times as a post-doc at the University of Minnesota. In Minneapolis Durga Puja, is only an one-day affair. Still all the Bengali students continuing there education in USA, await whole-heartedly for this long cherished day. It is this society of the Bengali students, who, long absent from their motherland and relatives and close friends, always struggling with everyday routined works, come close together to organize this Puja to fight away their loneliness in the chilly winter days in this multicultural country.
Durga Puja organized by the group of enthusiastic youths from the Bengali Student Society of Minnesota (BSSM) is an unforgettable event after overcoming the long list of ‘hows, ifs and buts’. Finally the ifs and buts dissolve into nothingness and the creative brains and skillful hands give the concrete shapes to all ‘hows’.Their strength of mind, iron-willed determination and above all their reverence to Goddess Durga make this festival a grand success with brighter illumination from within the heart. Joining of students from other nationalities gives it a secular touch, where everybody is welcomed and every participant is appreciated. In this friendly ambiance everybody becomes a part of a quite big social circle of people sharing the same home sickness. Every small detail is valued much since every thing is made and invented by the students. Various cultural programmes organized also by the students heighten the intensity of the nostalgic feeling reared from childhood days. Chatting goes on till the late night unending. Someone said that you learn to love and respect your motherland fully, when you loose the touch of your motherland. Really, most of us learn this lesson. But for all this, only thanks and nothing but thanks to BSSM community who help us to make a little India in the middle of Minnesota.
I press the button once again, and this time the windows lead me to the brilliant and enthusiastic minds of Saurav, Projjwal, Neelanjana and other active members of BSSM, which are at work again in making the Durga Puja 2010 a grand success. I wish you guys all the best and hope the tradition will be continued in the coming years to perform a completely student-run event for a great cause.
“Five years ago, when someone told me about BSSM ……”As for an introduction, I am Nilanjana, and I have spent a little over a decade in the Twin Cities. Like most of you, I came over to the occasionally frozen land of Minnesota in order to pursue a graduate Degree in Biochemistry from my hometown of Calcutta. Over time, I have severed ties with the University, and have been currently spending my days as a Scientific Advisor with Allina Hospitals and Clinics.
This is an attempt to summon up memories from years past, so please do bear with me if I ramble a bit.
As far as I recall, it was a late summer afternoon of 2005. I was in my office at the Cargill Building of the St. Paul campus, University of Minnesota, staring blankly at a set of apparently incomprehensible genomic data, when the computer screen sprung to life announcing ‘You have mail’. Of course, the vision of a random email was way more alluring than worthless genetic sequences, and I was instantly drawn to the note. It was from Sula, Social Sciences Department, and it said something to the effect of ‘ Ei je Nilanjana, U’r Bangali student ra e bochor Durga Pujo korche. Tomra parle chole esho.’ ‘Not one of those social gatherings again!’, was my first thought, a combined effect of (a) my prior disillusionment over attending Durga Puja in the Twin Cities, and (b) me being somewhat of a misanthrope. So, when I showed up at the Community Center of CTC on the day of the BSSM event (a chilly October 17th) , it was with abundant skepticism. As cliché as it may sound, the rest is history.
Some memories from 2005 are vague, while others have taken root deeply with numerous details, and I am equally fond of all of them. I can remember the alponas, the Protima created by Rajdeep, Sombuddha as the purohit, faxed copies of the mantras from Calcutta, setting off the fire alarms over the yagna, media coverage in Minnesota Daily and Aajkaal, and the inception of the Journal of Durga Puja. Over the years, the Sushmitas, Sayeeds, Kalyanjits, Sandips,Joons have been replaced by Shameeks, Shubhrajits, Basabdattas, Bodhisatwas,Payels and Aniruddhas. But the enthusiasm and heartfelt sentiments have been carried on with amazing consistency.
With every passing year, I have lost a bit of my skepticism and reservations. With every passing year, Bubai, Pablo, and I have been increasingly involved in the organization, and sensed our feeling of ownership and emotional bond strengthen. Even though I have forsaken my connections with the University, BSSM has become a part of our existence in Minnesota, my own niche away from home in a foreign land. It has provided me a unique opportunity of owning something important and being to a certain extent responsible for making it thrive.
It is a privilege to be part of you, BSSM. I am forever grateful to you for being who you are and I wish you all the best.
Nilanjana Banerji
OFFICE800 E. 28th St. ,Suite 603
MN 55407,USA
EDITION’S SPECIAL
BSSM Durga Puja 2006It’s pretty obvious what follows Year 2005 ... right? Year 2006.
But it was not that obvious that BSSM Durga Puja 2005 will be followed by BSSM Puja 2006. Not at all. In fact, I never imagined that there will be a BSSM Puja 2006. Okay, let me be totally frank: I didn’t even think that there will be a BSSM in 2006 in the first place. To me, BSSM seemed like a very 2005 phenomenon, an ephemeral blip in history only to last for a month or so.
I still don’t think I was unduly apprehensive. If you turn back the pages of the BSSM calendar to 2005, you will find that the following events took place one after the other in the blink of an eye!
Sep 30, 2005: Meeting called in ME-1130 to discuss if it is at all possible to celebrate Durga Puja by UMN students.
Oct 4, 2005: There was a status update by email saying “(a) We are now under the umbrella of a U of M registered society "Bengali Student Society of Minnesota" (abbreviated as BSSM); (b) We have a working Bank Account against that name as well.; (c) We do have a listserv......it shud be all set this evening; (d) We have a free web space alloted for our society....this shud be up by this night ...!!”
Oct 16, 2005: We are done with the celebrations (and patting each other’s backs)!
From conception to production and celebration in just 2 weeks! Don’t you think that this seems like sheer fluke of incidents? What are the chances that this can be repeated?
Well, I was proven wrong during the summer of 2006. It all started with a Sunday evening “adda” session when 7-8 folks got together to discuss the meaning of life. Just kidding ... I wasn’t even there. So, I don’t know what exactly transpired between them, but Monday morning an email went out en masse with the plan for a “casual get together” for the following Saturday, Aug 12th. Venue - CTC community center common room. Agenda - “shingara and nirbhejal adda”. However, when Ankur and I landed up over there, we soon figured out that there was a lot of “bhejal” in the agenda. Yes, there was an “adda” going on for sure, but it was more of an enthusiastic debate between 18-20 BSSM-ites. The topic was whether we should have the BSSM Puja in CTC or in St. Paul Student’s Center (SPSC)!
I thought these are a bunch of over-ambitious UMN students who don’t have a clue of what they are talking about. At that time, I already had an experience in organizing an event in SPSC - it was a hell of a lot of work! These guys definitely need some enlightenment from me.
EDITION’S SPECIAL
Suvo Ganguli
RESIDENCE12415 44th Place N,
Plymouth, MN 55442
So, I kept quite for a socially acceptable period of time and then dutifully reminded everyone of the basic theory of probability (a mathematical approach), revisited the definitions of ‘coincidence’ and ‘luck’ (a theological approach), paraphrased Murphy’s law with illustrative examples (paralegal approach?) . But none of those techniques worked. People were so worked up that I decided to let the discussion take its own course. After two hours we were both tired (more from running after our 1 year old than the meeting) and were ready to go home.
That was Saturday. The following day I had millions of things to do before the week hits us. Well not exactly do, but make plans to do. I was overwhelmed with life’s expectations and requirements. There was Diya’s first birthday to plan (cannot be just a mundane cake cutting evening), arrange for my brother-in-law’s air ticket using miles (he’d really like to be here on Diya’s birthday), finalize our India trip in December (my sister was getting married), apply for Diya’s passport (she needs some legal document to visit India), get UK visa (since our flight was had a stopover there, and UK is probably the only country which wants you to apply for a visa even if you think about their country) and so on.
I had all these thoughts flip-flopping inside my head throughout the day. I couldn’t sleep at night. Finally, when I found myself wide awake at 2am, I decided that it’s time to clear my CPU cache. So, I sat down with my laptop to make a To Do list in an excel file and start prioritizing the tasks.
Well, that didn’t happen in reality. I, being a well-accomplished procrastinator, decided to see if I can ‘doodle’ using my laptop instead of a pen and paper. So, I opened up PowerPoint and started fiddling with the drawing tools. Soon, I had a slide filled up with all possible shapes which Microsoft had to offer. I started moving those around. Then something interesting happened. Voila! I could make a human figure out of these! I kept playing those those colorful shapes. Finally, I was having some fun. After a couple of hours I had something which looked like the figure on the right of this paragraph. Not bad for relaxation, I thought. After all these years, I realized that PowerPoint does appear to be useful!
The story of actually making a 6 feet x 6 feet idol based on this picture is one which needs to be told by many - Sayeed, Sushmita and Saurav who didn’t laugh at my suggestion of trying to make an idol with foam-board, and spending endless hours cutting and pasting at our house; Ankur who, although initially upset that I was preoccupied with something else when Diya’s 1st birthday was around the corner, decided to join in and make the entire background using faux painting (a technique which she recently learnt after painting the walls of our entire house), Rajdeep who gave life to the idol with “chhokhhu-daan”, Kalyanjit who designed the carrying case for the idol.
I bet I am missing out names which I shouldn’t. But I am sure when we all get together in future, we will remember those missing the names and places. And perhaps some other details which have become irrelevant now, yet have somehow managed to stay back in some distant corners of our minds.
QUIZ FEST
1. Also known as Dakkhani Taj, identify this monument built by Prince Azam Shah, son of Emperor Aurangzeb and located in Aurangabad.
2. Identify this Mahayana Buddhist monument near Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia.
3. We are looking at a one-fifth scale replica of the Statue of Liberty, 22 meters high and located in Isle of the Swans, which is a small island on river Seine in Paris, France. In which direction am I looking at?
4. Identify the painter.
5. Connect the 4 flags. 6.. Identify this 10-km long defensive line built during the second World War in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland. These lines of defensive blocks can be found all over Switzerland, but more predominantly in border areas. Their purpose was to stop tank invasions.
Kalyanjit Ghosh
QUIZ FEST
8. Identify the singer on your left.7. Identify this gentleman.
A. In the movie Bawarchi, (*ing Rajesh Khanna, Jaya Bhaduri), the opening titles were there, but nobody saw them. Why?
B. Who was the opposing team's goalkeeper when Maradona hit his (in) famous 'Hand of God' goal in the 1986 FIFA World Cup?
C. Connect: Lanterne Rouge, Lance Armstrong.
D. Name this drink, announced by Google in 2005. According to the company, this beverage would optimize one's use of the Google search engine by increasing the drinker's intelligence.
E. In 2003, Lars and his brother, Jens, co-founded Where 2 Technologies, a startup in Sydney, Australia. This company was bought by Google in October 2004, to create the popular, free, browser-based software ------?
9. Connect. 10. Identify..
Kalyanjit GhoshKalyanjit Ghosh is currently in Bangalore, India. He is associated with us since 2005, and since then kept BSSM on its toes with his amazing sets of questionnaire that intellectualizes the members in a shorthand manner.
“It was the year 2007 that gave us some concerns before the Pujas....”Saurav er email pelam sedin BSSM er “collector’s edition” e lekhar jonno. Jodio lekhar jonno raji hoye gelam o kichhu ekta lekhar chesta korchhi ami kintu age theke disclaimer diye dilam je I am by no means a writer so the language can deter the literary types from reading this article. Also, ami English o Bangla mishiye likhbo…let the language be no bar.
Amar nam to deoai ache. Amar current dham Houston. Minnesota te ami chhilam 2001 theke mid-2008. Er moddhe 2005 e emon ekta byapar ghotlo jake “life-changing” event bola jete pare. We formed BSSM. BSSM er history to nischoi jana ache tai tar details e jachhi na shudhu ei tukui bolbo je I was part of the group of people who decided to accomplish this feat. Creating a group is one job but maintaining it is another one. BSSM create korar por amader dayitto roilo ei student group ke maintain kora o proti bochhor Durga Pujor byabostha kora.
2005 er por 2006 er Pujotao besh bhalo bhabei samponno holo. It was the year 2007 that gave us some concerns before the Pujas. Sebar venue thik chhilo CTC (Commonwealth Terrace Cooperative) er community center. Mone ache Pujor ager din ratreo amader besh tension chhilo pujor gochh gachh niye o decoration niye. I was in charge of arranging the ritual part of the Puja. Being a last minute person and being in the midst of thesis writing and job application it was simply a challenge to get things in shape for the Pujas in time. I remember we were searching frantically for the Puja utensils the night before when a box appeared from Projjwal and suddenly everything was inside that box! What a relief! The best part of 2007 was Kalyanjit’s quiz. I thoroughly enjoyed it and so did the audience. It was a smaller crowd that year but the cultural celebration was still a grand one. There was even one senior person from outside who sang in the program.
2007 was my last Durga Puja in Minnesota. 2008 theke Houston er Pujo attend korchhi. Kintu sei Minnesotar Pujor majata ar nei. Sei je Nilanjanadir barite boshe Pujor planning kora, bar bar Washington Avenue er Starbucks e Pujor meeting, tori ghori kore grant lekha (invariably grant deadline er ager din), ratri bela journal print out neoa karor lab theke, Pujor ager din ratre sabai mile mandap sajano o pizza khaoa….er ekta emon flavor ja kebol BSSM er Pujotei mele. I am so happy to see that BSSM is continuing with the same fervor or perhaps even more. Ei asha rakhbo je BSSM jeno ei bhabei continue korte thake for years to come.
Sushmita Dasgupta
RESIDENCE665 Langwood Drive
TX 77079,USA
EDITION’S SPECIAL
Answers to Quiz Fest1.Bibi ka Maqbara translating to Tomb of the Lady. 2.Borobudur 3. East 4. Octavio Ocampo 5. Flag of the Indian Army, Flag of the Indian Navy, Flag of the Indian Air Force, Flag of the Indian Coast Guard 6.Toblerone line. The chocolate Toblerone gets its name from this 7. Walt Disney 8. Don Bradman recording ‘Everyday is a Rainbow Day for me’. We are getting close! Somebody needs to pull up the song 9.Sophomore’s dream and Freshman’s dream. 10.Nelson Mandela
A.Amitabh Bachchan narrated the opening titles B.Peter Shilton C.Tour de France. The competitor in the last place of Tour de France is called Lanterne Rouge. Need we say more! D.Google Gulp E.Google Maps
“Cheerful and welcoming spirit of BSSM that gives me a sense of belonging, even to this date...”Once upon a time, a young boy crossed the seven seas in search of his dreams. Dreams made in heaven, but meant to be realized on earth. As he left behind his home, his family, his country, he wondered what life would be like in the distant land. Would the people be friendly? Would the food be as delicious as his mother’s curries? Would he be able to adjust well to the alien culture? He was a naive fledgling about to take flight, excited yet apprehensive at the same time. And with these thoughts in his mind, he reached the land of golden dreams. The United States of America.
Every year, as thousands of students make the pilgrimage from the subcontinent to North America, the story of the young boy is repeated over and over. I was no different. In 2006, the young boy was me.
After the initial excitement of being in a new country had subsided, I often felt a longing for my motherland - the food, the language, the people. I still remember ruminating over these thoughts one evening in my lab, when I was pleasantly surprised to see an email from a student group calling for volunteers for Durga Pujo. I needed no second invitation! I volunteered right away, and thus began my journey with the Bengali Student Society of Minnesota.
BSSM. 4 innocuous alphabets to most, but to me they are almost synonymous with my stay in Minneapolis. I vividly recall the Pujo of 2006, where I was one of the youngest members of the group. A group of motivated and creative graduate students who recreated a flavor of their homeland in the midst of the pine trees of the Midwest. I spent all evening tagging along behind various ‘-da’s’ and ‘-di’s’, gathering flowers, chopping fruits, cutting cardboard and paper for the idol, while the entire time I was surrounded by the sounds of laughter, banter and singing. And despite having just met the group, I was made to feel like I was completely a part of them. It is this cheerful and welcoming spirit of BSSM that gives me a sense of belonging, even to this date.
Much water has flowed down the Mississippi since I first joined the Society. Many members have since graduated and move on from university. Many new youthful faces have filled the ranks. As I slowly transformed from a young protege to a senior member, I have seen the Society undergo many changes. Our events have gotten larger, our aspirations grander and our expectations much bigger. And our audience has now expanded to far beyond the Twin Cities.
But despite everything, our spirit remains the same. It is this spirit that has held us together for so long, and it is this same spirit that will keep us going in the future.
Durga Pujo 2010 promises to every bit as successful as its previous 5 editions. I hope you have as much fun at the event as we had in making it happen.
Shameek Bose
OFFICE151 Amundson Hall
421 Washington Avenue SEMN 55455,USA
EDITION’S SPECIAL
BSSM:- You had been associated with BSSM since its inception in 2005. It's going to be the first time ever, when you won't be there in the arena. How does it feel ?
I am Minneapolis-Durga Pujo-sick. I guess that pretty much sums up everything. The Bay area has 5 huge (and I bet, the BAM-kind impersonal) pujos. Its going to be a quick Anjali and bhog eating this year, something which makes me yearn for “My” Pujo in Minneapolis even more.
BSSM:- Going back to early day memories of Durga Pujo in Kolkata, how does it compare with BSSM celebrations ? Is there still a physical longing to get back to that Kolkata setting especially during these times. Or has it decayed down over the years ?
Its really unfair to compare the celebrations in Kolkata with what we have here. However, what is organized by BSSM is something beautiful. It gives you a sense of belonging like no other place can ever do in a land thousands of miles away from home. The physical longing to go back to Kolkata during Pujo has kind of simmered down over 8 years, but the wish to be involved in the puja celebrations still remains. And that is what BSSM offered. And that is what I MISS SO TERRIBLY.
BSSM:-You always had a dance recital every year since 2005. Sometimes solo, or sometimes in group. Since how long you had been trained in dance, starting from early childhood.
My formal training lasted a meager 5 years, but I have been dancing at para-pujos and other cultural programs in Calcutta ever since I can remember.
BSSM:- Its known, when you worked in group,you were very particular, demanding and a hard taskmaster. Is it a fair perception ?
This is news to me!Ha! So, I have been labeled as a barbarian slave driver. All I have to say that it was nothing personal, only a desire for some kind of perfectionism for my beloved dance, especially since it used to be the only number every year! Organizing rehearsal sessions, getting the choreography fine tuned to people with different comfort levels, choosing costumes and music requires a lot of effort and I just tried my best to do everything in a timely manner. I guess I was a bit of a task master, but hey we all had a lot of fun, didn’t we?
BSSM:- What did you enjoy the most, to do it Solo or in Group ? What was the kind of experience you had ?
Group dances, not matter how tasking, were always fun! Solo performance has the advantage of me being having a free reign. But seriously, I was just happy to have had a chance to dance.
BSSM:-Were you apprehensive of the fact, that what would happen to your legacy ? Especially, when the general interest is heavily inclined towards singing songs in the cultural programs.
Paroma Chakravarty
OFFICEGenentech, Inc..
1 DNA way San Francisco
CA 94080,USA
WALKING DOWN
Effectually, there was none to replace or take the lead as far as the Dance Recital was concerned.
Not really cause there was no legacy to begin with. I danced for sheer love of it and also because I considered this as my way of contributing to a Pujo which I had come to love as mine. It would always be great to find a dance number or two to break the monotony of the usual songs, but this is something which I cannot decide since I am not physically there any more. I guess that is all there is to it.
BSSM:- What would be your piece of advice, to Nandini Banerjee, who is based in Duluth, and is in charge of dance recitals this time. Any tips or any information you would like to share with her, that would enhance this particular aspect look good ?
I’ve heard that Nandini di is a trained dancer. I am sure she will do a stupendous job!
BSSM:- Briefly, you had been a part of the Editorial Board for BSSM's magazine, in the year 2008 specifically. Would you walk us through that experience, any comments you have in particular with that aspect ?
I was? Well, I guess I was more involved in the 2008 Puja than ever before-participated in the decorations, choreographed my first ever group dance (Phagunero Mohonaye) and also perfomed a solo number. It was a lot of hard work, but lots of fun and I loved the sense of belonging which burgeoned through this participation. Enjoyed the camaraderie and had lots of fun with other BSSM-ites.
BSSM:- How motivating had it been for you to pen down an article for the Magazine, knowing that you had been a regular in that. Compare it with that other Pujo Magazines/Sharodiya Pujabarshiki you come across.
My literary motivations have always come in spurts! Last year’s article was written in the “n”th hour cause you were bugging my head off! (just kidding!) But I do love to write and what better than to write for our own pujobarshiki. As for comparison, I think we do as good a job, or even better, than most Pujabarshikis which I have come across. There is a lot of creativity involved and its heartening to see so many more Bengali articles than the ones featured in other Sharodiya magazines.
BSSM:-The other aspects of the Pujo, you had looked into, Bhog and others, what were the experiences like.
The “night-before” decorations were a lot of fun and sort of brought everyone together. The same goes for our cultural meetings where it was great to see everyone chipping in with so much enthusiasm. I had fun preparing the Bhog last time with Tallin and was glad to be of help to Nilanjanadi-our numero uno Bhog Mistress beyond compare!
BSSM:-How did you balance the academic and professional pursuits with respect to BSSM affairs ?
Durga pujo happens once a year and so academic pursuits always took a backseat then. Seriously, I’d much rather be dancing than doing the same old lab work. But since rehearsals were in the evening, so there was not much friction either. It was just a wee bit taxing, but the fun we had in rehearsals more than made up for it.
Paroma performing in 2005
Paroma performing in 2007
It is that time of the year again; the air cackling with excited undertones of half baked plans and hushed anticipation. Funny how I can almost always palpate these undercurrents, no matter where on Earth I may be or just how crazily swamped with work. Yes, I miss home every now and then and with such sudden, explosive force that I stand aside and back against the wall so as not to get torn in the blast. I miss all the little things, you know. Crazy as it sounds, the noise, the chaos, the din, the pushy people. Traffic jams and sultry weather. Kids playing with paper boats on the stagnant waters of Central Avenue streets. A rainy day in summer. The municipality hand-pumps. Earthen cups and the taste of fresh Ilish. Biryani at Shiraz. The crowded Dumdum Metro station. The smoky haze inside Someplace Else. Riding into the sunset on a battered canoe while the Ganga flows on; placid, indifferent and by my side. The smell of Ma`s cooking. Fresh, homemade yogurt. Family meals and the evening tea. And fresh jilipi for breakfast.
The window seat in the ladies compartment. 5:20am Barrackpore local. Fellow commuters scuttling across the crowded Sealdah Station in a loud, murderous frenzy. Voices screaming out to each other. The smell of tea rising up in the morning air. Vendors hurriedly loading their barrels and wicker baskets onto the train. Catfights and the smell of sweat, even at that ungodly hour.
I miss all of that and more. And yet, I find myself fighting the festive spirit and wondering. Where are my roots? Where is my base? What does the word mean anyway? Is it the place I grew up in? The place I worked from? Or the place I now stay at? Or does it simply refer to the ancestors or progenitors, or the stone-aged traditions and cultures that have been imbibed from them over a lifetime? And if that be so (which I strongly suspect it is), I find it unsettling to be labeled and packaged into slots, based on the “culture or the society” I was born in. Strange as it may be, I`ve never really *belonged* anywhere. The first few formative years (when I was in school) were harnessed into a circumscribed (w)hole by traditional family and friends. Thereafter, for years I have drifted along with the flow; herded into a line of mediocres and coerced into accepting the daily bread. Sometimes willfully. Mostly clawing back. Struggling to hold onto one sunbeam and to spread my roots into the soil, no matter where I am or how far away from home. I am content to stay where I am and dream of returning home some day. You see, it is like the story of a little girl who is feverishly excited about returning back home from a holiday. So her mother asks her,
“Which do you like better? Going away on a trip or coming back home?” To which, the little girl replied, “Coming back home, of course!” Hearing that, the mother said to her, “Well honey, if you like coming back home so much, we won’t take you along on our next trip.” Puzzled, the little girl asked, “But Mommy, if you don’t take me out on the road, how will I ever come back home?”
And so, I think to myself - perhaps I am inseparably bonded to the motherland by this slimy umbilical cord that has perhaps remained an unscathed whole through all these years. And even though I do manage to grabble at it now and then, it slithers through my fingers and out of reach, before I can grasp it tight and slash it off. And then it all falls into place, an Aha moment (if you will) and I realize that I`m not like a tree with thick woody trunks and well- defined roots that dig deep into the earth for a stronger foothold. And come spring, bursts forth into a leafy mosaic of green and yellow. Perhaps I`m just a floating plant. Keeping my head above water. Flourishing. Flowering. And swimming alongside the tide with my sauntering roots.
Meenakshi Roy
RESIDENCE430 Iona Lane
MN 55113,USA
Sauntering roots
“Uncertainties regarding the BSSM Durga Puja in 2009 affected me...”Being a Bengali, autumn is always redolent with a spirit of celebration, and with a yearning for home. BSSM's Durga Pujas have always provided me with that feeling of homecoming, and I am grateful for that.
I started my PhD in Electrical Engineering at the University of Minnesota in Fall 2007. Prior to being a part of the BSSM Durga Pujas, I had experienced Durga Puja in only two other places: my village in West Bengal, and in Pilani where I completed my undergraduate degree. The idea of small Pujas of, for, and by a small group of people wasn't new. However, at BSSM, the completeness of autonomy, and the absence of any external help whatsoever still took me by surprise.
Honestly, I have never been able to think of BSSM as a typical organization. To me, it has remained a set of people to whom I have been very closely attached. And the more I think of it, the less that seems unusual. I have always thought of my family as a set of individuals, and not as an organization. Why should my feeling towards BSSM be any different?
Consequently, uncertainties regarding the BSSM Durga Puja in 2009 affected me and a few others quite personally; and making Durga Puja happen became a personal and emotional agenda rather than an organizational responsibility. I later realized, that this feeling was not an exception. It was one of the only common defining features of all Durga Pujas BSSM had ever organized.
We tried a lot of new things in 2009. The most significant among them was an increased orderliness. Unlike the beginning, BSSM now functioned in a more modular fashion. Therefore, communication and transparency were paramount to successful implementation. We used the internet quite liberally to that end. A shared google spreadsheet brought a free flow of ideas and a transparent covering to the BSSM gear-box to enable all to view its inner workings. More importantly, it brought an excitement and togetherness within the group, and stringed all our thoughts with a single thread. From there on, it felt, everything had to fall into place. And so they did.
This year, some of these ideas were re-used even more efficiently, and that was heartening to see.
Last year, we also tried to eliminate an overall leader in our ranks to oversee the different activities. We removed the official port-folio of President, and nominated coordinators instead. The idea was for all of us to oversee all others' activities through the shared spreadsheet. And we grew into Tagore's utopic "Amra shobai raja amader ei rajar rajotye..."
Bodhisatwa Sadhu
OFFICE200 Union St S EMN 55455,USA
EDITION’S SPECIAL
From a personal perspective, I found it intriguing how habits we had picked up in research flowed seamlessly into the jobs at hand. The pandal we built, the jute-cloth sketches on the wall, all seemed to evolve as a natural solution to engineering problems. I remember the involved discussions between Ayan da, Shameek da, Arpan da, Sauptik and me. We used to speak with fervor, as if so much was at stake. While our discussions were replete with technical details, they were also overflowing with a childlike excitement that had devoured all of us during those days. It is difficult to express the innocent joy that filled us to see our imaginations take shape, and get transformed from cheap foam-boards, oil-cloth and jute sheets to works of beauty. As a child, Durga Puja had been a time of beaming with the joy of wearing and showing off new clothes. With BSSM it has evolved into a similar joy, but this time, of wearing and showing off new ideas and creations. May it always remain that way.
Munmun Sau
Munmun, was in Minneapolis for few months in 2010. Presently, she is a resident of Houston, Texas. She has a strong interest in fine arts and herself a proficient vocalist. Rajes Sau, spouse of Munmun, was a graduate student of Aerospace Engineering in University of Minnesota and associated with BSSM since 2005.
POINT OF VIEW
Stonearch Bridge : Shameek Bose
35 W South :Ritika Ganguly
15th Avenue SE : Arpan Ghosh
North Shore :Sushmita Dasgupta
POINT OF VIEW
Metro Transit : Amit Mitra
Minnehaha Falls:Baishali Bakshi
Flower:Diya Ganguli
The BSSM gestates a fair share of thinkers along the lines of Howard
Roark :Rahul Banerjee
POINT OF VIEW
4th of July Minneapolis fireworks : Meenakshi Roy
Life’s fireworks at Bengal captured through paint and brush:Munmun Sau
Nilima Ghoshal has been writing, directing and acting in plays for several decades. She also likes writing poetry and has recently authored a collection of bengali poems titled "Antarshila". Her current residence is in Salt Lake, Kolkata. She frequently visits USA, and at the age of 75 she still maintains a very active life.
Nilima Ghoshal
Avishek Nag is currently a Graduate Student in University of California, Davis. He takes deep interest in Bengali literature and especially poetry and has mastered the art of penning down his thoughts with finesse.
Avishek Nag
Nandini Banerjee is currently a Graduate Student in University of Minnesota, Duluth. She is a trained Bharatnatyam dancer and is an active proponent of progressive Bengali culture, also a great patron of classical arts forms.
POETIC LICENSE
Nandini Banerjee
