Ananda Sangbad 2023 Q2

Ananda Sangbad

A Quarterly Publication of Ananda Mandir, New Jersey April 2023

LIGHT OF THE HEAVENS

Inthat pitch-black wood, an extremely cold breeze began whipping at us as soon as we stepped out of the minivan. It was nearly 2 a.m. The three of us were looking like lumps of layered multijacketed living beings with long waterproof seam-sealed special shoes, with multiple socks underneath. Two other couples we met at the Chena hot spring also joined us as a part of the aurorawatching experience tour by a local traveling agency in Fairbanks. The heater was on inside the car. All the window glasses got frozen and opaque the moment we left the city and drove into the woods. The outside temperature was near about minus thirty degrees Celsius (minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit). The front window of the car was the only one with a heater connected, and it was repeatedly wiped in order to keep it clear. After stepping out, sudden darkness blinded us for a few seconds. Very slowly our eyes started getting accustomed to the faint moonlight diffusing through heavy fog. We shivered in that uncanny, misty darkness. We could only hear the voice of our tour guide. It became even more spooky when the sound of the wind rustling through the trees started acting as a background score to his voice. It was Christmas time, but the whole situation made us feel like we were there to experience an unforgettable Halloween.

Let me start from the beginning. It was my idea to visit Alaska to watch the northern lights during Christmas, solo. I am a true solivagant.

When Somrita called me during Thanksgiving and asked whether she could visit me during her Christmas break, I told her about my daring idea for a solo trip to Alaska that week. After hearing my plan, she immediately jumped on board. Both of us invited Udita to join us if she didn’t have anything else in mind. I was really lucky that both Udita and Somrita tagged along

By Sahana Bhattacharyya (Maryland)

as my phone completely stopped working as soon as I stepped into Fairbanks airport. It was Christmas night. A devastating thunderstorm hit along the northeast and west coast during that time, so the flight wasn’t even half full. The Seattle airport was crowded with anxious people, as flights were getting canceled or postponed indefinitely one after another. I was so fortunate that Somrita and I had the same connecting flight from Seattle to Fairbanks, and the flight didn’t delay. Udita took an earlier flight. Since she arrived in Fairbanks that afternoon, she took an Uber and checked

rora-watching trip with Viator began after a few hours of sleep. We enjoyed the ice museum and Chena hot springs, but nature was not very kind to us that night. We observed a faint green flash for a minute or two behind the trees, but clouds covered most of the sky that night. We had the unforgettable experience of dipping into the Chena hot springs when the outside temperature was minus thirty degrees Celsius. Everyone came out of the water with frozen hair and brows due to the extreme contrast between the outside and inside temperatures of the hot spring water. We also enjoyed

is called Santa Claus’ House. It was that very place where every dream came true and every wish was fulfilled. The North Pole, a small area in Fairbanks, has a real Santa House. By visiting this place, even adults meet their inner child. We started our next day by visiting this wonderful place. I had a giant strawberry sundae ice cream with all the appropriate toppings and sauces and clicked a picture of myself with Santa and Mrs. Clause in it. We all did.

Our next stop was the Trans-Alaska pipeline, an engineering wonder. It is one of the world’s largest pipeline systems. The 1,300 km long pipeline runs from Prudhoe Bay in the Arctic Ocean to the ice-free port of Valdez

Ananda Mandir

Calendar of Events (Dates are subject to Change) Please check our website frequently www.anandamandir.org

Tel: 732-873-9821

NOTE: For Puja time please contact temple or visit our website: anandamandir.org

APRIL, 2023

Poila Baishakh/ Bengali New Year

Saturday, 15

Shyama Puja

Wednesday, 19

Satyanarayan Puja/ Akshya Tritia/

Ram Thakur Utsav

Sunday, 23

MAY, 2023

Shyama Puja

Friday, 19

JUNE, 2023

Satyanaran Puja

Saturday, 03

Shyama Puja

Saturday, 17

Ratha Jatra

Tuesday, 20

Summer Fest

Fri-Sun, 23-25

Bipad Tarini Puja

Tuesday, 27

Ulto Rath/

Satyanarayan Puja

Wednesday, 28

into our pre-booked hotel. She WhatsApped all the details about our hotel before we boarded in Seattle. The hotel was supposed to send us an airport shuttle, but due to a lack of staff on Christmas night, they failed to do so. After repeated cancellations by Uber or Lyft, we got really scared that we wouldn’t be making it to the hotel for the rest of the night. By ‘the rest of the night’, I mean the next fifteen hours before we could have a little bit of sunlight, as Alaska gets twenty-one hours of nighttime in December. Probably Jesus sent us an elf disguised as a taxi driver after three hours of waiting in fear and cold at the almost empty airport.

Our pre-booked local au-

drinking appletinis served in glasses made of pure ice at the Fairbanks Ice Museum. Although the unique experience of the Chena hot spring made our days, there was no doubt that our hearts were eagerly waiting for the aurora to appear. We were hopeful, as we had an aurora-watching tour planned for another night as well.

As a kid, we probably traveled to a wonderland every Christmas in our dreams. This divine place is magically decorated, beautifully illuminated, and filled with all the joy, fun, and happiness available to the innocent children of this world. There is a tree where candies and toffies grow like fruits and a stable full of reindeers. That place

in Prince William Sound to transport crude oil. Since its establishment in 1977, TAPS has transported over 16 billion barrels of oil. Several past oil spills have raised concerns about the pipeline’s merits due to its potential for large spills.

Our final destination that day was the Fairbanks Museum. The museum houses an impressive collection of artifacts, ranging from ancient fossils to modern-day technological wonders. Visitors can explore the natural history of the region through interactive exhibits, view the planetarium’s star shows, and learn about the history of Alaska and its people. The museum is part of the Uni-

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JULY 2023

Shyama Puja

Monday, 17

Satyanarayan Puja

Sunday, 30

(*) See www.anandamandir.org or Call Mandir for details

Special Religious Services:

Upon request, the priest of Ananda Mandir offers services such as in-house Shraddhas, Rituals associated with Cremations (Antyesti Kriya), Shraddha Anniversaries, Pre-wedding rituals (Naandimukh, Ashirwad, etc.), Upanayan (Paitey), Annaprasan, Wedding Ceremonies & Wedding Anniversaries, Griha Prabesh (Bhumi Puja), Consecrations of new cars (New Car Pujas) and others. If you have needs for any of the above or more, please feel free to contact Biswabhai @ 732-873-9821

Ananda Sangbad

A Periodical Newsletter

Published By ANANDA MANDIR (A Tax-Exempt, Non-Profit Organization)

269 Cedar Grove Lane Somerset, NJ 08873

Phone: 732-873-9821

Website: www.anandamandir.0rg

***

Debajyoti Chatterji Executive Editor (Acting)

All queries, articles, news reports and letters should be directed to debsmees572@gmail.com

Phone: 908-507-9640

***

For general information, please contact the following executives of

Ananda Mandir:

Jai Prakash Biswas President

Debajyoti Chatterji

Vice President

Anjan Lahiri Vice President

Ashok Rakhit

Vice President

Arun Bhowmik General Secretary

Chanu Das Treasurer

Pradip Majumdar Assistant Treasurer

Mitrajit Mukherjee Honored with Distinguished Alumnus Award by Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

Reported by Debajyoti Chatterji

Indian Institute of Technology at Kharagpur is the oldest of the IITs in India and is one of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the country. It has a proud history of educating numerous students who have gone on to achieve outstanding levels of success in their professional careers.

Every year IIT-Kharagpur presents Distinguished Alumnus Awards to a very select group of individuals “to recognize and celebrate the phenomenal success of the alumnus/alumna who has excelled in his/her professional career and at the same time made a significant impact on nation-building.”

Ananda Mandir is pleased to note that one its members, Mitrajit Mukherjee, was so honored recently. Mitrajit, a resident of Livingston, New Jersey and a Benefactor of Ananda Mandir, was recently presented with the 2022 Distinguished Alumnus Award from IIT-Kharagpur.

Mitrajit, who received his B. Tech in Chemical Engineering from IIT-Kharagpur, is the founder and president of Exelus (Fairfield, NJ). By combining elements of micro-reactor technology with advanced catalytic materials, he has developed a new generation of “green” environmental-friendly chemical

technologies. Millions of automobiles in Asia are driven using ultra-clean gasoline produced by his inventions. In recognition of his breakthroughs, the US Small Business Administration awarded Mitrajit and his team the Tibbetts Award in 2017 at a White House ceremony, in Washington DC. He was also awarded the New Jersey Immigrant Entrepreneur Award (NJIEA) in 2014 for his efforts in developing sustainable chemical technologies.

Mitrajit started his career at Catalytica, a start-up company in the Silicon Valley (California) where he worked alongside Nobel Laureate Prof Henry Taube developing new molecular engineered catalysts. He then moved to the east-coast to join ABB where he was instrumental in developing and scaling-up a first-of-a-kind chemical technology. Mitrajit holds dozens of patents both in the USA and world-wide for sustainable production of fuels and chemicals. He is the son of (late) Justice Manoj Kumar Mukherjee (Supreme Court of India) who headed the Commission on the disappearance of Netaji, Subhas Chandra Bose. Congratulations to Mitrajit – and our best wishes to him for continued success in the future!

OnSaturday, January 14, Ananda Mandir lost one of its most devoted and respected members with the passing of Shri Subhendu Bagchi.

Subhendu Bagchi (known to most of us as Subhenduda) was born in Bhagalpur, Bihar. After finishing high school, he went to Kolkata to attend St Xavier’s College. He then received his Electrical Engineering degree from Jadavpur University (1956). Soon thereafter, he joined the Durgapur Steel Plant. After a couple of years, he was sent to England by the management for advanced training. After his return from UK, he progressed to positions of higher responsibility. In 1965, he married Sipra (Jaba), and in 1970, he immigrated to the US.

Subhendu-da spent most of his career in the US with Stone & Webster, a wellknown Engineering & Construction company. He also earned his Professional Engineers license and received advanced education in Nuclear Engineering. In 2000, he retired from full-time work and began to pursue his long-held interests in Hindu religion and philosophy. He trained himself to be a Hindu

ERRATUM

priest so that he could serve the needs of the local Bengali community while satisfying his inner quest to learn and practice important Hindu rituals. In Jaba, he found an ideal partner in this pursuit, and Jaba was always by his side when Subhendu-da performed his priestly duties.

Subhendu-da was intimately involved in Ananda Mandir activities from its very beginning. In 1998, he performed the first-ever Satyanarayan Puja held in our newly purchased facilities. He was deeply involved in the construction of our first temple, selection of the deities and planning the details of the puja bedi. For many years, we depended on Subhendu-da for most of our pujas and other rituals. Even after the arrival of Bishwabhai, our resident priest, Subhendu-da remained as a guide and a mentor on all religious matters.

Subhendu-da is survived by his loving wife, Jaba, his daughter (Jui), his son (Krishnendu) and four grandchildren.

We will truly miss Subhendu-da. May his soul find eternal peace. Our sincere condolences to Jaba and the family.

In the January 2023 issue of Ananda Sangbad, we made an inadvertent mistake in the article, “India’s Heritage in Wrestling: Part 2”, authored by Partha Sircar. In the section titled “Dara Singh (and King Kong)”, the sixth paragraph incorrectly states that King Kong was from the United States and that he was “born Christopher Alan Pallies”. The author actually was referring to King Kong of Hungarian origin who was born Emile Czaja.

We sincerely regret the mistakes that crept in during the editorial process. Our apologies to the author.

BECOME A MEMBER OF ANANDA MANDIR AND PARTICIPATE IN THE COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES TO ENRICH YOUR FAMILY

Shri Subhendu Bagchi (1936 - 2023)

BANGLA LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE – AND ROLE OF DESH PATRIKA IN ITS NINETY YEARS OF EXISTENCE

By Rahul Ray (Massachusetts)

TheBengali renaissance that started in the late 18th century led to reforms in almost all aspects of the human experience and blossomed at a rapid pace that permanently changed the social, political, and cultural history of the land and its people.

Perhaps the most significant changes took place in the Bengali language (Bangla) and her literature which deeply affected other cultural aspects be it music and art, or stage and cinema. The purpose of this article is to look back at this development, as well as analyze the role of Desh/Desh Patrika, primarily a literary magazine that recently turned ninety on the decades of nurturing and the development of Bangla literature

Haraprasad Shastri (18531931), philologist, researcher, and the Principal of Sanskrit College, Kolkata discovered Brahmilipi, the earliest form of writing akin to modern Bangla script in Nepal. Furthermore, his painstaking research on Charyapad or Charyageeti manuscripts that were written almost a thousand years ago by Buddhist monks indisputably established them as the earliest examples of Bangla literature. Surprisingly, compared to other Indian languages that are thousands of years of age, the evolution of nascent Bangla to the modern variety, in spoken and written forms is less than a thousand years of age. Before the two hundred years of British domination in India, Bangla, in its various forms and dialects was variously called Gourrhiyo bhasha, Magadhi bhasha, Brajabuli, and sundry. Interestingly, although the root of Bangla is not Sanskrit as discussed earlier, the influence of the latter on Bangla literature of 12 through 15 CE is discernible. However, with the rise of the Vaishnava movement led by Sri Chaitanya (1486-1534) Bangla language, both spoken and written, took a decisive turn away from Sanskrit with its unique characteristics as evidenced by the Vaishnava literature of this period. Verses by Bidyapati, Chandidas, Borru Chandidas, Krishnadas Kabiraj Goswamy, and others

were a confluence of various regional dialects, styles, and forms, heralding the dawn of the Bangla language of today.

The first serious attempt to create modern Bangla literature, religious or otherwise was by Michael Madhusudan Dutta (1824-1873), a Christian convert. His writings contained a unique mixture of Sanskrit and colloquial Bangla and a style that was uniquely his own. I remember an incident in the mid-1990s when Michael’s Meghnad Bawdh Kabya was staged in Boston. It was a unique solo performance by Goutam Halder. I was in the audience, mesmerized by Mr. Halder’s unmatched recitation and acting skills when a person sitting next to me commented loudly “Is he speaking in Bangla?”. Michael’s literary Bangla is different from today’s version. Yet the short period he reigned can easily be called the dawn of modern literary Bangla. While Madhusudan created his own Bangla vernacular, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay (1838-1894), a contemporary of Michael turned towards a Sanskritic form of Bangla that is called ‘Suddho Bangla’, meaning ‘Pure Bangla’. Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar (1820-1891), a contemporary of Madhusudan and Bankim Chandra put his permanent stamp on everything Bengali by simplifying and codifying the Bangla alphabet and type. He also wrote the very first book encompassing the Bangla alphabet, entitled Borno Parichay. This book is still in use for children trying to learn the Bangla alphabet and its use in simple, short, and rhythmic verses. Then came Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) who took the baton from Vidyasagar and ran with an unmatched and cosmic speed. Call it a revolution or anything else, but Rabindranath created prose and poetry in colloquial Bangla, called ‘Kothyo Bhasha, of unique quality and depth. In essence, Rabindranath gave birth to a language that is suitable for modern times and lifted Bangla literature and culture from the local arena to the world stage. His influence remains paramount today.

In 1933 when Desh Patrika/Desh was published for the first time, the ‘Kallol Jug’ movement (the era of turmoil) spearheaded by Kallol magazine, edited by Dinesh

his peers (accompanying picture), accommodated writings from established stalwarts, but most importantly it looked into the future of Bangla literature, be it prose or poetry. Sagrada actively sought after young and talented writers. Almost every writer of poetry and prose of any degree of fame in Bangla today owes his rise and recognition to Sagarda- Ramapada Choudhury, Bimal Kar, Bimal Mitra, Sayed Mujtaba Ali, Sunil Gangopadhay, Sankha Ghosh, Nirendrnath Chakrabarty, Mahasweta Devi, Joy Goswamy, Dibyendu Palit, Satyajit Ray to name a few. In other words, Desh became the surrogate mother of modern and contemporary Bangla literature.

Chandra Das and Gokul Chandra Nag, and patronized by Sudhindranath Dutta, Buddhadev Bosu, Amiya Chakrabarti, Jibanananda Das and Bishnu De, dubbed five Pandavas of the Bangla literature, was in full swing. The Kallol writers, including Premendra Mitra, Achinta Kumar Sengupta, Sanjay Bhattacharya, Kaji Nazrul Islam, and others rebelled against the literary landscape of the time, dominated by Rabindranath that was overtly spiritual, lyrical and romantic. They claimed that this ‘Bangali Bhodrolok’ image was not in touch with the common people. Desh decidedly took a middle ground and patronized more established writers, including Rabindranath Tagore, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, and alike.

In 1939, when ‘Kallol Jug’ movement was nearly moribund, the legendary Sagarmoy Ghosh (1912-1999) took the helm of Desh, then a purely literary weekly magazine, and it never looked back. The magazine, under the able stewardship of Mr. Ghosh, lovingly called Sagarda by

By the early 1960s, the middle-of-the-road policy of Desh was challenged again by the Hungryalist movement spearheaded by brothers Samir and Malay Raichoudhuri, Shakti Chattopadhyay, Sunil Gangopadhay and a few other contemporary poets, including Sandipan Chattopadhyay and drew the attention of the American Beat poet Allen Ginsberg. However, the movement folded soon after an obscenity lawsuit, and Desh marched on.

Desh, published by Anandabazar Group, turned ninety late last year (accompanying picture). This is an enviable feat for any magazine or publication anywhere on the globe. Desh is often viewed as the New Yorker of the Anglo world. Therefore, it is perhaps appropriate to compare its longevity and contents with other long-running magazines of the world.

The Atlantic, first published in 1825 as Atlantic Monthly, a literary and cultural magazine that published leading writers’ commentaries on education, abolition of slavery, and other major political issues of that time, continues to be published today as perhaps the longest-running news and literary magazine in the world (accompanying picture). The New Yorker, a considerably younger magazine, was first published in 1925 as a humor magazine, and later expanded its horizon to cover all literary and contemporary pursuits (accompanying picture).

In the Indian sub-conti-

nent, India Today was introduced in 1975 as a pure news magazine, much in the vein of The Times and Newsweek, and remains so today. Therefore, no Indian magazine, literary or news, comes close to Desh in terms of longevity. This is a very important issue because Desh is essentially a regional magazine catering only to people of Bengali origin.

After the death of Sagarmoy Ghosh in 1998 the editorship of Desh was passed on to Amitava Choudhury, a Magsaysay award-winning journalist. He put his stamp by introducing articles related to current events and commentaries on local, national, and global politics, as well as goings on in the Artsfield such as art shows, stage plays, and cinema. The magazine also became a bi-weekly publication. This tradition has continued as the editorship passed from Harsha Dutta to Suman Sengupta. It is also noteworthy that Desh has maintained its journalistic integrity without bowing down to any pressure, political or otherwise. Perhaps maintaining this journalistic integrity and independence accounts for the longevity of this magazine.

The proliferation of the internet and social media and the free availability of jour

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FRITTERS…WARM AND CRISP!

By Soumi Jana (New Jersey)

Relocating to a new country is always particularly unsettling initially. Parting from familiar settings makes us feel insecure. A Bengali by heart and stomach, along with emotion, it was a gastronomical shock for me as well when my husband and I, a newlywed couple then, landed in a small town in Virginia almost twenty years back! With no car in possession those days, our life was restricted. The apartment complex we rented was within a couple of miles from a supermarket. This distance was walkable to us for weekly groceries as it was not winter at that time. I was a novice in cooking then, and like any other newly acquired skill, was very enthusiastic about applying my culinary knowledge for various preparations. My husband was the guineapig of my cooking experiments -- without much choice! That town did not have an Indian store then. So, I was terribly missing the familiar Bengali dishes like jhingey-posto, macher jhol. etc. But the most I was craving for used to be the spicey fritters or ‘Teleybhaja’, the typical Kolkata street-food style! We couldn’t find gram flour or ‘Byason’ in the American supermarket. I was regretting not packing it in our luggage while traveling from home.

One experienced senior Didi advised me that I could make fritters with corn flour and bread crumbs that were available in American grocery stores. Summer was approaching. The weather outside was warm and inviting for a leisurely stroll. One sunny afternoon, I thought of walking to the supermarket and buying the ingredients to make fritters. It would be a surprise for my husband. After finishing the household chores quickly, I dashed out of the house carrying my purse. The walk to the store was pleasant. Grabbing a shopping cart, I went inside and allowed myself ample time to pick each and every item without a rush. Soon my cart was full. By the time I came out of the store, already two hours had passed. Both of my hands were full with multiple grocery bags. They were pretty heavy to carry. But I was grinning from ear to ear, thinking about the crunchy fritters I was going

to make soon!

My smiley face took a reverse turn as soon as I stepped out of the supermarket! Where did the bright sunny afternoon go? Instead, I found the sky covered with thick grey clouds, with thunder rolling fiercely. Was it supposed to rain today? It never occurred to me that the weather there could change so drastically. Oh, I should’ve checked the weather forecast before leaving!

Without giving a second thought my feet started moving forward with big strides. I had to reach home before the impending downpour. The wind started howling. My walk turned into labored running and I was panting. Didn’t see anyone in the vicinity. The number of cars on the road was also reduced significantly. Everything looked deserted all of a sudden. Halfway down the road it started drizzling. I could hardly see clearly through the dusty wind gust and prickly rain.

That small town in Virginia was not similar to the urban setting I knew in India. Back home, we used to find a shade or an awning or someone’s covered porch where we could huddle if it started to rain suddenly. Most importantly, we always found other people who might be stuck in the same situation. Being one with a few others gives one a sense of safety. Finding myself completely alone on a road in an unknown place, and in the middle of a brooding storm, terrified me. Those days smart phones were not available to call for help. I was fanatically looking for a shelter!

Suddenly I noticed a dim light coming through a glass window decorated with some bright floral arrangement round the corner. I propelled myself towards that and found a glass door beside the window. I gathered all the grocery bags in one hand and with the other hand opened the glass door with an impulsive jerk. It rang a bell with rattling sound over my head.

I scurried in and found myself in the middle of a well-lit room immaculately decorated with various showpieces in wooden shelves. This must be a gift shop, I thought.

“Oh…what do I do? Should I start looking at the items

closely as if I’m here to buy something?” I asked myself silently! After all, it was rude and might seem suspicious to barge in like that!

I was lost in thought and didn’t really notice an elderly woman approaching towards me slowly from the back of the room, until she was pretty close. My grip tightened nervously on the grocery bags I was holding. The lady came closer and with a very soft and caring voice said, “Oh dear, you’re wet! Let me get you something to dry yourself.”

That one sentence made a huge, almost magical, impact on my mind. From a state of panic and helplessness, I immediately felt much assured and normal! Her gentle approach and the soothing voice had a special tinge of sympathy that was surely not to be missed. I noticed she went to the back corner of the room behind a counter and grabbed a handful of paper towels from there. She came back in a composed manner and handed me the paper towels. I stretched my right hand to get them while keeping my eyes fixed on her. The lady did not seem shocked or offended to see a stranger like me in her store out of nowhere.

I used the paper towels to wipe off water droplets from my hair and face, still holding the carry bags in one hand. I hesitated to put the wet plastic bags on her floor. A muffled ‘Thank you’ automatically came out of my mouth.

“No problem, dear. I see the weather tricked you”, she said with a chuckle. Her smile was so warm and friendly that it produced an exact reflection on my face.

“It sure did”, I politely responded with a faint smile holding the paper towels and the grocery bags in either hand awkwardly. She noticed my discomfort and kindly said, “Why don’t you put your bags on the counter and wait here for a while. It’s just a passing cloud. The weather will get better soon.”

I felt so relieved and followed what the lady said. I wiped the grocery bags with the paper towels as well before lowering them down on the counter top. Dried myself a little more and dropped the used towels in the trash bin kept on the side. The lady kept talking casually. “You must be new to this place.

That’s why the weather caught you. Rain and shine changes frequently here this time. We always carry an umbrella while going out. You never know when it will start raining. Here take this and make yourself comfortable.” She handed me a stool from the other side of the counter to sit.

We sat down face to face. I noticed her properly now. A simple and graceful woman, must be in her sixties. The short and wheat brown hair with a few grey streaks here and there gave her face a fuller look. The hazel eyes that shone through her golden rimmed glasses reflected kindness and compassion. She introduced herself. “I am Rebecca Hope. Me and my husband run this shop. We live upstairs. It’s very nice to meet you.” She stretched her hand for a handshake.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Hope. You are very kind”, I said gratefully taking her hand in mine. Her palm felt warm, soft and a little frail just like my mother’s hand. I told her my name and she made a very earnest effort to sound it correctly by repeating it a couple of times. We smiled at each other and started a very casual conversation. Back then I used to have slight difficulty to understand American English. But Mrs. Hope was talking in a slow and gentle pace. I felt comfortable to talk to her.

She asked me where we came from, why we chose to come to this country, how I was liking here so far, etc. Mrs. Hope said she never lived anywhere else other than Virginia. She came from a mining family. All her family members were mostly around. She felt bad for me that I had to leave my near and dear ones so far to come and settle in here. She wondered how difficult it could be for us to adopt the lifestyle and culture of a new place which might be way different from that we were used to!

I explained to Mrs. Hope how I was finding a lot of things similar to home here. We talked at length about cooking styles and food habits. Mrs. Hope said she loved to bake. She had a hearty laugh when I told her How crazy I was feeling to eat homemade fritters that day and the reason behind my unplanned grocery shopping that landed me in this strange situation! She suddenly said,

“Wait here. I’ll be right back” and went inside the house. I had a good look around the room while she was gone. The store was not big, but impeccably decorated with tasteful items. Wood crafted boxes, porcelain dolls, pottery vase, handmade jewelries, nature paintings and many more. A balanced mix of earth shades and bright color palette in each direction. I came to know Mr. and Mrs. Hope started this business after they had retired from their regular office jobs. They used to collect these items from the local craftsmen. This neighborhood shop was not only a business purpose for them, rather it kept them busy and occupied and also a help to the local handcraft market. My respect for this elderly couple grew more hearing that. Before coming to America, I always thought of this place as a mechanical and technologically advanced dome void of simple human touches. Meeting and talking to Mrs. Hope changed my view to a great extent. I felt like home!

Mrs. Hope came back with a tray full of snacks and two big coffee mugs! She put the tray down on the counter and with her natural sweet smile said, “Try this. I baked some sweet potatoes for lunch today. It can make up for your fritters a little.” I felt so embarrassed and repeatedly said this was not at all necessary. She already did such a big favor offering me shelter in her shop during the storm! She ignored my hesitation completely and told me, “This is nothing. I’m enjoying our little conversation as well. Have some and tell me how is it. I love coffee in this type of weather. Thanks for giving me company.”

I couldn’t say no to her. Took a little spoonful of the food she brought. To my surprise, the warm and crispy breaded sweet potato baked with feta cheese and herbs tasted like a piece of heaven in my mouth! “It is delicious Mrs. Hope”, I blurted out spontaneously. We had another round of chitchat over the steaming coffee. By the time I finished my coffee, it was almost past an hour or more. I looked out of the glass window. The storm had passed over; the rain had also paused. “Should go home now”, I told Mrs. Hope. She

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SELF-REALIZATION IN OLD AGE

By Basab Dasgupta (California)

Somethingstrange is happening to me. I do not find much excitement in any recreational activity anymore. I do not know if it is just a temporary phase I am going through because of all the problems in the world or some profound and permanent change. Perhaps it is simply the result of getting old and I am at the cusp of that transition from “Vanaprastha” to “Sanyas”. Perhaps the reason is my departure from Indian culture but failure to get completely assimilated into American society. It is disheartening to feel this way because I thought that I was invincible and would forever retain my youthful

vigor and enthusiasm.

It is ironic because, now that I am retired, I have plenty of time on my hands to pursue any pastime, exploration, adventure or just enjoy my time in new recreational activities to seek joy or a feeling of accomplishment in discovering new experiences.

Take watching movies as an example of what used to be one of my pastimes. I have stopped not only going to a movie theater but even renting or buying DVDs. The movies do not make any emotional or long-lasting visual impact on me. They all seem superficial and action-oriented: spectacular computer-generated

Bangla Language and Literature – and Role of Desh Patrika in its Ninety Years of Existence

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nalistic and literary materials have dealt death blows to many magazines globally. To counter this trend Desh has taken bold steps to protect the ownership of the published articles by the magazine in the form of an official announcement that states, in paraphrase, that ‘no article published in Desh, be published partially or in full in the social media’.

A reasonable question to ask: how does this copyrighted ownership work?

Most literary magazines pay nothing or almost nothing to their writers, while Desh pays them fairly handsomely. When my first fiction was published in Desh, I received a follow-up e. mail about paying me a sum that I felt was quite reasonable. Therefore, the magazine protects its ownership of the published articles from the ever-aggressive social media.

Getting to publish in Desh is an arduous and time-consuming task. Today it takes eight months for a decision, and that is only if a submission is accepted. Therefore, getting the first prose or poet-

graphics coupled with absurd story lines, sometimes dubbed as “science fiction”. The entire justification for a successful movie these days lies in the box office gross. The same is true of TV situation comedies; I do not watch any current sitcoms. When I watch TV, I mostly watch reruns of old shows from the eighties and nineties even though I have seen all these reruns multiple times already.

I do not watch news on TV anymore. All the news items seem to be biased –mostly towards the left and spun according to the political propaganda of the day. To fill the 24/7 timespan and to boost their ratings cable networks bring people with all kinds of twisted and biased views which really do not serve any purpose.

English, Bengali, Hindi and some even in Spanish and Punjabi and in all varieties and genres. One of my favorite pastimes used to be listening to these CDs for hours. That urge is gone.

Facebook gave me an exciting way to spend time by tracking down long-lost friends. However, I realized after the first few exchanges that there was not a whole lot of information to share with them, especially since our lives had probably progressed on entirely different paths. I was basically giving away all kinds of personal information to Mark Zuckerberg and the crew in the process. I dropped out of Facebook.

thoughts. I have started to feel a kinship with God. I pray to him every single day. I pray to him mostly to guide me. The essence of my prayer are the two lines: “I have surrendered to you completely and unconditionally. Just show me the way and I will follow”. I feel that He has dictated my entire life. When I made wrong choices, He brought me back on the right track.

ry accepted by the magazine is almost like falling in love for the first time. It is simply ecstatic. This feeling is echoed by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Binayak Bandopadhayay and Samaresh Majumder as they reminisced in the 90th Anniversary issue of the magazine (17th November 2022, accompanying picture). Earlier I read about the same sentiment echoed by the eminent poet Joy Goswamy.

Regarding my own experience, a few years ago I almost fell off my chair when I learned from then editor Harsha Dutta that my fiction, ‘Namesake’ was accepted for publication. That was my first, and the feeling has mellowed down considerably after several publications. Yet I get a thump in my heart each time I hear the good news after an exceptionally long wait. And long wait it is, like a mother’s joyous feeling after giving birth to a child after ten months of gestation and anticipation.

In conclusion, reiterating the sentiment of the prominent writers of today, mentioned earlier, I wish Desh Patrika a century and beyond.

I do not keep up with the advances in technology. Whether it is the introduction of the latest version of the I-phone or some innovative new concept such as Uber or a smart home with complete security, I do not share the excitement. Necessity is no longer the mother of invention. Now new inventions are shoved down our throat whether we need them or not. As someone said “now, making a buck is the father of invention”.

I do not feel like going to fancy restaurants. By now I have probably tasted food from all over the world and there is no element of novelty left. Since I am not chasing women, I do not have the need for fine dining from a dating point of view. Occasional dining with close friends and family members is always good but even that seems to be more of a chore or a duty rather than something I look forward to.

I have traveled all over the world for business and pleasure. Even though there are many countries and interesting sights that I have not seen, I feel that I have a pretty good idea about the beauty of the earth and do not feel an urge to travel. Those long check-in lines at security and related hassles are certainly a deterrent.

I have a decent Hi-Fi system – a Bose surroundsound system with a subwoofer and five speakers along with a large collection of CDs with songs in

Now I even shun social interactions in person. Whether it is a party given by a friend or neighbor or some festive community occasion it seems that everyone I meet wants to project themselves as “happy” by bragging about all kinds of good events in their life; an exotic vacation or purchase of a new car or a big promotion in the job or attendance of the kids at some Ivy league school. I remain silent even though I have plenty of reasons to brag about myself.

On social or political issues, I hesitate to participate because my views are often unique. I avoid discussion on sports partly because of the lack of passion needed to know the names and statistics of individual players or obsession with items like “fantasy football” or “NCAA basketball pool”.

I used to present an image of a cool guy with designer clothes, fancy ties, late model cars, exotic colognes. Now I do not see the point anymore.

To make matters worse, I do not get excited about some romantic escapade or even going to a strip club. I do not even ogle at bikiniclad beauties on the beach or lust after some voluptuous woman in a tight miniskirt. The idea of taking those little blue pills does not appeal to me. I would not mind spending the rest of my life as a celibate.

Do not get me wrong. I am very peaceful and content. I am a private person and spend most of my time painting, writing, walking/ exercising, tutoring and yes being immersed in spiritual

Unfortunately, I cannot discuss God with others. I encounter two types of people when I bring up the subject of God. One group, made mostly of scientists and engineers, made fun of me. They say God does not exist and it is just a “crutch” for people when they are in trouble. The other group gives me all kinds of lectures and advice, quoting various scriptures; they have encouraged me to attend gatherings to listen to different “swamis” whether at the local Hindu temple or the Vedanta society. I do not want to argue with anyone about the existence of God or what is the right religious practice to follow. I want to experience Him in a very personal one on one interaction.

I am in reasonably good health. I am certainly not depressed and feel that I still have a lot to learn. I am still looking for my purpose in life.

An audio clip from a lecture by Paramhansa Yogananda on YouTube channel finally resolved my conundrum. He said “do not be a slave to your senses. You must win over your senses”. He emphasized that our senses are powerful enemies to overcome; but defeating them would make us strong just like a wrestler gets stronger by wrestling with strong opponents. He further said “when the only thing you desire is God, you have reached self-realization”

His message gave me fresh optimism. Perhaps finally I have overcome addictions to my senses. Recreation or entertainment is nothing but catering to one’s senses. I never received “diksha” in Kriya Yoga or any other discipline but Yogananda’s teaching always resonates with me. I hope that I am on my way to self-realization.

NOTABLE NON-BENGALI RESIDENTS OF KOLKATA AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION

Dacca University from 1928 to 1933.

By Partha Sircar (California)

Author’s Note: For this article, I have defined a non-Bengali as one who did not inherit the Bengali language as mother tongue from his/her parents. I tacitly assume that a non-Bengali did not grow up on Bengali culture and did not eat Bengali food as a child. Additionally, a ‘Non-Bengali’ is assumed to have his/her origins within the Indian subcontinent. I had envisioned the article to reflect a nostalgic trip down the memory trail, particularly highlighting the multiple facets of Kolkata’s cultural milieu. It was not meant to be an exhaustive list of names. Inclusion and exclusion of names in an article like this is somewhat subjective and even tricky. Besides, too many names could make it overly unwieldy and possibly boring.

While enjoying browsing through Purono Kolkatar Golpo on Facebook, sitting in my home in California, I was suddenly reminded of several nonBengali luminaries who resided in the city while making their significant contributions. I wanted to talk about them, hoping Purono Kolkatar Golpo will find it fit to publish on its pages. Most of these luminaries spent significant portions of their lives. Some were born there or came as children while some came later in life. But they all left their mark and made our city proud.

I start with Maulana Abul Kalaam Azad. He was undoubtedly one of the tallest leaders of the Indian independence movement. He was a seven-time President of the Indian National Congress and the country’s first Education Minister. Maulana Azad, who was of North Indian origin and born in Saudi Arabia, where his father was then stationed, came to Calcutta as a child and grew up in the city (This was a big surprise to me!). And it should not be missed that he was against Partition and stayed on in India.

I found it interesting to find that Azad was not exposed to secular education, which was quite prevalent at the time but was brought up in traditional Islamic environment. This probably reflects the presence of a pervasive high Muslim culture in the city at the time.

There was the eminent jurist Syed Amir Ali and the members of the Ispahani family. And of course, there were the descendants of the families of Tipu Sultan of Mysore and Wajed Ali Shah of Oudh. They landed

up in the city as prisoners of the British and made notable contributions in the city, particularly in the areas of music and dance, such as Kathak dance and also cuisine. Their Calcutta style Biriyani, I am told, enjoys the same stature as the Lucknowi Biriyani and the Hyderabadi Biriyani. It is distinguished by the fact that the Biriyani, unlike the others, includes potatoes.

As the capital of the British Raj, Calcutta always held a pride place for the men of high education and intellect, with the Asiatic Society, Calcutta University established in 1857 and other notable institutions. With it came many learned men from various parts of India. Prominent among them was CV Raman, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 for his pioneering work on the scattering of light rays. Raman originally came to Calcutta to work for the Indian Audit and Accounts Service. A chance encounter with the Indian Association for the Advancement of the Cultivation of Science (IAACS), the first institute in India dedicated to scientific research led him to his scientific research there. in 1907. He was appointed the Palit Professor in Physics to teach in Calcutta University by the then Vice Chancellor the eminent Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee. Raman stayed in Calcutta University till 1933 before moving to Bangalore to establish the Indian Academy of Science in Bangalore. Another eminent scientist, KS Krishnan, collaborated with Raman with much of his research in IAACS. He was associated with IAACS from 1923 to 1942, with a brief stint at

Another famous Indian associated with the city of Calcutta was Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, the famous philosopher and a former President of India. Dr. Radhakrishnan was also enticed by Sir Asutosh Mukherjee to join the Calcutta University as the George V Professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy. He taught there from 1921 to 1929. In 1936 Radhakrishnan was named Spalding Professor of Eastern Religion and Ethics at the University of Oxford.

Names of several luminaries in the field of music readily come to mind. I start with Usha Utthup, the doyen of vocalists in the city with her captivating husky voice. She started years back as a crooner in Trinca’s and is still a formidable presence at an advanced age. There is also the younger Alka Yagnik, who had a successful career in Bollywood.

Most of us have heard the name of the late Pandit V.G. Jog, the violin maestro and a disciple of Baba Alauddin Khan. Pandit Jog made Calcutta his home from the middle years of his life till his passing away. Eminent musicians A T Kanan and Rashid Khan also moved to Calcutta and made it their home. There was also the musician V. Balsara, who was a presence in the musical circles in the city for several decades.

Anyone who is familiar with classical Indian dance is familiar with the name of Thankamani Kutty and he husband Govinda Kutty. Thankamani joined her husband in Calcutta in 1958 from Kerala, following her marriage. They together built up the practice of Bharatnatyam in the city. The school they set up, Kalamandalam, is an institution.

Calcutta’s love affair with the movies started from the earliest days when movies were first introduced in the country. Perhaps it was a direct successor to the Bengali theater which ruled the cultural life of the city in the nineteenth century. The establishment of the New Theaters Studio in 1931 was a signature event. Both Hindi and Bengali movies

were made from the studio. Eminent personalities like the actor Prithviraj Kapoor (father of Raj, Shammi and Shashi) and the famous actor/singer K.L. Saigal were closely associated with the studio and had made Calcutta their home. Saigal had acted in both Bengali and Hindi movies and had sung in both Hindi and Bengali.

Mala Sinha, the wellknown Bollywood heroine was born in the city of Nepalese parents and went to school there. She started her movie career in Bengali movies before moving to Bombay. Jeet, a contemporary heartthrob in Bengali movies was born in a Sindhi family. Bansi Chandragupta, the set designer for all the Satyajit Ray movies originally hailed from Punjab.

There have been several sports heroes who lived and thrived in the city and made it proud. The names of hockey players Yaswant Singh Rajput, Leslie Claudius, Kehhav Datt and Gurbux Singh come readily to mind. They all won multiple medals in the Olympics and had long fruitful careers in the then flourishing Calcutta Hockey League. Leslie Claudius won three gold and one silver medal and was captain of the Indian team in 1960. A Tube station in London was temporarily named after him during the 2012 Olympics along with stations named after Dhyan Chand and Roop Singh, both legends.

In football, we are used to mentioning the name of Balaram in the same breath as PK Banerjee and Chuni Goswami as the immortal trio. We also remember Thangaraj, Ram Bahadur, Kempiah and Habib. And from an earlier era, we remember Dhanraj, Venkatesh, Saleh and Ahmed Khan – all non-Bengalees, who were highly regarded in the Calcutta Football League in the 1950s and 1960s. Sorry, having left the country for US in 1967, I am not familiar with the later names, who may have been no less well known.

There was also the tennis stars Naresh Kumar, Akhtar Ali, Premjit Lall and Leander Paes (all Davis Cuppers). They were all

products of Calcutta’s South Club, whose grass courts had the reputation of being comparable to the best in the world. Kalyan Jayant, one time India’s top table tennis player also lived in the city as well as the accomplished Badminton player Gajanan

Hemmady

Then there was Dilip Doshi, who grew up in the city. The left arm spinner had a late debut and yet ended up playing 33 Tests for India.

Calcutta has been well known throughout India is its sweets. Rosogolla and Sandesh have become intimately attached to Bengali identity. And anyone in the know is fully aware of Ganguram and Sons, particularly their famous Rabri. Ganguram Chaurasia, a halwai, came from Varanasi and set vup his fisrst shop in 1885. Ganguram and Sons holds the same position of prestige as some of the other iconic sweetmeat shops: Dwarik Ghosh, Bhim Nag and KC Das, which have all become institutions in the city. Others have followed over the years. Lately Haldiram’s has become a particular favorite.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the immense contributions made by the non-Bengali businessmen, particularly the Marwaris. Names like Goenka, Birla, Dalmia and Khaitan are strewn all over the city beginning with hospitals, schools and colleges, art galleries and even a Planetarium proudly bear their names.

And finally, here is a name I could not miss mentioning, P. Thankappan Nair. Nair came to Calcutta as a 22-year-old from Kerala, looking for a job. The city totally engrossed him. He stayed on for over six decades, before heading back to his native village in Kerala. In between, he published over 60 books on Calcutta. It would perhaps be no exaggeration to say: Thankappan Nair belonged to Calcutta as Calcutta belonged to him.

(This is a significantly updated version of an article I published earlier on Purono Kolkatar Golpo on Facebook)

OPEN BORDERS PROMOTE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: CENTRAL AMERICAN MIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES

By Diya Paul (New York)

According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (Schneider 2021), the US allocated $866 million to Central America in 2021 to foster the economic development of the region, thereby lessening the dependency on the US via migration. While government aid can increase the overall wealth of a nation, I find another type of aid to be more beneficial to Central America: remittances.

Remittances, or money sent from the citizens to families and communities back home, have significantly raised the standards of living in Central America. The Inter-American Development Bank reports that remittances are already exceeding an average of 12% share of GDP in Central American countries and growing at their fastest rate in history (Harris 2022).

On the other hand, foreign aid has historically proven to have limited effects on the economic development of these countries due to widespread corruption within the governments.

The best way to amplify this successful form of foreign aid is open borders. Open borders will lead to an immigration and remittance boom because of the easy access to the US, immediately increasing the GDP of Central America. One criticism that remittances may receive is that they are only good for individual families. However, immigrants are often willing to give back to their communities. In the documentary Sixth Section (Rivera 2003), for example, an immigrant group living in New York raised weekly donations to support community projects back in their home village. Although the outcomes were not successful in terms of economic growth, a cultural shift towards repurposing remittances into development programs could eventually improve standard of living, create more jobs within nations, and allow them to be economically independent from the US. Other ways to redistribute remittances in-

Highlights of Cultural Committee Activities

Reported by Debajyoti Chatterji (New Jersey)

clude taxing remittances for public distribution or remittance matching (Gee 2017). The latter incentivizes immigrants to participate in community development as it calls for the government to match an individual’s community contributions.

One of the biggest concerns that US citizens have regarding open borders is the displacement of jobs. However, waves of immigration have consistently caused further employment and economic development. One instance in which Americans were anxious about a large influx of immigrants was during the Mariel boatlift, when thousands of Cubans prisoners were sent to Miami. Americans’ concerns included job loss, costs imposed on public resources, and more. Yet, research from economist David Card of UC Berkeley suggests that “the Mariel immigration had essentially no effect on the wages or employment outcomes of nonCuban workers in the Miami labor market” (Card 1990) or the wages of other Cubans. With the same wages and more jobs, Miami experienced economic growth and the benefits which come with it. Economist George Borjas of Harvard adds that the immigration from the boatlift led to several economic benefits, known as immigrant surpluses, for the native population. He estimated “the current surplus to be around 0.24 percent of GDP, or around $43 billion annually” (Borjas 2014). Similar to the Mariel boatlift, jobs that native-born Americans hold won’t be displaced because of the immigrants, and the overall economy will actually benefit. Higher immigration rates as a result of open borders will be the key to the US economy to increase the labor force when the population growth is slowing.

Another benefit of immigration is that it promotes competition for jobs. Both immigrants and US-born citizens must develop their human capital to stand out for employment. Improv-

ing human capital will boost economic growth in both regions. Any concern about brain drain from Central America will be alleviated because of the transnational nature of the region’s migration pattern, Central Americans often moving back and forth between their own nations. Open borders will support this trend and increase the demand for legal transportation methods because migrants will not have to rely on human traffickers. As economic development creates more opportunities within Central America, migrants may return to work in their native countries.

The US citizens could still have concerns with open borders because of misconceptions surrounding drug smuggling, crime, and public resource drains. However, opening borders would shift priorities and funds from preventing migration to increasing security measures. Human trafficking would fade into the background while resources are directed for drug inspection and other security measures. Research from sociologist Michael T. Light (Light 2022) of the University of Wisconsin-Madison establishes that crime rate among immigrants, both documented and undocumented, are lower than that of US-born citizens. Immigrants have a strong incentive to avoid criminal activities. On the topic of public resource use, legal and undocumented immigrants contribute more to the public benefit programs than they receive.

Undocumented immigrants are estimated to pay $11.74 billion annually in taxes according to the Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy, yet they are ineligible for most of the benefits. Although legal immigrants are eligible for benefits, they use federal benefit programs at a lower rate than native-born Americans.

Overall, immigration is a powerful way for the US and Central America to further economic growth and development. Open borders will allow for this mutually beneficial exchange to occur.

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The winter months offer a relatively quiet period for our Cultural Committee. The Saraswati Puja is the only major puja prescribed by the Bengali almanac during the first quarter of the year. Saraswati being the Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdom, all students in Bengali look forward to this annual event, usually held in the month of February. At Ananda Mandir, the youngsters in our community eagerly await “Bani Bandana”, a cultural program held annually soon after Saraswati Puja – for the students, by the students and of the students!

This year, “Bani Bandana” was held on Sunday, January 29. It featured a superb medley of performances by children of all ages. A detailed report on that program by Sudipta Choudhury is published elsewhere in this issue. We thank Sudipta for her leadership in organizing this event involving scores of kids.

The other cultural program that received high praise from the audience was a twopart concert held on Saturday, February 25. The event presented classical Carnatic music in the first part and light classical/contemporary music in the second part. The evening showcased six highly talented musicians. Sandhya Anand, a celebrated Carnatic vocalist and violinist, was introduced to the world of classical music by her mother at a very young age. She is a graded artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan. She runs Samskritasangitam School of Music with the objective of handing over the Carnatic musical tradition to the younger generations. Sandhya was very ably supported on tabla by Anir-

ban Roy Chowdhury, one of the finest and dynamic talents of the young contemporary generation of tabla players. His musical lineage hails from the renowned Punjab “gharana” school of North Indian classical music. At the end of Sandhya’s program, Anirban thrilled the audience with a solo tabla performance.

The second part of the program began with a beautiful piano recital by Eshani Goswami. Only 14 years old, Eshani has been playing piano since age 6. She enjoys playing classical as well as contemporary songs. Eshani has already won several international competitions. The rest of the second half was led by Reeshabh Purohit, accompanied by Yash Chhatlani and Inesh Krishnamurthy, all from the Berklee College of Music. Reeshabh is only twenty years old but is already a highly accomplished tabla, guitar and ukelele player – besides being an excellent vocalist. Yash is an upcoming music producer and sound engineer. As a keyboardist, drummer and singer, he is aspiring to make his mark in the pop and hip hop industry. Inesh is a promising guitarist who composed a blend of rock, metal and world music, with a heavy emphasis on fusion and balance of different styles to create a uniquely personal sound.

The next cultural program on our calendar is scheduled for Sunday, May 7. On that day, Ananda Mandir will join hands with Santiniketan Ashram Sammilani International (SASI) to celebrate Rabindra Jayanti (162nd birthday of Rabindranath Tagore). Program details will be published soon.

Fritters…Warm

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agreed it was safe to go out. She invited me to visit her again soon and I promised I would.

PUJA ACTIVITIES FOR JANUARY - MARCH, 2023

The year 2023 has started well for Ananda Mandir. The mild winter has made it easier for our devotees to attend the puja activities at the Mandir, more frequently than in other years.

The Temple stayed open all day on January 1st, the New Year’s Day, from 9 am to 9 pm. It is customary for Bengalis to visit the temple on the first day of the year, so that is why we had lot of visitors came to the temple that day. In the evening we had our monthly Satyanarayan Puja and that was well attended by our members.

On January 20th we had Ratanti Kali Puja in the evening. This puja is observed annually in the month of Magh. A lot of our members visited the temple on this day. The puja was performed beautifully. After the puja we had Aarati, Anjali and a good dinner.

The next puja was our Saraswati Puja on January 26. This puja is dedicated to Goddess Saraswati.

Reported by Mita Sinha, Chair, Puja Committee

She is the Goddess of knowledge, wisdom, music and performing arts. Saraswati Puja is mostly celebrated in the North Eastern part of India. In other parts of India, people celebrate Basant Panchami on this day.

At Ananda Mandir, the puja started at 8:00 am in the morning. After the puja we had Aarati and Anjali and then we had Hate Khori. Hate khori is an auspicious religious ritual which is performed to signify the starting of education for a Hindu child. This is observed in West Bengal and it happens on the day of Saraswati Puja. Little children between three to four years of age perform a ritual of writing Bengali alphabets and numbers on a slate. This is the beginning of their formal education.

Fifteen kids came to the temple for this ceremony and they had fun writing on a slate, in a good oldfashioned way. They also received a bag of gifts from Ananda Mandir. This is a fun ritual and both kids and parents enjoy it every year. Yellow is the color of this day. Ladies mostly wore yellow saree and some men wore yellow kurtas. Yellow marigold was offered to Ma Sarswati for the Puja. Students brought their books with them to be blessed by Goddess Saraswati. All of us had prasad and lunch after the puja.

Bani Bandana was observed on Sunday, January 29, at Ananda Mandir. It is our tradition to celebrate Bani Bandana a couple of days after Saraswati Puja. Both of these events are dedicated to

Goddess Saraswati. We had Hate Khori on this day again, and five kids came in for this ritual. We also had a cultural function, featuring dance, music, drama performed by kids at Tagore Hall in the afternoon. We have a number of talented kids in our community and they presented their talents on the stage.

On February 18 we had Maha Shivaratri Puja at Ananda Mandir. This is the day to honor and celebrate Lord Shiva. This is one of the most important festivals for the Hindu community. On this day people worship lord Shiva. Shiva and Shakti are two forms of one energy. Devotees hold a day long fast on this day. At night we had the celebration of Hima Chandan Aarati and Rajbesh of Lord Shiva. Some of our members stayed up all night at the temple on this day.

On February 19 we had our monthly Shayama Puja. February was a busy moth for us with two major pujas. All of us enjoyed these pujas and the attendance was great on these two days.

The month of March started with Dol Purnima/Holi. Dol Purnima is a one of the most popular festivals in India among the Hindus. We celebrated this on March 7 at Ananda Mandir. This festival is dedicated to Lord Sri Krishna. It is known as Festival of color. At Ananda Mandir, after the puja we rub color powder on each other’s face. It also signifies the end of winter and onset of spring. This was a fun day and all of us enjoyed the festival.

On March 21 we had our monthly Shyama Puja. As always, this puja was well attended by our devotees. In the evening after the Puja and Aarati we all had dinner.

The last puja for the month of March was Basanti Puja from 3/27 through 3/30. Basanti Puja is celebrated in the eastern parts of India. This puja is popular with Goddess Durga worshippers. As the name suggests, this puja is observed in the season of Spring. This is performed in the month of Chaitra in the Bengali calendar. On March 30th, Ram Nabami was celebrated. It is the birthday celebration of Lord Rama. We also had our monthly Satyanarayan Puja in the evening on this day. We perform all major pujas at Ananda Mandir.

Ananda Mandir is a Bengali Temple in New Jersey. We welcome everybody to come and pray with us at our Mandir. People are friendly and courteous. Please come and join us at the temple. Our temple hours are 9 to 11:30 am in the morning and 5:30 to 8:00 pm in the evening, 7 days a week. You can sponsor an online puja if you cannot make it to the temple. For all of our detail programs please go to our website at www.anandamandir.org.

Maha Shivaratri

Saraswati Puja

Hate Khori

Maha Shivaratri

BANI BANDANA: SALUTATION TO GODDESS SARASWATI BY ANANDA MANDIR CHILDREN

By Sudipta Choudhury (New Jersey)

Ananda Mandir serves the religious, spiritual and cultural needs of its members. In India, Goddess Saraswati is widely worshipped in schools and colleges till today, and the students enjoy the entire day with friends and family. Being in the US, this privilege is often not available to them. To maintain this tradition, Ananda Mandir planned Bani Bandana to be held on a Sunday, so that no one is left behind to cherish this beautiful celebration. Like every year, there were Pushpanjali, Hatey Khori, and a cultural program presented by the community children.

The program, held on Sunday, January 29, was opened by Arun Bhowmik, the General Secretary of Ananda Mandir. It was then followed by a dance on Devi Stuti by elementary school children. The participants were: Alina Bhakta Ghosh, Riyanshi Bhattacharya, Kavya Sarkar, Charulata Sengupta, Anooshka Sen and Ritika Sarkar. Winter was greeted with a Tagore song “Shiuli Phota Phurolo Jei Phurolo”, and the dance was performed by Auroni Sen, Aishi Chell, Anisha Bag and Ritika De. The dance school under Ananda Mandir School of Arts presented two Odissi dances under the

guidance of Smt. Mitra Purakayastha. The theme was ‘ya kundendu tushar haar dhabala “and the participants were Roma Das, Aditi Pattanaik, Siyona Satpathy and Anisha Mitra. The Bangla and the Recitation school under Ananda Mandir School of Arts under the guidance of Rituparna Das Dutta presented a series of poems written by different Bengali poets. Adrija Bhattacharya, a 5th grader trained in Hindustani vocal, spontaneously performed a Saraswati bandana on Raga Bairagi.

Among the other participants, there were a few instrumentalists who played as soloists on eastern and western tunes. Eshani Goswami and Sharanya Mukherjee were on keyboard. Eshani

played a very popular Indian tune from the film “Parineeta” whereas Sharanya played a western piece composed by Bach. Anooshka Sen, an elementary student, played violin on two beautiful music pieces: Gavotte and Musette.

We had two exceptional dancers: Ishaana Banerjee and Anuron Chakraborty. Ishaana danced on a Saraswati Bandana and Anuron, who has been learning Kathak for quite a few years now, presented his own composition.

The kids’ drama on Sukumar Ray’s Abol-Tabol directed by Nairita Banerjee and Joba Konar was very enjoyable. Each character from the book had come to life through their acting.

The last performance

was by our popular Youth Band. They played two nostalgic Bengali songs under the direction of Shreya Bhanja Choudhury. The participants were: Soumyanil Jana (violin), Sayanshuvra Chakraborty(saxophone), Dev Mitra (drums), Priyanshu Dasgupta (Guitar) and Shreya Bhanja Choudhury (Keyboard).

The two emcees were Soujattyo Dey and Ayushmaan Mukherjee. Both did an excellent job in presenting the entire program.

It is great to see how over the past few years, some of the kids have matured through their performances while the new group of children just joined and enjoyed their experience of being on such a big platform.

APARAJITO: ANIK DUTTA’S NEW MOVIE

Mandira Chattopadhyay (Ohio)

Someviewers may feel baffled by Anik Dutta’s recent movie Aparajito. Dutta launches onto an unknown path -– his trail is his own. Your take as a viewer would probably make more sense if you had a sense of the director’s perspective. Oddly, the film is not Ray’s biography, but it is about Ray’s perseverance and how he overcame all the obstacles he faced in his efforts to create Pather Panchali, his first movie.

The famous drama critic Samik Bandyopadhyay appears as the interviewer with Jeetu Kamal, the actor, portraying Satyajit Ray telling the story of his love for movie-making.

Bandyopadhyay’s clipped accents both in Bengali and English keep the audience absorbed to the story. Interestingly, Ray’s own voice interjects into the conversation-- a wonderful way of introducing us to the film. The conversation has Shakespearean overtones. We are immediately transported to that time.

Anik Dutta received his first schooling at Patha Bhavan (a non-traditional school producing a lot of creative people), of which Samik Bandyopadhyay was one of the founders. Later, with further education, and as an advertising agent, he met different people like Satyajit Ray. Hence, Dutta was exposed to westernized culture and sensibilities. As a result, his movie Aparajito has the right attitude and near perfect atmosphere.

Dutta’s film bears the same name as the second part of the Apu Trilogy. Aparajito (The Unvanquished) draws inspiration from the maestro Satyajit Ray’s fight to make his first international film, Pather Panchali. The movie starts with a scene of Satyajit Ray’s wife and mother listening to the interview with Ray on All India Radio. Ray had just completed the

movie a few months back.

Dutta points out Ray’s rejection of stereotypical characters and established, trained actors. He always hunted for the right person for the right role. Dutta shows the sincerity of Ray’s wife in this effort. While Ray and his wife stand by the window upstairs in their home watching kids playing on the street, his wife points to a boy and says, “Look, here is your Apu!”

When a girl is brought to play the role of Durga, Ray is not quite happy with her and asks her to leave. However, his wife takes the girl inside and makes her look like a country girl. This change makes Ray happy, and the girl gets the role. Later, when Durga dies, Sarbojaya (Sarbomangala) claims she cannot cry for her dead daughter.

Then Ray goes on to show how she is able to so: she burst into tears when her husband shows her the sari he brought for their daughter. This detail captures the empathetic situation more vividly.

When the old woman is chosen for the role of Indir Thakrun, his wife is surprised by how Ray finds her. Ray and the old lady bicker about how much she will be paid for her role. He wonders whether this lady will last through the film. When the crew puts a dummy in place of the old lady on a stretcher for the funeral, the lady insists on herself being put on the stretcher, to prepare her (hilariously) for her own death. Dutta recaptures Indir Thakrun’s death when Durga unwittingly pushes her over.

When Ray looks for a baldheaded person on whose head the first raindrop would fall, he comes across such a person, but the man slips away, Ray then sketches the person, and the crew subsequently finds him through the sketch. The incident shows not only Ray’s art-

istry (learned at VisvaBharati), but also his presence of mind.

Ray was fortunate to have the support and encouragement from his family and friends. The wit and warmth in the script come out in Ray’s home life. While he readies for his trip abroad, his mother brings him the picture of his deceased legendary father Sukumar Ray. Dutta captures this poignant moment when she asks him to seek his father’s blessings and assures him of continued success in his life and career.

As a novice filmmaker, Ray rejects the Indian films of that time: they all center on religion and music. He decides to go abroad to see more Western movies. He needs a leave of absence from his work with pay and convinces his British supervisor. Initially, his supervisor is hesitant but eventually his leave is granted, and he is even allowed to have his wife accompany him. While in England Ray sees Battleship Potemkin and Bicycle Thieves repeatedly. This affects the way he visualizes the screenplay in Pather Panchali. We also see how Ray learns the concept of the storyboard in London. Anik Dutta very cleverly highlights how nicely Ray maneuvers his way.

In the movie we also witness a quick movement of scenes. He brings together anecdotes collected from different scenes.

Neorealism has encouraged Ray’s belief in spontaneity. In a rain scene he is not pleased with the artificial rain his crew creates in Pather Panchali, so he asks them to wait for the real rain. Magically, the raindrops start to fall. Apu and Durga are completely drenched. Similarly, when different people suggest that he hire some professional cameramen, he chooses a very ordinary cameraman that he knew, which proves to be a perfect choice. Cinematographer Subrata Mitra deserves special credit

for the pond scene where the siblings are clearly reflected in the water while a dog follows their reflections in the water for a concealed biscuit.

Dutta cleverly shows Ray’s musical talent and his ability to interact with musicians. One is led to believe that Ray was well versed in Indian classical music as he introduced Ravi Shankar’s soft music in the background.

To Anik Dutta, the winning appearance of Ray’s wife (ably acted by Saayoni Ghosh) is also important. He paints a portrait of an astute, caring wife. She comforts her husband to move on with his project when Ray is short of money to make the movie. His wife comes forward to offer her jewelry (an actual event). When that is not enough, she advises Ray to write to different government officials for funds for the movie. In the premier show of Pather Panchali we see her distributing the pamphlets and comforting her husband when some foreigners made remarks with a colonial attitude. She makes sure her husband has enough sleep and keeps their young son away so he will not disturb Ray’s thoughts.

Jeetu Kamal’s portrayal of Satyajit Ray is simply fabulous. He appears as Ray’s split image as emphasized by various mannerisms, which include the way he positions his arm behind his head, smokes a cigarette, and stares unflinchingly at sponsors telling him to add song, dances and romance to the plot.

Ray’s mother encourages him to take his wife along with him in his adventure. Anik Dutta shows how Ray knew how to make his path smooth. While abroad he is impressed by the famous filmmaker Renoir. When Renoir comes to India to take some snapshots for his movie River, he looks for someone to accompany him in the countryside. Ray offers his service. While trave-

ling together, Ray mentions that he was trying to make a movie out of legendary Bibhuti Bhushan Bandyopadhyay’s Pather Panchali. Renoir encourages him to “Go for it!”

Satyajit Ray is always hunting for the right location for his films. He wants to put his characters in the right landscape. He is fortunate when one of his coworkers tells him about a unique countryside that will serve as the setting for his film. Immediately, it dawns on him how Renoir taught him how to capture the right scene and to seize the moment. As they reach the place that the coworker mentioned, he finds himself in the middle of a catkin field. The charming wind blows the tips of the tall catkin flowers. Birds are all singing, greenery everywhere, in between a little boy running behind his sister.

Anik Dutta also shows the iconic train scene. He brilliantly shows how the captivating scene of the approaching train and its sounds, Apu and his sister run after it, reflected in the water with the catkins blowing in the breeze. We see the engine from one side, then another, and then another. This idea of taking shots of the train from different angles and putting them together, a technique popularly known as Montage, was initially used in the famous Russian movie Battleship Potemkin.

In his film, Anik Dutta offers a wealth of information on Satyajit Ray’s cinematic background and influences. The archival details bring an authenticity and reality to Ray’s artistic accomplishments. The resulting awards and acclaim are richly deserved. Aparajito is a remarkable cinematic experience which makes its mark because of its sensitive portrayal of Ray, a man who had a dream and knew how to make it come true. Bravo! This movie has been selected for the International Film Festival in Toronto.

LIGHT OF THE HEAVENS

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versity of Alaska.

We visited the Arctic Circle the next day. The Arctic Circle in Alaska is located at 66°33’39.8”N Latitude and -153°41’6.3”W Longitude. It is the northernmost point at which the sun is visible on the winter solstice. The whole trip was approximately fourteen hours on the bus. No words can describe the ‘freezing-cold outside and the nervechilling inside experience’ of that day. There was a bathroom break in the middle of nowhere deep in the mountains. There was no heating, no running water, or toilet paper. I could understand the reason immediately after I dared to open my pants. My buttocks almost felt a sharp bite from the freezing cold. Like everyone else, I somehow managed to survive that time, but I could have lost my legs, or, even died later that day. My first pair of socks were made of cotton to keep my feet dry. Then I had a commercially available foot warmer that was supposed to be activated after I started walking on ice. Finally, I had a pair of woolen socks, and then I had my special shoes for this trip. I don’t know why and how the foot warmers got activated even when I was sitting inside the minivan. I was unaware of the amount of sweat my feet generated and it made my cotton socks wet. At the Arctic Circle, I started slipping after walking three-four steps. That sweat got frozen and my feet started getting cold. I was so fortunate that I could return to the minivan before that extreme cold temperature of minus forty-six

degrees Celsius could initiate frostbite and hypothermia. I was also lucky to carry two extra pairs of socks. With a prolonged massage and repeatedly changing my socks, I finally got rid of the sweat. It was really a horrible experience that I will never forget.

All is well that ends well. It was the last night when nature was really kind to us. That night we booked another aurora-watching trip with Viator. We ventured deep into the woods for almost the whole night with a campfire arrangement, hot beverages, and food. As soon as we arrived at our destination, the tour guide yelled, “Come outside, just see her”.

And yesss... we saw her, the goddess Aurora of Norse Mythology, dancing around the dark sky in her own rhythm. Her chariot was roaming all over the dark sky. In her magnificent green dress with yellow and pink hints, she was looking celestially stunning. We were awestruck spectators of that heavenly sight. We, the three bong scientists, thanked the universe for giving us this rare opportunity to be alive that night, to be present there. We thanked the universe for giving us eyes to observe that wonder. I knew how the Aurora occurs. I knew that electrically charged particles from the sun interact with nitrogen, helium, and oxygen in the atmosphere when they enter the atmosphere. I read about how and why that natural ‘laser show’ happens. When I finally saw her, I simply wanted to be like an ignorant child, submitting all my knowledge to the goddess Aurora. I wanted her to teach me how this optical wonder happens by showing that incredibly designed experiment. Her beauty made me love physics even more.

The crystal-clear sky on our way back home revealed a few more beauties of the night sky. I saw Orion, the Ursa Major constellation, and a little bit of Aurora from the window seat of my Alaskan Airlines flight. Who says green is the color of envy? To me, green is, and always will be the color of the Aurora Borealis.

NOBEL OR NO NOBEL?

By Dilip Chakrabarti (New Jersey)

In1998 Dr. Amartya Sen, the renowned Professor of Economics was awarded a prize during the ceremony of Nobel Prize by the Sverige’s Riksbank Prize in memory of Alfred Nobel. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is responsible for selecting the Laureates in Economic Science. We, the Indians, became very happy and proud to see that another son of our country could put his name into this elite list of these achievers.

In the wake of Dr. Amartya Sen’s receiving this award, a controversy has emerged among the Academia, Intellectuals even among the common people. Some are firmly arguing that he did not receive the Nobel Prize while others are arguing that since he received the prize during the Ceremony of Nobel Prize, it is very clear that he has received the Nobel Prize in Economic Science. To resolve this issue, I shall try to present a few facts about the Nobel Prize. Hopefully, after reading this article the readers should be able to decide whether Dr. Sen has indeed received the extremely coveted award named the “Nobel Prize”. Alfred Nobel, the founder of Nobel Prize, was a God gifted Scientist who has many inventions to his credit including Dynamite. Alfred Nobel (in full Alfred Bernhard Nobel), was born in October 21, 1833, in Stockholm, Sweden, and died on December 10, 1896, San Remo, Italy. Alfred Nobel was the fourth son of Immanuel and Caroline Nobel. Immanuel was an inventor and engineer who had married Karolina Andriette Nobel (nee Ahlsell) in 1827. The couple had eight children, of whom only Alfred and three of his brothers reached adulthood. Immanuel’s family moved to St. Peterburg, Russia, Alfred’s early education started in Russia. He received his education that made him a chemist, engineer, and industrialist who invented dynamite and even more powerful many other explosives. After that Alfred Nobel left Russia in 1850 to spend a year in Paris to study chemistry and then went to the United States and started to work under the supervision of John Ericsson, a famous builder of the ironclad warship Monitor. After returning to St. Petersburg, Alfred started to work in father’s factory. After many failed struggles the family moved back to Sweden leaving two of his brothers in Russia to salvage the family property whatever they could. Eventually the luck turned around and Alfred Nobel turned to become an

industrialist and finally he could put a pivotal step in the society as an inventor and as a famous businessman, industrialist and a philanthropist. His fame and kindness started to shine as a lover of humanity in his country and beyond. “By 1895 Nobel had developed angina pectoris, and he died of a cerebral hemorrhage at his villa in San Remo, Italy, in 1896.” The reading of his will greatly surprised his family and friends to see that the bulk of his fortune was left in a trust to establish the most highly regarded of international awards, named the “Nobel Prize”. It is thought that 31 million Swedish Krones (around 1.8 billion $ in today’s money) was endowed for this foundation. In accordance with his will, it was decided that “Nobel Prize will be given annually in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace”. So, only five subjects were chosen for Nobel Prize by Alfred Nobel himself. However, in 1968, a Swedish Bank, named Sverige’s Riksbank, donated a substantial amount of money to create a prize of the same prestige as the “Nobel Prize”. And this prize was meant to be given in the field of “Economics Sciences” in “memory of Alfred Nobel”. Since the inception of this prize, it is given on the same day and time in the same venue where all the Nobel Prizes are presented to the winners. “The first prize in Economic Sciences was awarded (jointly) to Ragnar Frisch and Jan Tinbergen in 1969. The winner(s) of the prize in Economic Sciences is selected by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden, according to the same principles as for the Nobel Prizes that have been awarded since 1901. Dr. Amartya Sen received this prize in 1998 in Economic Sciences which was awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden, following the same principles and standards as for the “Nobel Prize”. It will be quite relevant to mention in a few words the selection process for the winners in the original five fields of Nobel Prize and in Economic Sciences is conducted. Although the winners are announced in October and November, the process of selection usually begins in early autumn of the preceding year. The prizeawarding institutions invite more than 6000 individuals to propose or nominate candidates for the Nobel Prize or Prize in Economic Sciences in memory of “Alfred Nobel”. These nominations come from past Nobel Laureates, many

prize-awarding Institutions, and recognized scholars active in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, Peace and Economic Sciences. Normally these nominations range in number from 100 to 250. Self-nomination automatically disqualifies any nominee. These proposals must be submitted on or before January 31st of the awarding year to the Committee. The Committee then decides on the merit of their work, research etc. who will receive the Nobel Prize in relevant subject and the Economic Sciences. Maximum of three persons can jointly receive the prize in any subject. Only Nobel Peace Prize can go to any organization. In the 122-year history of Nobel Prizes, only four individuals have received the award twice. They are Frederick Sanger, Linus Pauling, John Bardeen and Marie Curie. “The Curie family received the most prizes, with four prizes awarded to five members of the family. Marie Curie received the prizes in 1903 (in Physics) and in 1911 (in Chemistry).” The only person who refused the Nobel Prize is General Le Duc Tho of Vietnam. When the Armistice was broken during the 1972 Christmas by bombing Hanoi under the order of Henry Kissinger, Le Duc Tho did not like it at all. In 1973, when the Nobel Prize was awarded to him together with Henry Kissinger, General Le Duc Tho refused to accept the prize because his corecipient, Kissinger, had violated the truce between Vietnam and USA, destroying so many lives in Hanoi. Thus, he became the only person who refused to receive a Nobel Prize. Any Indian, Bengali or not, should be proud of Dr. Amartya Sen for receiving the highest award of Economic Sciences in the world -- whether it is a “Nobel Prize” or the “Prize in memory of Alfred Nobel”. However, this award is recognized in many ways as equivalent to the “Nobel Prize” itself. All recipients are recognized and adorned as “Nobel Laureates”. The financial reward of the Economics prize is similar to the usual “Nobel Prizes”. and it has added substantial amount of money to Dr. Sen’s bank account. I believe that after the perusal of this article the reader should be able to decide whether Dr. Amartya Sen deserves to be called a “Nobel Prize” winner or not. Finally, no matter what, he is India’s pride and Bengal’s glory, who wore the “Nobel Prize” medal and proudly walked out into the world as one of the “Nobel Laureates.” References: Internet sources found through Google

BOOK REVIEWS

“AGE OF VICE” BY DEEPTI KAPOOR

Book

It is tremendously difficult to resist Deepti Kapoor’s Age of Vice (published by Riverhead/Penguin Books, New York, 2023, hardcover, 548 pages), and I mean that both physically and in the literary sense. Even if you aren’t a book nerd, as I am (and proudly so), it will announce itself loudly from its spot in the very front of virtually every bookstore. For me, a lifelong lover of Indian authors in the diaspora, let’s just say I was actively counting down to the release date.

Without revealing any spoilers, I am happy to report that Deepti Kapoor does not disappoint. The plot of Age of Vice - part-thriller, part-drama - moves at full-throttle in time and space, taking us from rural Uttar Pradesh to northern mountain locales to Goa, as two main characters - Ajay and Sunny - face ubiquitous corruption at every turn. While Ajay’s young life is marked by loss and Sunny is surrounded by the spoils of wealth, Kapoor resists such simple categories as good and evil. After a tragic accident takes the lives of five bystanders, Ajay and Sunny become inextricably linked, challenging us with questions of what determines innocence and guilt. Both male characters are nuanced and multilayered, evolving with each new hurdle.

It was while I was immersed in Ajay and Sunny’s stories that I began to wonder, why no female characters? Of course, just then Neda emerged as the third point in the key triangle of characters, the observer of the male-dominated plot line who must choose between her heart and her mind. It was in Neda’s narrative, interestingly, that I lost my footing. Ever the rooter of underdogs, I wanted to like her; I just couldn’t. Perhaps the love did not convince me; perhaps the point was not to like her; perhaps the point was not to like anyone.

After all, Age of Vice sticks to its title. This slice of India concerns itself with the wealthy and powerful dynasties that control everyone in their path. Local, regional, and higher-up, wherever men congregate, they indulge in vice. While there are graphic and gory scenes, it does not do so gratuitously. These are men who have lost their morals in the throes of the pursuit of power and money. If their pursuit comes at the cost of plenty of dead characters, it seems

“SURAT TO SAN FRANCISCO”

BY MAHENDRA K. DOSHI

Book Review by Debajyoti Chatterji (New Jersey)

to be Kapoor’s point. The corruption that toxifies so many sectors of Indian society, from street sellers to local magistrates, commissioners to police - Indians suffer from broken systems and devastating disparities in wealth. The most powerful live in a vacuum, but vices in the vacuum spread fastest.

The diaspora of Indian literature has long intrigued me, not least of all because of miniscule shift of a kaleidoscope - the acceptance of a job in Austin instead of Vancouver; an aunt in Liverpool instead of Dubai - opens our eyes to completely different lands. The India Kapoor describes is not one that calls to me, whispering dreams of an idyll, but one that sadly resembles all too closely what the United States, also my homeland, feels like some days. Politicians smiling for photo ops and failing to create any structural differences in the lives of the impoverished. A criminal justice system that purports to be blind but locks up Black men at appalling rates. A culture of addiction, of excess, of materialism and superficiality. In Kapoor’s India, the generation coming into power is not from what has come before: all the more worrying given how grim her original picture is.

All the same, I do recommend this book, particularly to fans of action novels. I have plenty of friends (almost all male) who tell me they don’t like their books to be “talky” - i.e., they don’t want lots of internal dialogue. I don’t quite understand this, but I respect it all the same in another reader as an important characteristic. For those, this book will rise to the top.

For those looking for a dizzying view into modern India, who love the epic sort of tale that moves relentlessly from one dramatic episode to the next, who love the sheer rhythm of a story artfully told, this one’s worth the time.

If you’re like my father, who claims he got tennis elbow from reading heavy hardcovers, do yourself a favor: read it on your tablet, or wait for a paperback.

NOTE: Kooheli Chatterji has been an independent school principal, dean, and teacher for the past 25 years and is currently earning her Masters in Social Work from Rutgers University.

The byline of the book’s title succinctly summarizes its scope: “How the Patels from Gujarat Established the Hotel Business in California during 1942 to 1960”. The book is published by Trailblazers Publishing, LLC, San Jose, CA. (2022, hardcover, 338 pages). Copies can also be obtained directly from the author (mahendra.kumar.doshi@gmail.com).

When I came across this book, I immediately felt a kinship with the author because of my own interest in the history of Bengalis who immigrated to the United States before 1971 (when the immigration laws were clearly discriminatory against virtually all Asians). When I finished reviewing the book, I was truly impressed with the depth of research conducted by the author on a thin but very important slice of the history of Gujarati immigrants in this country.

As most of us know, the “Patels from Gujarat” have been immensely successful in the hospitality sector in America. According to various published reports, 40 to 60% of hotels and motels in the US are owned by Patels. As Doshi explains, Patels came in small groups of 2 to 4 men as early as the 1930s from India (often via Trinidad or Panama where Patels had already established small networks). They had come as sojourners, hoping to make some money and then return to India after a few years. By 1940, a few brave pioneers had settled in California and found jobs as low-paid, hourly laborers in the farming sector. As Mr Doshi’s research shows, their entry into the hotel/motel business was an opportunistic move by one Gujarati living and working in the Sacramento area as a farm-hand. His name was Kanji Manchu Desai (Kanjibhai). In 1942, he leased an SRO (Single Resident Occupancy) building in Sacramento from a European owner, although he had no experience whatsoever with the hospitality business. Two of his Gujarati friends also entered the SRO business within a couple of years. Kanjibhai subsequently moved to San Francisco’s Mission District and leased a larger property with better business prospects. In time, Kanjibhai attracted many Patels from Surat, his home region in Gujarat, into hotel/motel business in the Bay Area and acted as their mentor and financier.

Mr. Doshi not only provides an extensive account of Kanjibhai’s life and influence but also provides crisp descriptions of journeys and experiences of many Patel families who immigrated to the US and other countries before and after the arrival of Kanjibhai. He interviewed over 150 Patel families in California and elsewhere whose forefathers had owned and operated hotels and motels, following the footsteps of Kanjibhai and the other pioneers of that era. The book is full of many interesting details the author gathered through his interviews and includes numerous photographs and documents he collected from these families.

The book is nicely structured and lucidly written. Although the author focuses only on a narrow timespan, 1942 to 1960, when the Patels established their footprints in the American hotel/motel business, he covers the personalities, events and experiences of the pioneers in a comprehensive manner. Let me cite the titles of some of the chapters in the book to give you a flavor of the author’s coverage: The Gujaratis and America, The Early Arrival of Patels, The Three Founders of the Patel Hospitality Business in America, The Patels in the SROs, LuceCellar Act & Lottery Visa Winners, The Founders and the Later Years, The Role of Pioneering Patel Women in the San Francisco Bay Area, etc.

Our readers may find it interesting that Mr Doshi has a strong “Bong Connection”. He was born in the Saurasthra region of Gujarat but moved to Kolkata early in his life. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Presidency College (1964) and his master’s degree from the University of Calcutta (1966). He subsequently came to the United States and received his MA (in History) from the University of Nevada at Reno.

I recommend this book to all who have interest in learning about the history of the immigration of various Indian ethnic groups to Canada and the United States. If you read and liked “Bengali Harlem” by Vivek Bald, you will find this book as a worthy follower. Furthermore, this book will help us develop a deep respect for the hardworking, entrepreneurial Patel community that has earned a special place in the American hospitality business.

Review by Kooheli Chatterji (New Jersey)

ICC-GS Corner

By Pratap Das (New Jersey)

TheIndian Community Center of Garden State elected a new Executive Committee at the end of the year 2022. The new team has members with extensive experiences in managing communities and organizations, as well as a few new members to bring new initiatives and perspectives. Indian Community Center of Garden State (ICC) believes that this new team will bring fresh ideas and a renewed energy to our community. Our new executive team comprises:

▪ President: Nilay Hait

▪ Vice President: Abhishek

Banerji

▪ General Secretary: Seemanta Mitra

▪ Cultural secretary: Arpita Gupta

▪ Treasurer: Kamal Chakraborty

▪ Communication Secretary: Pratap Das

▪ Recreation Secretary: Arnab Chakraborty

▪ Member at Large: Rama Haldar

The first quarter of 2023 has been a busy time for ICC, with many exciting events and initiatives taking place. Here’s a summary of what’s been happening over the past 2 months:

January:

The year started off with a bang as the community came together to celebrate “Poush Parbon”. The new ICC Executive committee hosted, for the first time in ICC history, this event to celebrate our traditional winter’s sweet delicacies. Along with traditional ‘Pithey’ and dinner, there were fun activities for every age group and live music. The event was attended by many people of all ages. It was a historical, and sell-out event!

February:

February brought the community together to celebrate the goddess of knowledge, music, and art - Maa Saras-

wati’s Puja. The puja was observed with prayers, offerings, food, and cultural programs.

This year’s Saraswati Puja was a huge success! Every community member contributed their time, energy, and resources to make this event a memorable one. It was attended by many members of our community, including children, adults, and seniors.

The entire event was filled with joy, enthusiasm, and positive energy.

We had an array of cultural programs such as singing, dancing, Shruti Natok and many more, which added to the overall ambiance of the Puja.

The food served was delicious! Everyone has been raving about the food, and ICC has received numerous compliments on the quality and taste.

The decorations were stunning, thanks to the hard work of our volunteers. Everyone worked together!

NJPA CORNER

By Chanakya Ganguly (New Jersey)

OnJanuary 26th, 2023, NJPA celebrated Saraswati Puja, in a new format. Due to the Covid situation, the event was conducted online over Google Meet with some interaction from the participants. Culture was discussed from the point of view of an expression of joy, bliss, spirit, inner fulfillment coming from the meditative mind. It was about an hour-long discussion and demonstration on the Yogic symbolism of Saraswati by Chanakya Ganguly, Secretary, NJPA, from these three perspectives: [1] Focus on ethics, mind, health, character, concentration, consciousness. [2] Connection with Yoga, Pranayama, Meditation, Self-Realization, Ayurveda. [3] Expression of the Spiritual Mind in Classical Music, Arts and Life-long Learning. This included discussions on ethics, mind, health, real-life examples of management and wisdom like Dostoevsky, Plato’s, Tagore, ex-Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini, followed by Yoga, Meditation Practice. It was then followed by some Indian semi-classical vocal music rendition explaining the Ragas, along with showing similarities in rhythmic patterns in the West like Nat King Cole. Saraswati (Goddess of Learning) puja spiritual symbolism - four arms: four elements of inner life - Dharma (Calm, Centered, Grounded - Dharana, Dhyan, Samadhi), Artha (Money to find Meaning in Life, Right Livelihood, Conscious Capitalism), Kama (Sensible Pleasures, not Hedonism, Classical Music, Dance, Arts, Sanskrit, Ayurveda, Literature, Research, Martial Arts, Life-long learning), Moksha (Mukti, Spiritual Freedom, Self-Realization, Inner Happiness, Peace).

Train the mind, intellect, ego, consciousness for emotional intelligence, inclusivity, right, wrong discrimination, avoid destruction; veena (sitar) classical arts to express enlightenment), beads-spiritual discipline, white sari, less jewels, cool meditative mind like the mountain lake, lotus (detached), rise over baser instincts. Thus, instead of the model of success driven by GDP and Consumerism, one pursues a Spiritual model driven by Moksha for inner happiness.

The Yogic System is meant to sustain God Consciousness, transform or curtail negative tendencies in humans and society for Dharmic Governance & Civility. Dostoevsky in, “Demons” (1872), writes, misused power, indifference, lack of responsibility, leads to nihilism, chaos, costing lives. Plato in, the “Republic” argues leaders should be philosopher kings, King (Raja)+Sage (Rishi) as in Yoga. Aetna CEO, Bertolini says, Yoga stills, interiorizes his mind to respond to issues appropriately, manage time, sleep, nerve injury, meetings, life, people better.

Stay warm, upbeat, rugged this enduring winter with calm and resolve, as Robert Frost says, “He will not see me stopping here, to watch his woods fill up with snow”. In the journey of Life, it is important to be active with increased awareness. Hence the commitment to increase one’s spiritual focus daily, can prevent deviations, for true rest, to progress towards fulfilled promise. Information about upcoming events will be available on our Facebook page “NJPA Parivar.”