Ananda Sangbad 2022 Q4

Ananda Sangbad

A Quarterly Publication of Ananda Mandir, New Jersey October 2022

ANANDA MANDIR INAUGURATES SCHOOL OF ARTS

Fromthe very beginning, Ananda Mandir was envisioned as a multi-faceted organization with four structural pillars: Religious Services, Cultural Enrichment, Social Interactions and Educational Offerings. Over the years, we have made significant progress towards building the first three of these four pillars of organizational strength. Now we are increasing ourattention to the fourth organizational pillar: Educational Offerings. Our mission isto create and nurture a dynamic community of talented learners that makes the best use ofthe resources of the local Bengali community.

On Saturday, September

3, Ananda Mandir took one big step towards realizing that vision by inaugurating

By Rituaparna Das Datta (New Jersey)

Ananda Mandir School of Arts (AMSOA). On that day, the renowned dance teacher, Smt. Mitra Purkayastha, gave the first dance lessons in Odissi and Manipuri to AMSOA students. We will have the first class of Bangla School on Sunday, September 11, to be given by the well-known elocutionist, Ritu Das Datta. Apart from Bangla language, she will give classes on performance poetry as well. Other two streams of AMSOA, music lessons and painting classes are scheduled to start after the puja season.

When fully established,

AMSOA will offer four streams of instruction: Classical Indian Dance, Vocal Indian Music, Bangla Language and Recitation, and Painting and Sketching.

To introduce AMSOA to interested students and parents, we held an “Open House”after the celebration of India’s 75th Independence Day on Sunday, August 14. Parents were invited to visit to our new classroom, chat with the teachers, and register their kids. Registration is still open for all four streams.

AMSOA will have a uniform structured curriculum

and governance and our own performance assessment process. Students will get the opportunity to publicly showcase their talents in every stream.

AMSOA has the potential to be a proper platform – a vehicle to traverse the path of achieving artistic excellence – in poetry, music, painting and dance to start with, and eventually in other art forms as well.

We dream that AMSOA one day will be reckoned as an eminent educational institution, a breeding ground forlocal talents. We are starting a new journey and seeking good wishes from you all, your blessings, and most importantly, your active participation in this unique educational venture.

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

OCTOBER, 2022

DURGA PUJA

Saturday, 01 to Wednesday, 05

KOJAGORI LAKSHMI PUJA

Sunday, 09

SATYANARAYAN PUJA

Sunday, 09

MAHA KALI PUJA & DIWALI

Monday, 24

CULTURAL PROGRAM

Saturday, 22 (Jatra)

NOVEMBER, 2022

RASJATRA & SATYANARYAN PUJA

Monday, 7

SHYAMA PUJA

Wednesday, 23

DECEMBER, 2022

SATYANARAYAN PUJA

Sunday, 4

SHYAMA PUJA

Thursday, 22

CULTURAL PROGRAM

Sunday, 11

JANUARY, 2023

NEW YEAR – DARSHAN & PUJA

Sunday, 1

SATYANARAYAN PUJA

Sunday, 1

RATANTIKALIKA PUJA

Friday, 20

SARASWATI PUJA

Thursday, 26

BANI BANDANA &SATYANARAYAN PUJA

Sunday, 29

(*) 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

Thank you, Guru, for all you have done for Ananda Sangbad (and Ananda Mandir)!

Ifyou are a New Jerseybased member of Ananda Mandir, you may have already heard that Guru Chakravarty has stepped down from his position of Executive Editor of Ananda Sangbad for health reasons. If you haven’t heard the news, I regret to share this development with you. While we wish all the best to Guru, we must acknowledge the tremendous contributions he has made over the years to Ananda Mandir in various capacities for more than fifteen years.

Guru became a member of the Publication Committee (responsible for two regular publications: Ananda Sangbad, a quarterly news magazine, and Anandalipi, an annual literary magazine)

in 2010. His responsibilities increased manifold when he assumed the responsibilities of Managing Editor Editor (subsequently named Executive Editor) of Ananda Sangbad in 2014. Here are some of his many accomplishments during the past ten years:

• maintaining a strict timeline for publishing and mailing each and every issue by closely working with the layout designer in Kolkata, the printer in Queens, getting all the address labels done, and organizing the big task of carrying bags and bags of the newspaper to the post office every quarter;

• bringing in a large number of new writers, many from outside the editorial team, even some from other states like MA, CA, TX, IL,

etc.

• broadening the variety of articles by adding categories like Science & Technology, Health Care & Medicine, Sports, etc.;

• collecting and personally editing committee reports -- and reports from corporate members (NJPA, ICC, GSCA, etc.) every quarter; and

• regularly raising advertisements, donations and sponsorship to make Ananda Sangbad financially self-sufficient year after year.

The above list of Guru’s accomplishments does not include his many contributions to the religious side of Ananda Mandir’s activities. He was deeply involved in procuring all of our deities from expert stone artisans in Rajasthan and West Ben-

gal.. As a key member of our volunteer team of backup priests, he helped Biswabhai on many religious events during last fifteen years. And he was a devoted and disciplined member of our Awards & Recognition Committee from its inception. Last but not the least, he served on the Board of Trustees of Ananda Mandir for several years in the early days of the organization.

We will miss Guru in many, many activities of Ananda Mandir. It will be very difficult for us to find someone who would be able to fill the giant organizational void left behind by Guru.

Debajyoti Chatterji Executive Editor (Acting)

INDIA’S INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATED

AsIndia marked its 75th year of independence, the Ananda Mandir community paid homage to our motherland. The event on Sunday, August 14, started with a procession followed by the flag hoisting ceremony, led by our priest Biswabhai and Dr. Dipak Sarkar, our past president. As the national anthem of India, “Jana Gana Mana…” was sung by the entire crowd, it triggered feelings of nostalgia as we reminisced about our childhood days in our motherland.

The US national anthem was sung by Ronit Chakraborty, a high school student. A speech on India’s Independence was delivered by Dr. Dipak Sarkar. This was followed by a few other performances from the older and younger gen-

Reported by Sudipta Bhanja Choudhury (New Jersey)

erations. “Bharat Amar Bharat Barsho,” a very sentimental song on our motherland was sung by Sri Arun Bhowmik followed by the iconic “VandeMataram,” presented by Shreya Choudhury. The next performance stole everyone’s hearts when 6-year-old, Ishanaa Banerjee recited Tagore’s poem, “Where the mind is without Fear,” followed by the song, “Ae Watan, Mere Watan.” The brother-sister duo, Soujattyo and Soumili Dey recited a Tagore poem depict-

ing the scenes from the Bengal countryside. High school student Ayushmaan Mukherjee talked about India’s Independence, as he saw it being brought up in the US.

The program was concluded with Sahil Ghosh (age 12), who also gave his views on India’s independence and sang a beautiful patriotic song.

The food and blood drives for the Somerset County were two other successful events arranged by Ananda Mandir volunteers during the last quarter (described elsewhere in this magazine).

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

BREAST CANCER

By Jaya M. Satagopan, PhD (New Jersey)

Breastcancer is a common cancer diagnosis affecting women worldwide. The word “breast cancer” frequently elicits a rollercoaster of emotions for women and their families and often conjures images of pain and imminent death. Modern medicine offers excellent screening strategies, diagnostic methods, and treatments to allay such bleak attitudes about breast cancer. Adapting physician-recommended breast screening and preventive measures are critical for reducing the risk of breast cancer and for detecting the disease early.

What is breast cancer?

Our body is made up of trillions of cells. Cells take nutrients from the food that we consume, convert the nutrients into energy, and perform special tasks to help our bodies function. The cells in our body divide regularly to make new cells. During cell division, a cell divides into two identical new cells. Each new cell subsequently divides into two identical new cells, and so on. This process replaces any worn out cells in our body and helps us grow. Sometimes cell division may result in new cells having some abnormalities. These abnormal cells may divide more quickly than healthy cells, which may lead to adverse health conditions such as cancer.

Breast cancer occurs when some cells in the breast become abnormal and divide more rapidly than healthy cells. These abnormal cells accumulate, and form lumps known as tumors. Tumors may be non-cancerous or cancerous. Cells from non-cancerous tumors, also known as benign tumors, do not spread to nearby tissues or to other parts of the body. Cells from cancerous tumors can spread to nearby tissues in the breast or travel to other parts of the body where they can divide and form new lumps. When abnormal breast cells divide and spread to other tissues or travel to other parts of the body where they can continue to divide, it is known as breast cancer. Physicians can test a lump to determine whether it is a benign tumor

or a breast cancer.

Why does breast cancer occur?

Breast cancer occurs due to several reasons. An important reason is age. As a person ages, there are more opportunities for some cells to become abnormal. Our body is equipped with natural mechanisms to prevent our cells from becoming abnormal. However, as we age, our body may become less capable of preventing abnormalities. Hence, the risk of breast cancer, or any cancer, increases with age.

Another important reason is hormonal factors. A woman’s body produces substantial amounts of hormones such as estrogen from the onset of her first menstruation until her first full term pregnancy, after which the amounts of hormones decrease until menopause, and reduces considerably after menopause. Early age at first menstruation, late first fullterm pregnancy or never being pregnant, and late age at menopause prolong a woman’s exposure to estrogen and other hormones. These hormones can stimulate breast tissues to increase cell division, which can increase the risk of developing breast cancer.

Additional reasons include family history of breast cancer, genetic factors, postmenopausal obesity, alcohol consumption, and radiation exposure, amongst others.

How is breast cancer diagnosed?

A biopsy of a breast lump is the only definitive way to diagnose breast cancer. During biopsy, a physician will use a needle to extract some tissues from a breast lump. Experts in a laboratory will examine the cells in this tissue to determine whether they are cancerous. Before doing a biopsy, a physician may also conduct other examinations. A physician will examine the breast(s) and armpits for lumps. A physician may use a mammogram, which is an X-ray of the breast, or magnetic resonance imaging, which takes detailed pictures of areas inside the breast, to

examine abnormalities inside the breast. A physician may also use an ultrasound to determine whether a breast lump is simply a fluid-filled cyst, which would be a benign tumor, or a solid mass of tissue that requires further examination using a biopsy.

What are the fundamental characteristics of breast cancer?

A breast cancer is typically characterized by stage and certain hormone or protein status. Stage describes the size of the tumor and how far it has spread from where it originated. The stages of cancer are - stage I, stage II, stage III, and stage IV. Typically, the higher the stage, the larger the size of the tumor and the more it has spread. A breast cancer with a positive estrogen receptor (ER) status uses the hormone estrogen to grow. A breast cancer with a positive progesterone receptor (PR) status uses the hormone progesterone to grow. A breast cancer with a positive human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status uses the HER2

protein to grow. Breast cancers that are ER negative, PR negative, and HER2 negative are referred to as triple negative tumors.

How is breast cancer treated?

The main goal of treatment is to destroy all the cancer cells in the body. This is typically achieved through a combination of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and specialized drugs that depend upon the tumor’s characteristics. For example, a woman with stage I breast cancer may first receive breast conservation surgery that removes the tumor and some surrounding normal tissue, retaining the remainder of the breast, and radiation. She may then receive a specialized drug - if her tumor is ER positive, she may be treated with hormone therapy drugs that stop estrogen from feeding breast cancer cells to grow; if her tumor is HER2 positive, she may be treated with monoclonal antibody drugs that encourage the body’s immune system to recognize and destroy breast cancer cells. In con-

trast, breast cancers in higher stages require more complex treatment strategies. For example, a woman with stage III breast cancer may first receive chemotherapy, which is a drug based on powerful chemicals, and specialized drugs depending upon her tumor’s characteristics to reduce the size of her tumor. She may then undergo breast conservation surgery if her tumor shrinks in size or she may undergo mastectomy to remove the entire breast if her tumor does not shrink in size, and then radiation. She may subsequently undergo additional treatment with specialized drugs. Thus, it is crucial to diagnose breast cancer at an early stage when it is easier to treat.

How can breast cancer be prevented?

There is no definite way to prevent breast cancer. However, we can do several things to reduce our risk of getting breast cancer and to detect breast cancer early. Maintaining a healthy lifecontinue to page 5 }

Remembering Kamal Aditya

highly successful businessman in retail and construction sectors in the NY-NJ area.

Here are a few comments about Kamal Aditya’s role in the success of Ananda Mandir from leading members of the community:

Amitabha Bagchi: “Truly saddened to hear the news. His support was crucial in the early stages of Ananda Mandir and the purchase of the mandir’s property on Cedar Grove Lane.”

In the early evening of Thursday, August 18, Ananda Mandir lost one its earliest and strongest well-wishers and benefactors, Kamal Aditya. He was 88 years of age. He is survived by his wife, Chhanda (a current member of the Board of Trustees and a past president), one son, three daughters and a number of grandchildren. The entire Ananda Mandir community is deeply saddened by this loss and wishes eternal peace for his departed soul.

Kamal was born in Jessore (now in Bangladesh) but spent his early years in West Bengal before coming to the US. He was one of the early Bengali immigrants who boldly ventured into the business world, and through dedication, perseverance and smart risk-taking, established himself as a

Ashok Rakhit: “Kamalda has been with Ananda Mandir since its inception. He and Boudi have always supported the making of Ananda Mandir at this site. Whenever he saw me, he always expressed his support and his appreciation for our second phase of site development. I knew Kamalda from our involvement in Jersey City Durga Puja in my early years in New Jersey in the eighties. Bandana and I will miss him sorely during future events.”

Dilip& Jayashree Chatterjee: “It was always a pleasure working with Kamal da, and that today’s Ananda Mandir is what it is largely because of his untiring and sincere contribution in many important fields. May he find peace and may Chhanda and the rest of the family find the strength to face the future.”

Krishna & Pranab Dutta Roy: “We are so saddened with the news. He was an integral part of Ananda Mandir. He touched all of our lives of Ananda Mandir family. Such a nice person!”

AN ARTIST GETS RELIGION DURING COVID 19 PANDEMIC*

By Rahul Ray (Massachusetts)

The renowned poet Sukanta Bhattacharya famously wrote ‘Today I bid adieu to poetry/There is no room for lyricism when people are hungry/ The full-moon of Purnima is now an emblem of a burned flat bread’. Sukanta wrote this poem after the horrors of the 1943 Bengal famine which claimed the lives of millions.

At that time the Bengali literary field was still under the literary and spiritual spell of Rabindranath, and the ‘KallolJoog’ writers like Manik Bandopadhyay, Premen-

holidays and Sundays, I wandered around the city with my watercolor pad, paint brushes, pencils, and a water bottle in a shoulder bag, painting various places of the city of my youth. I painted pretty landscapes, portraits of people I knew, still lives, etc. I have continued to do the same to this day. However, much like the realist painters of Bengal after the famine of 1943 I have changed my course of thinking after living through the dreadful Covid 19 pandemic.

years of process, the ancient man stood up on two feet as Homo Erectus. Then through the stone and iron ages men, with their higher intellect became the Lord of the Universe.

Although it may sound immoral might is right is the order of the world as we know it. There are scores of examples in the history of mankind where a mighty king or a mighty clan or a mighty society reigned over others.

The living world consists of large animals, including humans to reptiles, and insects, and other lower living species as well as trees and plants. Today, particularly in the wake of the Covid 19 pandemic, we, the humans, need to assess what we have done to other life forms with the advancement of our civilization, for our comfort and sustenance.

Aranyak, the epic novel by Bibhuti Bhusan Bandopadhyay, is unique in world literature, because mother nature is the main character in this novel. In its pages, the Mahalikharoop mountain ranges cast a shadow below on the hamlets of Lobtulia and Narrah Boihaar where a narrow stream flows lazily among the ancient inhabitants with their pauper-king and his subjects. Jugal Prasad, a lowly person, plants seeds of trees that would bloom someday. He, in his humble way, acts as a protectorate of the trees and the jungles from the encroachment and greed of man.

is depicted in the attached picture (#1).

Today, there is some realization, however small, about what we humans are doing to the environment. There are places where the locals are protesting against the wanton felling of trees. However, they are mocked as ‘tree-huggers’ (picture #2).

Ironically, Bibhuti Bhusan’s novel is a true depiction of the disaster that we humans have brought into the environment that we live in.

The World Wildlife Federation, in its 2017 publication delineates that in the past fifty or so years the world population has almost doubled to a whopping seven billion people. 1 And to house and feed these many people the forests, the natural habitat for animals, and other lower life forms are vanishing at an astonishing rate along with much of their inhabitants. The ones that survive this onslaught are sent to sanctuaries. Many of them are not so lucky and end up on the list of endangered species. In the end, many are vanishing from the face of the earth altogether.

Going back to Covid 19, now we know that a specific type of coronavirus mutated into this variety that causes a multitude of health prob-

lems in humans, including death. It is also known that this variety originated in a bat species at some place in China. Someone became exposed to this bat (the carrier) and fell ill. Unknowingly he passed this contagion to others. Finally, the virus and the associated diseases spread all across the world as a pandemic.

It is prudent to realize that various animals are responsible for all previous incidents of epidemics and pandemics. For instance, gorillas, camels, rodents, chickens, and chimpanzees are carriers of viruses for Ebola, Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), plague, Spanish flu, and Human Immunedeficiency Disease (AIDS) respectively. However, not every member of a particular animal species is a carrier of a specific virus – further complicating the situation.

An important question is - these animals have been living with us for millions of years then, why in the past few hundred years have we become vulnerable to harmful viruses carried by these animals?

We do not have to travel far to get a plausible answer to this apparently confounding

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dra Mitra, Jyotirindra Nandi, and others were trying to come out of that spell. In the musical world, Kaji Nazrul Islam, Salil Choudhury, Hemanga Biswas, and others were busy composing songs for common people working in the fields and factories. On the other hand, Prakash Karmakar, Jogen Choudhury, and several other fine artists drew and painted the horror of famine and hunger, and the struggle of common people. These realist painters produced these canvases as a reminder to mankind – lest we forget the dread of poverty, hunger and helplessness.

I always loved painting. Growing up in Kolkata, on

Our planet earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old. The initial fiery ball cooled off after a prolonged thunder and rain shower that created the earth’s crust that we know today. This revolutionary event also created an earth’s atmosphere directly influenced and controlled by the sun many million miles away. The first sign of life on the earth was unicellular amoeba which via cell fusion and division gave rise to a salamander, the first warmbodied reptile to dinosaurs to trees and other life forms. Almost immediately the struggle for existence and the survival of the fittest ensued.

Through these millions of

However, the protagonist represents the landlord who desperately wants to clearcut the forest and create human dwellings. He will have to oversee the total destruction of the forest he loves driving away all its non-human inhabitants. Soon the place will be filled with slumdwellers. In no time there will be crumbling dwellings with Hanuman emblazoned flags flying atop, and stray dogs and pigs will roam on narrow alleys filled with the acrid smell of coal-burning and human refuse. BibhutiBhusan could easily foresee the dire predicament of this beautiful and pristine land. He could envision the destruction in the wake of human civilization. This rape of the earth and its environment

South Asia Theater Festival Celebrates 16th Year of Success

Reported by Debajyoti Chatterji (New Jersey)

NORTH AMERICAN BENGALI CONFERENCE 2022

Theater-lovers

in New Jersey and neighboring states eagerly look forward to a special theater festival held each summer in the New Brunswick area under the aegis of Epic Actors Workshop. This 2-day festival showcases dramatic productions in several languages, presented solely by South Asian theater groups from New Jersey and other states far and near.

This year the festival was held on August 6 and 7 at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC) and featured five plays. Brief descriptions of the storylines of each play are given below:

1) “Silence! The Court is in Session” (based on a story by Vijay Tendulkar, adopted

presented by Take 2 Creations, MD). A village ravaged by famine and poverty sets the stage for this drama. The protagonist, Mukti, was born an indentured slave because his father had not only sold himself and wife into slavery to escape poverty and famine but had also sold his unborn children and their children into slavery. How does Mukti find freedom from the bondage that he was born into but was not responsible for?

3)”The Girl Who Touched the Stars”(written and directed by Mahesh Dattaniand presented by ICS Theater, NJ): The story begins on a space shuttle taking off for Mars with an Indian American woman, Bhavna Patel, in command,

with “investors” who want to commercialize his inventions but don’t care about the dangers of climate change or the environmental benefits the plants give to the humankind. He deeply respects the works of Dr Jagadish Bose and finds inspiration from his pioneering research on radio waves. He sets out to find ways to use radio waves to protect and propagate the plant kingdom. But his research runs into some unforeseen obstacles.

5) ”Sakharam Binder” (written by Vijay Tendulkar, translated by Kumud Mehta & Shanta Gokhale, directed by Prof Farley Richmond, and presented by Epic Actors Workshop): When this play was originally produced in 1971 in Marathi language, it received rave reviews as well as serious scrutiny by governmental censure agencies. In this play, the protagonist, Sakharam, is a poor laborer. But he has a huge appetite for women, and he enslaves them when they are in their most vulnerable state because of domestic abuse or death of husband. Sakharame is a cruel, abusive drunkard, who frequents a prostitute while keeping unfortunate women at home. But he faces the struggle of his life when he brings home one particular woman who is classy, bossy and dominant.

This year’s festival was a success because of the variety of plays presented, the richness of the underlying stories and the outstanding performances by many lead actors. Many presentations also benefited from guidance received from highly experienced and creative directors.

By Amitabha Bagchi (California)

After a two-year hiatus caused by the ravages of the SARS-2 COVID-19 pandemic, the North American Bengali Conference (NABC) was finally held as an in-person (as opposed to virtual) gathering on July 1 to 3, 2022 at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

This year’s NABC had a star-crossed history indeed. The event was originally scheduled for 2020, and planning for it was well on track in late 2019 when COVID-19 reared its ugly head, became a pandemic, and struck a devastating blow to humanity. An unprepared world scrambled with lockdowns, closures, quarantines, and mask mandates as it mourned its thousands of deaths. Not surprisingly, holding a large conference in the summer of 2020 was out of the question, forcing the organizers to move the event to the following year.

Things looked good in the beginning of 2021: vaccines had been developed and, after initial hiccups, became widely available. But just as President Biden was ready to declare victory in the fight against the virus, a deadlier mutant – the Delta variant – appeared on the scene to complicate matters. As a result, NABC 2021 had to be held “virtually,” using streaming video feed on computer screens. If there was one upside to the arrangement, it was its instant global reach.

ensembles of dancers – an Opening Ceremony choreographed by Sanchita Bhattacharya, and a Closing Ceremony choreographed by SunritaBasu. But the conference’s post-closure marquee Grand Finale was dogged by uncertainty when the featured performer, Sunidhi Chauhan, pulled out at the last moment. The organizers, however, scrambled successfully to find an able replacement in the form of Salim-Sulaiman. The musical program, Bollywood Dhamaka, performed by the brotherly duo of Salim Merchant and Sulaiman Merchant drew rave reviews from the audience.

Over three days and on two stages, NABC 2022 presented a large number of memorable performances by talented artistes. There were established singers (Rezwana Choudhury Bannya, Imon Chakraborty), upand-coming singers (Shovan Ganguly), folk singers (Joy Shankar), noted thespians (Sohini Sengupta, ParthaPratim Deb), and classical musicians (Ronu Mazumdar), just to name a few. A large number of movies were shown in two groups and in separate halls: full-length feature films and documentaries/ short films. The conference also drew film stars (Rituparna Sengupta, Saswata Chatterjee), and movie directors/personalities (Ashoke Vishwanathan), among others.

and directed by Swachata Sanjiban Guha, and presented by Swaventurez the Company, NJ). An amateur theater group arrives in a village to do their show – a mock courtroom trial. To warm up before their initial rehearsal, the group members decide to play an imaginary court case game. Instead of being a fun experience, the affair takes dramatic turns when the imaginary case becomes personal, judgmental and unethical.

2) ”Aajir”(based on a short story by Mahasweta Devi, directed by Manoj Tiwari, and

with a team of astronauts. Just before calamity strikes, Bhavna has the illusion of meeting her younger self and incidents from her childhood days flash before her eyes. As she continues her dialog with her younger self, she begins to uncover secrets buried deep in her subconscious mind.

3)”Aami, Jagadish” (written by Sudipta Bhawmik, directed by Soumendu Bhattacharya and presented by ECTA, NJ): Dr Nirup Biswas, an expert in plant genetics, has become disenchanted

Congratulations to Dipan Ray and all the SATF Festival Committee members for another successful annual event!

We wish all our members and friends

A very happy and healthy Durga, Lakshmi & Kali Puja Season!

Ananda mandir board of trustees

With NABC 2022, the Bengali Conference returned after a gap of two years to its original form as a physical gathering of attendees from the immigrant Bengali community. It was the 40th live edition of the conference and was a success, despite its lower-than-expected attendance -- thanks in large part to the lingering fear of COVID, especially its new and highly infectious Omicron variant.

As in years past, the conference featured an eclectic mix of songs, dance and drama, performed by artistes from both the United States and India. The performance part of the conference was bookended by two delightful programs involving large

Aside from performances, NABC 2022 provided space for two other important manifestations of Bengali culture: Exhibition and Literary Seminar. The Exhibition part, curated by DhritiBagchi, showcased arts and crafts from all corners of Bengal (both East and West). It also had two invited artists: the alpona exponent, Sudhi Ranjan Mukherjee, from Shantiniketan, India; and the talented exponent of fine arts, Susmita Bando, from Massachusetts. The Exhibition section also staged a multi-media (songs and dances against an explanatory video backdrop) presentation titled Baro Mase Tero Parbon. The choreogra-

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BREAST CANCER

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style by limiting alcohol consumption, keeping a healthy weight by being physically active and by eating a healthy diet, and breast feeding for at least several months after childbirth are among the major ways to reduce our risk of getting breast cancer. For many women, mammogram is the best way to screen the breast to find breast cancer early when it is easier to treat. Physicians will recommend mammograms for women in certain age groups to screen their breasts for signs of cancer. For women with a family history of breast cancer, physicians may recommend mammogram and other strategies such as specialized medicines to lower their breast cancer risk, genetic testing, or specialized surgery. Adhering to physicians’ recommendations for screening and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are critical for reducing the risk of breast cancer and for detecting breast cancer early.

What do we know about breast cancer among South Asian women in the US?

South Asians are individuals from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. South Asians are among the fastest growing populations in the US. There are over 5.5 million South Asians in the US, of which around 82% originate from India and 10% from Pakistan. The US National Cancer Institute provides breast cancer data for the combined Indian and Pakistani women in the US, which constitutes cancer data for South Asian women in the US. According to these data, at the time of diagnosis of breast cancer, South Asian women are typically young (around 54.5 years, on average) and often have higher stage tumors. Around 2% of South Asian women diagnosed in early stages die due to their breast cancer by 5 years, while this death rate is 16% for women diagnosed in higher stages. Thus, diagnosis at an early stage is crucial for reducing the chances of death due to breast cancer.

Call to action

Scientific research works are continuing to identify novel factors contributing to breast cancer, which is allowing researchers to develop a better understanding of ways to reduce the risk of breast cancer, diagnose breast cancer early, and treat breast cancer more effectively. Efforts are needed to translate these understandings to reduce breast cancer in South Asian women in the US. This will require a comprehensive understanding of mammogram screening use and ways to improve their uptake of mammogram screening, and a thorough understanding of hormonal factors, family history, genetic factors, obesity, alcohol use, and physical activity, amongst others, in South Asian women. A strong partnership between South Asian communities in the US, healthcare providers, and scientific researchers is crucial for achieving this successfully.

Author

Dr Satagopanis affiliated with the Center for South Asian Quantitative Health & Education at the Rutgers School of Public Health & Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. She can be reached through email at satagopj@sph.rutgers.edu

Recommended reading

1) American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer. or Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. https://www.cinj.org/patient-care/breast-cancerresource-center

An Artist Gets Religion During Covid 19 Pandemic

question. With the advancement of human civilization, we have been increasingly taking away the natural habitats of these animals, and they are being increasingly forced to live close to us. Thus, we are increasingly getting infected by the viruses that they are carrying, but immune to, and falling sick. The most recent Covid 19 pan-

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one-horned rhino was seen in Guahati, the capital city of Assam. The same report quotes that in a rare happening, dolphins were seen frolicking in the waters adjacent to Marine Drive and Malabar Hills in Mumbai.

Earlier I spoke about my penchant for painting pretty landscapes and flowers and like. However, the recent pandemic has forced me to change the course of my thinking that I must address the issues related to the pandemic in my paintings. For example, how our onslaught on the environment that we live in has brought in the havoc that is Covid 19.

In the adjoining picture (#3) I describe how a wild tiger is seen roaming the streets in confusion, and a dolphin dancing in nearby waters while we are cocooned in our dwellings, many losing livelihoods as designated by the upturned chair, while a tree grows undeterred.

However, sadly the animals and the trees have no reason to rejoice. The pandemic will be over or will be controlled soon, and we will rapidly forget that Covid 19 ever happened. We will soon forget that it took so many lives, and an uncountable number of people lost their jobs and livelihood. In no time we will get back to our old habits of raping the earth and the environment that we live in. Rapidly we will engage ourselves in uncontrolled consumerism for our unending appetite for creature comfort. In no time we will start cutting more trees and eliminating forests for bigger and better dwellings, mammoth factories, and warehouses. Again, we will engage in decimating the natural habitat of wild animals. This scenario is depicted in Picture #4 in which humans are seen leaving the cocoon, but the tiger is dead, and the dolphin is gone, while the grown tree is being cut down.

demic is a great example of such a conundrum.

The threat and ravages of the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic have forced us to stay indoors, avoiding contact with others. It has also thrown animals around us in great confusion. They must be wondering, whatever happened to those two-legged goons? Why are they not trying to kill us with sticks and guns? The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported on 30th March 2020 that a herd of hairy goats was seen roaming around the streets in Llandudno, Wales. 2 The Economic Times reported that various wild animals, including antelopes and Neelgai were seen roaming around in various city streets in India. 3 Even a

As a result, these animals will be forced to live even closer to us. And, we will pick up bacterial and viral contagions from them in an unending fashion. New epidemics and pandemics will come again and again with new names and faces -- and new ravages for mankind. A prediction, but worrisome nonetheless.

*All paintings in this article are by the author

1. www.wwf.org.au › ArticleDocuments › pubfact-sheet-...

2. https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/52165200

3. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/ politics-and-nation/coronavirus-lockdown-unusual-sightings-of-animals-in-india/nilgai-in-noida/slideshow/75230929.cms

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PUJA ACTIVITIES FOR JULY-SEPTEMBER, 2022

Reported by Mita Sinha, Chair, Puja Committee

Puja activities at Ananda Mandir are going well. We have been very busy with our regular monthly puja activities. In addition, number of private puja services has doubled in last few months.

The month of July started with Ratha Jatra, also known as the Chariot Festival. This festival commemorates Lord Jagannath’s annual public journey (Jatra) in a chariot. This is a Hindu festival that takes places every year during the summer months. The procession travels within our temple grounds with devotees pulling the chariot with dhak, kansar, and shankha playing along. Kids enjoy this festival because they participate in pulling the Rath, and it is an outdoor event. Also, we always have food stalls for people to buy foods, drinks, etc. and enjoy the festivities.

On July 5, we had Bipadtarini puja. This puja is always performed in the morning. Devotees pray to overcome troubles on this day. A number of people visited the Mandir for this puja.

Saturday, on July 9 we had Ulto Rath & monthly Satyanarayan Puja

Ulto Rath is the return journey of Lord Jagannath back home. We pulled the chariot/rath with deities of Jagannath, Subhadra and Balaram in a procession on our temple ground. After that we all came inside the temple and had

Satyanarayan Puja. After the puja we observed ararati and participate in pushpanjali. All the attendees went back home with boxed food.

The month of July ended with monthly Shyama Puja on July 28th. As always quite a number of devotees attended this puja. Dinner was served after this puja.

On August 12 we had Rakhi Purnima celebration in the morning and our monthly Satyanarayan Puja was in the evening. This was a busy day at Ananda Mandir. Devotees visited the temple at different times.

Janmashtomi was celebrated on Friday August 19 at Ananda Mandir. The temple remained open from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm on that day. This is a celebration of Lord Krishna’s Birthday. A lot of visitors came to the temple on this day. Prasad was distributed all day and dinner was served in the evening after puja and arati.

On August 26, we had our monthly Shyama Puja in the temple. This puja was very well attended.

The month of August ended with Ganesh Chaturthi. This festival marks the birth of Ganesh, the God of prosperity and wisdom. We do this puja in the morning in our temple.

The month of September started with our monthly Satyanarayan Puja in the evening on

the 10th. We had a good gathering in the temple on this day. All of us had dinner after the puja.

The month ended with Vishwakarma Puja This puja is celebrated to mark the birth of Lord Vishwakarma, the architect god. He is known as the architect of the world with knowledge of the science of mechanics and architecture. Among the Bengalis, the business community celebrates this puja by sharing foods and sweets with their employees.

On September 25th

we performed Mahisasur Mardini live with a large team of musicians in the temple to welcome Mahalaya. This is the last day of the Pitri Paksha fortnight, the sacred period for performing rituals and offerings to the souls of our deceased ancestors. Mahalaya also announces Goddess Durga’s arrival on Earth. The beginning of Devipaksha and the countdown to Durga Puja is marked by Mahalaya. The Mahisasur Mardini program was presented from 4:30 am to 7:00 am in the presence of a large gathering

of members and friends. After the performance we served breakfast to our guests.

Planning for Durga Puja has already started at Ananda Mandir. We request everyone to do the pre-registration so that everybody can come and enjoy the puja for five days. Please visit our website at www. anandamandir.org and do the registration.We will love to see you all during the puja festival at Ananda Mandir in October.

CULTURAL PROGRAMS & COMMUNITY SERVICE ACTIVITIES

TheCultural Committee

(Chaired by Sajal Mukherjee) presented several highly entertaining programs during the July-September quarter. And a jatra, a folk theatrical form once very popular in rural Bengal but relatively rare these days, will be offered on October 22.The following four public announcements provide the details of these events.

The Community Relations Committee (chaired by Utpal Sengupta) conducted a highly successful blood donation drive at the Tagore Community Hall for the American Red Cross on Monday, August 15. Thirty-four members had preregistered for this day-long donation drive, and 25 pints of blood were collected. Debra Wolfe (Account Manager for Middlesex/Somerset/Essex Counties, American Red Cross Blood Services) made the following remarks after the event:

“A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who helped coordinate the drive and recruit donors. On behalf of patients and their loved ones, THANK YOU for everything you all did to support this blood drive at Ananda Mandir.” She added that the blood collected during this drive “would save 75 lives”.

We thank all the donors for their enthusiastic support of the Red Cross and the volunteers who helped the event run very smoothly at Tagore Hall.

Utpal Sengupta also continued to lead Ananda Mandir’s food donation drive for the Franklin Food Bank. On August 25, he delivered over 90 pounds of non-perishable food items to the Food Bank. Earlier in the summer, he had collected and delivered 60 pounds of food items. There was a gap in the drive for about two months because Utpal had to go to India. He has returned and reenergized the drive. We now expect to return to our monthly donation and delivery schedule.

Reported by Debajyoti Chatterji (New Jersey)

JE SUIS RUSHDIE, NOUS SOMMES RUSHDIE

(I Am Rushdie, We Are Rushdie)

Prologue:

In mid-August 2022, Salman Rushdie, the famous international writer, was attacked by a man when he was about to deliver a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York. The assailant rushed onto the stage where Rushdie and other speakers were gathered and stabbed him repeatedly. Rushdie suffered critical injuries but survived the assassination attempt.

The Vexed Controversy Is Back on The Center Stage

The attack on Rushdie rekindled memories of past violence that people connected with his 1988 novel (The Satanic Verses) were subjected to. The book and some other creative works by various literary and art personalities were deemed blasphemous by many Islamic communities and institutions around the world.

The infamous Iranian Fatwa on Salman Rushdie issued by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989 for the alleged blasphemy stirred up tremendous hatred against the author and the book. In addition to violent protests by the Muslims around the world a serious of assassination attempts occurred on various literary personalities who were in any way connected with the book.

Here is a partial list of the attacks related to the book that made news headlines over the last three decades:

Mumbai – 12 people died in demonstration and riot over the book in 1989.

Islamabad – 6 people died in a riot triggered by the book burning in 1989.

Hitoshi Igarashi, the Japanese translator of the book and a professor of comparative Islamic culture in Tokyo, was stabbed to death in 1991. The killer was not officially identified although there were indications that a Bangladeshi national was involved.

Ettore Capriolo, the Italian translator of the book, was attacked in the same year by an Iranian who had previously asked him for Rushdie’s home address. Capriolo barely survived the attack.

Aziz Nesin, a Turkish novelist, who translated excerpts from the book narrowly escaped death in an arson by Islamic militants on a hotel, the venue of a conference he was attending. Scores of people died in the blaze that occurred in 1993.

William Nygaard, the Norwegian publisher of “The Satanic Verses,” was shot multiple times in 1993. He made a full recovery and went on to reprint the book in defiance. The suspects included is a former Iranian diplomat and another Lebanese citizen.

New York – Rushdie was stabbed on the stage in August 2022.

By Subrata Bhaumik (New Jersey)

dent and Danish embassies around the world were vandalized and or burned down.

The headquarters Charlie Hebdo in Paris, a weekly French satirical magazine, which reprinted Westergaard’s cartoon, had been the target of a series of attacks by Islamic fundamentalists between 2011 and 2020 with the 2015 attack being the most violent resulting in deaths of twelve employees.

Theodoor van Gogh, a Dutch film director and writer was assassinated in 2004, by a Dutch-Moroccan Islamist for making a film based on a script written by a Somali Muslim writer that was critical of treatment of women in Islam.

Alleged Blasphemy in Satanic Verses

In the highly acclaimed but hugely controversial novel regarded by many as polemical against Islam, Rushdie’s uses complex and multiple plots, real life catastrophic events, historical and mythical characters, and finally dream sequences that focus on a few core themes. The novel tries to tackle an array of psychological and philosophical issues including conscious and unconscious minds, identity, rootlessness, reason, absurdity, and most notably the intertwined nature of good and evil. Here, Rushdie examines the plight of South Asian immigrants in Britain, and through the dream sequences he offers his sense of faith and the eternal wrestling between Good and Evil. Controversies aside, the novel is one of the finest examples of creative work of magical realism genre in the international literary world.

At the core of the upheaval are certain texts in the book that insinuate alteration of the God’s words by Satan while they were being delivered to prophet Mahound. The altered version called for initial acceptance of three pre-Islam Arabian pagan deities as representatives of the omnipotent. In Islam, any depiction of God or the prophet in a physical form is idolatrous and sinful. While early Islamic scholars accepted the presence of the disputed texts in canonical hadiths, a fervor to depict Muhammad as an infallible character swept the Islamic world in the mediaeval ages, and the texts were finally expunged from the verses and the supreme authority of God reestablished.

and hybridity in a singularizing world.

Blasphemy vs. Freedom of Speech

The Rushdie incident reignited the historically divisive debate surrounding freedom of speech. As culture in the early societies centered around religions, blasphemy was coded in the texts of the Abrahamic religions as a sin against God that could be punishable by death. In addition to Islam, this is true for both Judaism and Christianity – traces of such culture existed in the medieval ages as well as evidenced in Dante’s Inferno.

Islam regards as blasphemy any impious utterance or actions concerning God, Muhammed or anything considered sacred in the religion. Quran admonishes blasphemy but does not specify any worldly punishment for blasphemy while the Hadiths suggest death penalty unless forgiven.

As the “Enlightenment and Separation of Church and State” era brought in major changes in western societies, many European countries abolished the old Blasphemy laws, while adopting some form of hate speech and defamation laws to address similar but less volatile issues. But most Islamic countries still continue to enforce the old and rigid laws that function as gag to free expression.

In Dharmic religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism) the concept of blasphemy does not exist, while Sikhism recommends capital punishment for blasphemy against the Guru. However, India has a blasphemy law in the constitution as well and the present culture surrounding its social enforcement or lack of it seems very arbitrary and intolerant as well. Examples can be found in several incidents that caused national uproar in the media and the citizenry including MF Hussain, Srijato, and Nupur Sharma.

But in the more recent times - the early days of the globalized world - the notion slowly became muted with limited significance in liberal societies arguably until the book controversy.

“A poet’s work,” one of the characters in Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses observes, is “to name the unnamable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world and stop it from going to sleep.” “And if rivers of blood flow from the cuts his verses inflict,” the narrator adds, “then they will nourish him.”

“Human beings,” Rushdie also observed in his 1990 essay In Good Faith, “shape their futures by arguing, challenging and questioning and saying the unsayable; not by bowing the knee whether to gods or to men.”

Other

prominent attacks

against writers and artists for alleged blasphemy against Islam

Naguib Mahfouz, the Egyptian Nobel laureate in literature, was stabbed by a Muslim extremist in 1994. He survived the attack. Apparently, “Children of Our Alley,” one of his famous novels, was deemed blasphemous by some quarters, including the infamous extremist cleric Abdel-Rahman, a.k.a., “the blind sheikh.” Important to note here that the sheikh was also the mastermind of the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993.

Kurt Westergaard, a Danish cartoonist whose caricature cartoon of Prophet Muhammed wearing a bomb-shaped turban outraged many Muslims. He escaped an assassination attempt in 2006 while many people died in violence related to the inci-

Also, the character Gibreel Farishta - purportedly the archangel Jibril (Gabriel in Jewish and Christian mythologies) - who helped the delivery of God’s revelations to the prophet was depicted in the book as having achieved somewhat of a super stardom by playing various fictional roles including Hanuman, the Hindu God, and a famous movie star (Amitabh Bachchan?). Various Islamic quarters deemed it as denigration of the angel who is perceived a part of God. Additionally, certain other texts suggested that the names of Mahound’s wives were being used by prostitutes to attract clients. Finally, addressing Mohammed by the name Mahound, a contemptuous address used by medieval Christian writers to vilify the prophet as a devil or an imposter.

The Fatwa forced Rushdie to live underground for many years. He at one point issued a veiled apology to the Muslim world – a move he regretted later. But the Islamic world including the Iranian government rejected the apology. However, the Iranian government indicated many years ago that enforcement of the Fatwa was not a priority any longer. But with the Ayatollah dead there was no official cancelation of the edict. Rushdie came out of hiding anyway in 1998 and continued writing about his chosen interests: identity, individuality,

In the late eighties and early nineties before the latest rise of Jihadi Islam (Al Qaeda and ISIS) greatly jolting the contemporary world, the Rushdie affair helped highlight the fault line that existed between the cultures of the rootless immigrants and the host societies. Then the Rushdie affair became a sudden watershed in the liberal order of political and cultural life – issues surrounding radical Islam, terrorism, the boundaries of free speech and the limits of tolerance came thrusting to the fore. It was also a turning point for the ways these issues were affecting societies around the world. A dual sense of greater hostility to Muslim identity came to cohabit an increasingly stronger sense of assuaging insults and invectives, perceived or real, to other cultures in a pluralistic society.

However, such self-policing is certainly a debatable issue for it is in a pluralistic society that free speech becomes particularly important.In such a society, it is almost inevitable that people would offend each other’s sensibilities. It is a natural outcome of the interplay of the diverse cultures in the playing field. Deep-rooted beliefs and counter

JOKER

By Basab Dasgupta (California)

Iwashaving a cup of coffee with a friend one afternoon, gossiping about various people we knew. I was especially critical of one family: the father was reportedly verbally abusive, the mother an alcoholic and the two teenage sons were into drugs. I concluded with an appropriate summary: “what a dysfunctional family!” My friend looked straight into my eyes and said, “all families are dysfunctional”.

I thought that comment was strange and incorrect, but I did not have time to engage in a debate. However, it stayed in my head. More I thought about the lives of all the people I knew, including my own life, I started to realize that it was a true and profound statement.

I do not know who created the concept of a “normal” or “functional” family, consisting of a father, a mother and two or three children. It probably originated from some nursery tale like the one about papa bear, mama bear and the baby bears or a fairy tale involving a king, a queen, and a prince, and princess. The image goes one step further; the father is the bread-winner and the mother a perfect housewife maintaining a clean and organized house, cooking and cleaning and still having time left to look after the children and please her husband The children have to be well-behaved, obedient, polite, cheerful and of course good in their studies. The entire family has to be polite and proper in their interactions with other people. This is the perfect model we all strive for. Our success in life is measured by how close we come to this image.

In real life, however, every family seems to have unique problems that only come to light once you get to know them closely. In addition, all families probably have some dark hidden secrets that they never talk about in public. Infidelity or other marital problems, substance abuse or addiction to gambling, mental instability of some family member, financial distress, criminal records, strange diseases and various medical problems, estrangement with close family members, homosexuality, failure at work – the list goes on. However, all these families not only pretend that there is nothing wrong with their lives, but that they might even be happier than others.

A functional family has to demonstrate to friends, relatives and neighbors the normal characteristics of a functional family. Any deviation from this proper behavior is a red flag. While the family members may share the reason behind the situation with some close friends, chances are that they would “sugar-coat” the severity of the problem. Others might speculate various scenarios breeding behind the scenes, but no one would know for sure.

If we look at any randomly chosen

family and how their lives might evolve from a strictly statistical point of view, it becomes clear quickly that it would be going against the odds for it to function like a “normal” family. Whether it is the performance of the kids at school or professional careers of parents or any other criterion we focus on, life of each family member can progress in an undesirable direction with a significant probability and thus making a normal functioning family rather unlikely.

To quantify it we can use the statistical law that probability of independent events happening simultaneously is the product of probabilities of each event. If there are four members in the family and the probability of each member turning out to be perfectly “normal” is say 70%, the probability that all four of them would be normal is only 24%! This probability gets smaller if the number of people in the family increases. If there are six members, it is only 11.8%. In addition, there could be external factors such as political violence, accidents, or natural disasters, which can induce abnormal behavior.

So, what is wrong if all families are indeed dysfunctional? The main issue is that we have artificially created a code of social conduct and interaction within our society based on the assumption that all families or at least, most of the families are “functional”. The society, as a whole, functions on the basis of this assumption. This social behavior pattern includes doing fun things together, helping each other, giving moral support in case of major sufferings and even going beyond such formalities by providing financial help or shelter.

If the true dysfunctional natures of all families come to light it is doubtful that such social interactions can still be carried out following the normal code. Perhaps a new “customized” code has to be developed for each unique dysfunctional type. No one wants to spend time planning a different course of interaction for each different family depending on the problems faced by the latter. It would be easier and possibly preferable for most families to simply isolate any “openly dysfunctional” family. Since most people are social beings, they do not like the idea of being isolated and so the charade of projecting the image of a functional family continues.

Of course, one might contemplate a way of social living where all families are quite open about their family “secrets” and there is no norm for social interactions. Each family can live and function (or not function) at its own will and dosen’t have to necessarily interact with other families. As long as everyone obeys some basic controlling governmental regulations there is prob-

ably no real problem with this type of society. The government regulations are necessary to deal with how taxes are used by providing education, medical care, decent infrastructure, law enforcement etc., to all the tax-payers.

The government rules are established by elected officials who are elected by a majority of the people living in a society (at least, in a democratic country). Ironically this election process is probably the only time when “functionality” of the politicians become a major issue. A person running for a position in this local government has to appear “normal and functional” and he/she has to run the campaign on some ideas and values based on the concept of a normal family.

The irony is that same requirement does not apply to the constituents. People have tried to liberalize this requirement on officials but without much success. While homosexuality has been normalized in recent years, a porn actress once ran for office in Italy but did not win, and cocaine addiction of the Toronto mayor, Rob Ford, led to his demise from politics. On the contrary, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump presented themselves as normal functional family men by hiding their dysfunctionalities and had no problem in winning elections.

The bottom line is that, in order to live in a civilized society in a civil way, we all have to play a charade where we pretend that our lives are fairly normal. In other words, we have to behave like people who we are not; otherwise, we cannot live peacefully together. We can use the social interaction with others as a show case to display our success and talents.

The analogy that comes to my mind is the behavior of animals in a circus versus their true free roaming in the wild. In order for them to perform in an apparently friendly way with other animals and to display their special skills the animals must be tamed, trained and carefully controlled. Circus is not the place if you want to see how the animals really are. The human society is the same way; it is all a façade.

If our society is indeed like a big circus, I would like to be the clown or the joker who sits in a corner, looks at everything in a philosophical/comical way and entertains the others. I always liked the clowns. It seemed that they knew all the acts and how to perform them, but at the same time conveyed the message that they were not to be taken seriously. I liked the fact that they painted their faces so that they always appeared to have a big smile, but they could cry behind that smile without people realizing that. I liked their colorful costumes. They just liked to make others laugh and try to tell them to forget everything else.

In my heart I am also a joker. I want to be a philosopher and a comedian; I do not want anyone to know how I really feel and what I am really like! It is appropriate to conclude my observations by quoting a line from a song in the movie “Mera Naam Joker”: “Kehtahai Joker, sara zamana adhihakikatadha fasana ...” (Joker says that the world is half reality and half fantasy).

RUSHDIE

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beliefs are always sources of acrimony and clashes. So, it is almost imperative that conflicting ideas and faiths are resolved openly and not shoved under the rug in the pretext of “respect.” What is deemed offense to a me and my community may more often be a debate at my neighbors and across communities. I may disapprove of what you say, but I would defend your right to speak to the death.

Epilogue and Concluding Comments

HadiMatar, the attacker, is a 24-year-old New Jerseyan of Lebanese origin with potential Hezbollah and/or Iranian connection, although Iranian Foreign Ministry put out a statement denying any connection between the attack and the country.

He surely has not read the book and it would not be haughty to assume that he did not possess enough intellectual horsepower to comprehend what “freedom of expression” in an open society meant. Ignorance, hate driven by blind faith got the better of him.

The uncanceled fatwa was a potential inspiration, but what was his ultimate goalthe third Jihad, the promise of 72 Hoors in Jannah, or the $5 M bounty? Whatever it was he is going to achieve none. Rushdie survived (no bounty) while Hadi is already in custody and will spend most of his life behind the bars. No beautiful virgins for a long time, young man!

The Rushdie attack is a big blow on the face of America, a country that claims herself as the paragon of free speech in a world where violation of this basic human right is oftentimes sponsored by the institutions of state and or religion.

Once again, Salman Rushdie has delivered us a profound lesson about life and art. For an era that monetizes creative endeavors to the limit, there is something archetypal in the recognition of the fact that great works of art will always walk a fine line between of life and death.

And in solidarity with Rushdie and all other artists who fought to defend freedom of expression and continue to do so, let us all chant a variant of the famous slogan that became popular in the wake of the tragic massacre at Charlie Hebdo headquarters in Paris: Je Suis Rushdie, Nous Sommes Rushdie (I am Rushdie; We are Rushdie)

INDIA’S HERITAGE IN WRESTLING PART 1: INTRODUCTION & HISTORY

By Partha Sircar (California)

Author’s Note: In the recently concluded 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, India ended up with a total of 61 medals, including 12 medals (6 gold, 1 silver and 5 bronze) in Wrestling, the maximum in any single sport. This was no flash in the pan. India had won a silver and a bronze medal in Wrestling in the last Tokyo Olympics (plus a fourth-place finish). India had also won 12 medals in Wrestling in the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. All these point towards the existence of significant potential for talent in this sport, perhaps more than in any other. I am of course aware of India’s recent successes in Badminton and also indications of our reemergence in Field Hockey. Perhaps this is no surprise. There seems to have been a tradition of wrestling as a sport in India from time immemorial. Our mythologies are replete with allusions to wrestling. Wrestling, as a sport, finds mention in historical times with infusion of ideas and techniques from Persia and the Middle East. And in more modern times, native rajas and zamindars seem to have been attracted to the sport. Their promotion and encouragement contributed to the popularity of the sport in India. Names like Gama Pehlwan attained legendary status, followed by names like Dara Singh and King Kong in more recent times. This 2-part article tries to provide a cursory ‘march through time’ of the sport through all these phases. It also includes a discussion of the brief foray of the staid Bengalees into the sport in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Introduction

The recently completed Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, drew a lot of interest In India as Indian competitors won many medals. By the time the Games ended, the Indian contingent had won a total of 61 medals (including 22 gold medals) – and finished 4th among the competing nations in total medals count. Most notably, India emerged as the best nation in four sports: badminton, table tennis, weightlifting and wrestling.

Wrestling? Yes, India won 6 gold, 1 silver and 5 bronze medals in wrestling competitions at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. And in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Indian wresters won 1 silver and 1 bronze medal, out of the total haul of 7 medals by the entire Indian contingent. In the 2012 London Olympics, India won two medals (a rarity!) in wresting in the men’s division: a silver and a bronze.

Are you surprised that India has produced, and continues to produce, world class wrestlers? If so, why do we hear so little about them and give them so little recognition? We hear about Milkha Singh and PT Usha who came in fourth in track-and-field competitions and mourn about their near-misses. And we rejoice at the (well earned) success of athletes by PV Sindhu.

These questions about India’s uncelebrated success in wrestling have nagged me for a while. Driven by curiosity, I started to do some research on status of and success in wresting in India. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that in addition to the 5 medals in the Olympics just mentioned, India had secured fourth place finishes on seven occasions!

I have compiled the table below which includes all the medalists, and fourth, fifth and sixth place finishers in Olympic wrestling, both men and women (based on the reference cited below):

1920: Randhir Shinde: 4th in Men’s Featherweight, Freestyle

1948: Khashaba Jhadav: 6th in Men’s Flyweight, Freestyle

1952: Khashaba Jhadav: BRONZE MEDAL in Men’s Bantamweight, Freestyle; Keshav Mangave: 4th in Men’s Featherweight, Freestyle

1968: Sudesh Kumar: 6th in Men’s Flyweight, Freestyle

Udey Chand: 6th in Men’s Lightweight, Freestyle

1972: Adkar Maruti: 4th in Men’s Flyweight, Freestyle

Sudesh Kumar: 4th in Men’s Flyweight, Freestyle

Prem Nath: 4th in Men’s Bantamweight, Freestyle

1980: Jagmander Singh: 4th in Men’s Lightweight, Freestyle

Mahabir Singh: 5th in Men’s Light-Flyweight, Freestyle

1984: Rajinder Singh: 4th Men’s Welterweight, Freestyle

Mahabir Singh: 6th Men’s Flyweight, Freestyle

Rohtas Singh: 5th Men’s Bantamweight, Freestyle

1992: Subhash Verma: 6th Men’s Heavyweight, Freestyle

2008: Sushil Kumar: BRONZE MEDAL in Men’s Welterweight, Freestyle

2012 Sushil Kumar: SILVER MEDAL in Men’s Welterweight, Freestyle

Yogeshwar Dutt: BRONZE MEDAL in Men’s Lightweight, Freestyle

2016: Sakshi Malik: BRONZE MEDAL in Women’s freestyle 58 kg

(Reference: newschoupal.com, “India at Olympics: 4 medals and 9 4th Positions in Wrestling”, August 18, 2016)

The table above is surely impressive. No other Olympic sport can boast of similar level of performance on the part of Indians (except perhaps Field Hockey, if the recent successes mature into something more substantive). Add to that the 59 medals in the Asian Games (11 gold, 14 silver and 34 bronze) from 1954 to 2018 including 5 medals (2 gold, and 1 bronze) in 2018. In addition, India won 11 medals in the 2018 Commonwealth Games (5 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze). The better performances in the Commonwealth Games compared to the Asian Games is clearly reflective of the presence of wrestling powerhouses Iran, Uzbekistan, Kazakhastan and Japan in the Asiads. All this has me fully convinced that there is talent in India in wrestling, a sport that has been included in all the Modern Olympics and even in the Ancient Olympics in Greece. Incidentally, other than Field Hockey, where Pakistan won 5 medals over the years, their other two Olympic medals were in wrestling and boxing, both bronzes.

All this got me to think and explore further (with what, but Google and Wikipedia for the most part!). The trouble was, often it was difficult to separate fact from fiction.

A Brief History of Wrestling in India

Wrestling (pehlwani or kushti) has after all been a part of our heritage from the days of yore. The epic Mahabharata is replete with the exploits of Bhima, the second Pandava, who demolished numerous kings and demons with his superhuman strength. Following our PM Modiji (Ganesha’s elephant head was the first example of plastic surgery, according to him), I am tempted to put, Bhima as the world’s first accomplished wrestler. The mallayuddha in Ramayana between the monkey kings, Bali and Sugriva, also speaks of the presence of wrestling in India in antiquity. There are also allusions

of Krishna and his brother,Balaram, being legendary wrestlers. In fact, there is a Puranna dated in the thirteenth century called Malla Purana. It describes the various wrestling techniques. Interestingly, the techniques are named after the legendary wrestlers of antiquity, including Jarasandha, Hanuman and Jambuvan and, of course, Bhima

However, the prevailing form of wrestling in India probably evolved during the Mughal rule by combining the native malla-yuddha (which incorporates grappling, joint-breaking, punching, biting, choking and pressure-point striking) with influences from Persian sources. A particular feature that distinguished pehlwani from the earlier mallayuddha was that strikes and kicks during a match were not allowed. Wrestling (of the pahalwani variety) became a very popular sport in the nineteenth and early parts of the twentieth century, particularly in Punjab and North India. Many zamindars and maharajas like the Maharaja of Patiala, avidly patronized the sport and had a stable of fighters. Legendary fighters like Karim Bux, Gulam, Rahim Baksh Sultanwala and the great Gama caught the imagination of the sporting public of the day. The great Gama (1878-1960), also known as the Gama Pehalwan, whose real name was Ghulam Mohammed Butt was undoubtedly the greatest Indian wrestler of his time, perhaps of all time. In 2015, the Great Gama was inducted posthumously in the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (PWHF) as a wrestler of the Pioneer Era. In the list of inductees he is described as “Posthumous Inductee: Won the Indian version of the World Heavyweight Championship. Billed as the greatest pahalwan of his time”.

Wrestling in various forms emerged as a spectator sport in various parts of India. One popular form to emerge, particularly in Punjab, Haryana and western UP was the Dangal. It was showcased in a popular blockbuster film by the same name. The film presented the story of a Phogat family where a man from Haryana trained his six daughters and nieces, all of whom became successful wrestlers with distinguished successes in the Asian Games and the Olympics. Exhibition wrestling matches were held in arenas of big cities like Bombay and Calcutta, often pitting reputable foreign wrestlers with Indian greats in front to cheering crowds. We in our generation had all grown up with the name of Dara Singh and his beating up a huge foreign (read white) wrestler named King Kong. I came to learn that King Kong the 440-lb giant initially came to India in 1937. He had come to Bombay to lock horns against several foreign and Indian wrestlers gathered there.

Finally, talking about our tradition of wrestling, I cannot refrain from remembering the big fat men, often with huge moustaches gleefully engaged in trying to pin down each other in akhadas (wrestling mats) in the banks of the Ganges with gay abandon. It is somewhat of a mystery to me as to why these dedicated and apparently talented practitioners of the sport did not try their hand at the more organized form like in the Olympics. Perhaps it was because wrestling in India was predominantly a professional sport, something like the WWF here in the US (I am not talking of its theatrical aspect here, though indications are there may have been some of it!). The requirements of amateurism were probably enforced more strongly at the time. Or maybe it was because typical pehlwani as practiced in India does not translate easily to the more stringent rules of Olympic wrestling.

(Part 2 of this article will be published in the next issue of Ananda Sangbad.

Ihave some very fond childhood memories of working with my mother, as she cared for the close to twenty rose bushes in our home garden. She showed me how to be safe from the thorns, how cutting flowers is different from dead heading the dried ones, and how to prune to shape the rose bushes. She also introduced me to the art of creating rose cuttings, grafting buds from one rose plant to another to create rose plants that produced assorted colored roses. My mother’s rose bushes were so colorful and attractive that our neighbors often walked in, tochat with her and invariably persuade her to let them take away one or two roses of their choice.

The Rose is one of most well-known and loved flower all over the world. It is the National Flower of the USA and UK, and in the USA, it is the state flower of North Dakota, Georgia, and New York. In India, rose flowers are called Gulab in different languages like Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, and Golap in Bengali. In ancient times, this plant was also known as Shatapatri, Taruni, Devataruni, Karnika or Charukeshara in various scriptures such as the Puranas, Samhitas, and Ayurvedic books.

Roses have been mentioned in many ancient civilizations throughout the world as sacred offerings for and symbols of Aphrodite (Greek goddesses), Venus (Romans), Isis (Egyptian) and Virgin Mary (Christians). Muslims as well as Buddhists view roses and its scent as symbols of human spirituality.

In addition to being used as offerings to Gods and deities,for decorations and gifts, rose flowers are also used as herbs with medicinal properties, for making essential oils as well as perfumes and food products. Rosewater is traditionally used for flavoring desserts (like kheer, rabdi, barfi, and sandesh), rice dishes (like biriyani), and drinks (like flavored water, and sherbet). Rose petals are used for brewing herbal teas as well as desserts. Rose-Attar is another product used in South-Asia as perfume and room fresheners. Gulkand, a sweetened paste of rose petals and sugar is consumed as a tonic, as medicine for various ailments and as mouth fresheners. Some varieties of rose have edible fruits called Rosehips which have a high Vitamin-C content and are used to make herbal tea as well as jams, jellies, and marmalades.

Types

Roses belong to the Rosaceae fam-

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pher was the invited Chhau dancer from India, Madhumita Paul.

The Literary Seminar was organized by Sudipta Chatterjee of New Jersey and Rupa Majumdar of Kolkata under the guidance of Dilip Chakravarti. There were a number of sessions, and they drew a selective but interested crowd. A special emphasis this year was on the writings by immigrant Bengali writers, many

CARING FOR ROSES

By Pravesh Lal (New Jersey)

Editor’s Note: Pravesh and his wife, Shuchismita, run a small business, growing flowers and plants familiar to people from South Asian countries, such as Joba (Hibiscus), Beli/Juhi (Jasmine), Karobi (Oleander) and Jhumkolata (Passion Flower). They supply loose flowers and garlands made from these flowers to local temples and people in the community for various pujas, celebrations and ceremonies. Pravesh may be reached at pushpashree.usa@gmail.com

ily of plants with over 4,500 different flowering plants and include almonds, apples, apricots, berries, cherries, peaches, plums, strawberries, and raspberries. Rosa is one of the subdivisions of this family and contains close to 300 distinct species of mostly thorny shrubs or climbers that can reach up to 20 feet in height.

Further classifications, according to botanists can leave a common person very confused as these plants, which grow all over in the Northern hemisphere, can readily interbreed/ hybridize across distinct species. This has been taken advantage of by the gardeners in ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Indian, and Chinese civilizations as well as modern flower enthusiasts.

The World Federation of Rose Societies (WFRS) has produced a simpler grouping of the Rosa sub-family, into two broad groups based on frequency of bloom, number of petals and time in existence:

(1) Wild/Native roses, where the flowers have 5 simple petals and are mostly always in shades of pink or white and some rare instances, yellow.

(2) Cultivated/Hybrid roses that have a range of various colored flowers with multiple sets of petals. The watershed year (1867) was when trading ships brought rose plants from Asia which were then hybridized with the European roses These cultivated plants have been further sorted into two groups:

(a) Old World roses, bloom only once a year and have existed before the 1860s. The flowers are strong scented, and the plants are resistant to fungal diseases as well as hardy to the heat and humidity conditions.

(b) Modern World roses, have repeat blooms in a year and were developed after 1860s.The modern roses are prolific bloomers with flowers that come in lots of distinct colors

and shapes. They have also been developed for having long stems, which makes them suitable to be sold as cut flowers. Modern rose bushes can also offer compact shapes that make it suited to smaller spaces or for large displays of numerous bushes.These plants are also easier to maintain.

Growing

In this article, I am writing about caring for roses planted in the ground in Northeast US. Firstly, make sure you have a spot for the rose that gets more than 6 hours of direct sun daily from spring to fall. Compared to buying bare root roses, choose hybrid and winter hardy, potted rose plants for growing in the New Jersey since they establish faster and start to bloom quicker. The ideal time to plant new roses is in late spring or early fall, so the plant has time to establish new roots before starting to bloom in the summer or go dormant in the winter. There are other options for developing a new rose plant that includes cuttings, layering, grafting, and hybridizing that I will write about in a separate article.

Caring

Watering: Roses like deep and thorough watering near the root system, and even though overhead sprinkling seems convenient, wet leaves tend to promote diseases. Therefore, water the plants only when the upper 1-2 inches of soil is dry and in the mornings.

Fertilizing: You should start fertilizing in the spring using an equal balanced fertilizer when you start seeing new growth and then every 4 weeks with a granular fertilizer of Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium (N-P-K) ratio of 5-10-5 or 4-12-4. Dig gently around the plant and spread fertilizer evenly around the rose bush and cover with

North American Bengali Conference 2022

of whom read parts of their own works. There were participants also from West Bengal and Bangladesh.

This report will be incomplete without a reference to two other seminars – the Business Seminar and the Medical Seminar. The Business Seminar was organized by Sumit Ganguly. A high point was a question-and-answer session with Indra Nooyi over

a thin layer of soil. Since acidic soil allows the rose plant to absorb the nutrients more efficiently, you can add coffee grinds or diluted tea leaf infusions, liberally around the rose plant roots on a weekly basis.

During the summer, once the rose starts flowering, deadheading the old blooms helps the plant generate more buds and flowers. Slight pruning can be done to keep the plant in shape and to ensure that there is enough airflow through the plant for the leaves to stay healthy.

As the weather cools, by late September/October, you need to stop fertilizing the plant and instead of plucking/cutting the blooms from the rose bush, leave the last flowers on the stem and allow them to turn into rosehips. By allowing your plant to fruit and produce seed pods, you trick the rose bush into thinking that it’s done for the season and it begins to go dormant.

Pruning: Major pruning must be done in late March or April, depending on the frost forecast. Remove any dead/damaged branches and cut back a third to a half of the previous year’s growth, till you find healthy white centers inside the branches. Pruning helps signal the plant to start send out new shoots as soon as weather warms up. It also helps in creating proper air circulation and controlling the size and shape of the plant.

Pests & Diseases

Powdery mildew typically appears during the summer,when the days are hot and humid, and the nights are cool and wet. Leaves, buds, and even branches develop a white or gray dusty-looking layer of mildew fungus growth.

Black spot is another waterborne fungal disease. It appears as circular black or brown spots on the top side of leaves. It starts at the bottom of the plant and works its way up, causing extensive leaf and flower loss.

Both the above diseases can be prevented and remedied in the same way, by improving air circulation around and through the plant, and watering at ground level. A simple mixture of baking soda and horticultural oil can help fight the spread fungal disease. If the plant is suffering a lot, you can use an organic or a rose specific fungicide, available in most nurseries or gardening supplies store.

Many insects (like the aphids, Japanese beetles, and spider mites) like to feed on rose bushes. These pests can

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cipally by Dr. Jayati Rakhit.

a video hook-up. There was also a presentation by Amit Mitra, formerly the Finance Minister of West Bengal and now a special advisor to Mamata Banerjee. He complained about the parsimony of the mainstream press in West Bengal in highlighting achievements of the TMC government. The well-attended and well-regarded Medical Seminar was organized prin-

The conference provided a hefty dose of nostalgia to those partaking of the many college reunions. The organizer, Arpita Gupta, did a commendable job. Last but not the least, the main floor of the conference was chock full of vendors selling all kinds of ware – from saris to jewelry, with books and other stuff thrown in for good measure.

(Sketched by Shuchismita Lal)

COMMUNITY NEWS

GSCA CORNER

Reported by Pradip R. Das (New Jersey)

GSCA Get-Together

On Saturday, June 25th, a luncheon buffet was hosted for all members at a restaurant in Edison, NJ. Nearly 85 individuals attended this lively gettogether where new members were introduced, and everyone mingled and socialized. The board members present greeted and welcomed all the attendees. Everyone enjoyed the wide array of different cuisines served at the buffet (Chinese/Japanese/American). Almost all attendees “hung out” till the end of the restaurant’s reservation time allowed.

Annual Picnic

GSCA hosted its Annual Picnic on Saturday, July 23rd. at Mercer County Park, West Windsor, NJ. After prior covid caused absences, members welcomed wholeheartedly this outdoors event. In spite of the very hot weather more than 85 people, members and members’ friends, adults and children of all ages, gathered at this beautiful site of lush green meadows surrounding the picnic spot besides Mercer Lake. The picnickers were treated to Bengali jalkhabar (snack) items with some prepared on-site. Later in the day, for lunch, typical grilled picnic items were made and served in abundance. Varieties of hot and cold beverages were available all day.

This day-long event was filled with many fun-filled activities to keep both adults and children occupied and entertained all day. Games for all age groups were organized and well participated. Prizes were given out. Besides the favorite pastime of “adda”, adults also joined in antakshari, sharing jokes etc. Some were seen playing volleyball or cricket. Everyone found out something to keep them merry. During wrap up time, members joined in the clean-up activities. One could not help but observe the camaraderie and true sense of teamwork in all activities. The day seemed to go by fast with the attendees spending a perfect day with savory food, great company, music and many sporting activities. All CDC and state-mandated safety guidelines were adhered to in this outdoor event.

Durga Puja 2022 Meeting

On Wednesday, July 27th,the Board convened a zoom meeting with key committee members to discuss the state of preparedness for this year’s puja scheduled for October 8 & 9. Several key questions were answered, and suggestions were made to improve efficacy across various aspects of puja preparations. More such interactive meetings will be scheduled by the board going forward.

ICC CORNER

Reported by Arpita Gupta (New Jersey)

TheICC Annual picnic, the primary activity of the community for the summer season, was held on Sunday, July 30th between 10am and 5 pm at our regular venue (Hedden Park, Randolph, NJ). The weather turned out to be ideal for an outdoor picnic, and the seventy-odd participants thoroughly enjoyed the day. The unseasonably cool weather made the outing very enjoyable for all.

All attendees were greeted with snacks, which consisted of ‘Jhaal Muri’, barbequed vegetables and corn-on-the-cob, chicken hot dogs and Tandoori chicken, accompanied by a choice of hot and cold refreshments. The park has a very beautiful trail, meandering through the woods, lake and other manicured open spaces, which many of the attendees made good use.

President Nirmal Kundu, Abhishek Banerjee and Debol Gupta took charge of the grill. Many different games were organized by Mousumi Chakraborty for the children and the ladies, with prizes awarded to the winners and the runners-ups.

A sumptuous dinner consisting of

BOOK REVIEW

A Tale of Redemption and Second Chance: “Keya Das’s Second Chance”

by Sopan Deb

By Rimi Pati (South Carolina)

The New York Times Sports and Culture reporter, Sopan Deb, is well known to those who readthe sports pages of The New York Times. My curiosity was sparked when I saw a Bengali lastname in the book review pages of the same newspaper. I wanted to read the book right away to see how his writing compared with that of the other famous Bengali American author, Jhumpa Lahiri.

Before I started reading this book, I learned that Sopan Deb’s first book, “Missed Translations: Meeting the Immigrant Parents Who Raised Me” was a memoir. Successful memoirs often depict harsh childhood memories washed by sepia tones of passage of time. Adoring but unrelenting helicopter parents are the norm in Indian communities. Deb’s own childhood was scarred by bitterness, remoteness, and lack of connection between his immediate family members. This experience perhaps opened his eyes to an alternative narrative that deviates from the model two-parent Bengali households we are familiar with.

dwell on the issue of betrayal and desertion of the mother though that would have made for interesting passages. He focuses more on the specter of Indian couples grinding through decadesof loveless union tied by the invisible shackles of desi pride and tradition. Santanu hesitates inbringing up Catherine, his new love interest, to his elderly mother which would be unsurprisingto the Bengali reader. Middle aged dating by Indians is also unchartered territory which has notbeen fully explored by Indian American novels so far. The cocaine addict and ex-convictboyfriend of Mitali, the elder daughter, provides an interesting subplot. Such a dalliance would not be normally tolerated in average Bengali households.

delicious goat curry and other Indian delicacies followed —and was thoroughly relished by everyone. Dessert consisting of fruits and ice cream was served at the end of the event. Bonde made by Arpita Gupta was enjoyed and appreciated by all.

With the end of summer, the ICC Executive Committee with the help of many of its members is very busy preparing for the ICC’s Durga Puja, which will be held on September 24th and 25th. Soumyajit and Soumendra a famous duo from Kolkata on Saturday and Trijoy Deb and Saberi Bhattacharya on Sunday will be the featured artists of this event. They will be performing exclusively for ICC in the NY-NJ-CT tri-state area during this Puja. Along with that will be many programs presented by the ICC members and other local artists.

More details of all the above events may also be found at the ICC website www.iccgs.org.

On behalf of the ICC EC, I wish all readers a wonderful Fall Season and all the very best during the upcoming festival season.

Keya Das’s Second Act is Sopan Deb’s first foray into the world of fiction writing. The story is set in a small, suburban New Jersey town and develops around a Bengali American family. In this book, the author has deftly tackled many taboo topics of the Indian community. Most parents have a hard time dealing with LGBTQ issues. Especially in the Indian community, the child’s sexual orientation as LGBTQ is unacceptable. Concern over losing face and fear of the community’s reaction negatively affect their lives. Divorce and remarriage also carry its own stigma in South Asian communities though it hasbecome much more common place in metropolitan Indian cities.

At the center of the novel is the untimely, accidental death of Keya, the artistic, younger daughter of Shantanu and Chaitali Das. Keya comes out as lesbian just a short while before her death. The father’s anguish is depicted in heart wrenching detail though the mother’s agony is suppressed. The mother leaves her cold, indifferent husband and takes up with a widower from the same Bengali community. Deb does not

Shantanu Das never quite achieves the perfect, weed free lawn which is the epitome of suburbansuccess. His feeling of ‘otherness’ and lack of belonging is an important theme which isdelicately weaved throughout the entire book. His unease at being in a therapist’s office iscompletely understandable by the Indian reader but will be lost on others. Deb liberally sprinkles Bengali phrases and terms of endearment such as ‘sona’, ‘bechara’, ‘eesh’, and ‘Durga Durga’. Durga Puja, Annaprasana, Thanksgiving and Christmas all mingle together asmainstream festivals. Exasperated with being treated as a marginal community, the millennial writer Deb provides no footnotes just as the Jewish writers do not feel the need to explain Yom Kippur or Rosh Hashanah.

However, this novel is not all dark and gloomy. The atonement comes when Santanu discovers abox in the attic containing an unfinished manuscript by the dead Keya and her love interest Pam.Every character in the Das household suffered from survivor’s guilt. However, they are all ableto find redemption through active involvement in the stage production of the play spearheaded by the feisty Catherine. I found this novel to be an enjoyable debut by a promising young writer. Perhaps he will someday reach a level of recognition and success that is now routinely accorded to Jhumpa Lahiri.

CARING FOR ROSES

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be controlled by spraying with mixture of neem oil or insecticidal soap on a monthly cycle or when you see these bugs. Remember to use the sprays early in the morning or on cloudy days to reduce heat damage

to the buds, blooms, and the leaves.

Hope this article gave you some new insights or ideas about caring for your rose plants. Please share your experiences and stories about growing and caring for roses by emailing us @ pushpashree.usa@gmail.com.

Tagore Hall at Ananda Mandir Available to all Members of Our South Asian Community!

A 12,000 square foot, multi-purpose facilitythat serves all members as anauditorium (with stage and audio-visual capabilities) as well as a community hall, and offers classrooms and meeting rooms. Ideal for your religious, educational, cultural and social events! For more info, please email TagoreHall@anandamandir.org Or call 732-873-8300

For rent - weekly or monthly: Beautiful, freshly renovated and painted flat in Central Kolkata, 750 sq. ft. total area plus hanging balcony overlooking Main Street. Dining area, fully equipped kitchen, modern bathroom, living room/bedroom, AC, TV and Wi-Fi, and 24-hour caretaker and security. FOR OVERSEAS PERSONS ONLY WITH APPROPRIATE REFERENCES.

Enquire: Mithu Chaudhuri: 910-977-2438

mithukarchaudhuri@gmail.com

Dr Paritosh Chakrabarti Recognized by Ananda Mandir

On the occasion of the “Summer Fest” cultural program on Sunday, June 19, Ananda Mandir recognized Dr Paritosh Chakrabarti for his many contributions to the Indian community in general, and Ananda Mandir in particular, by presenting a Certificate of Appreciation. He and his wife, Srimati, were also thanked for their sponsorship of the performance stage at the Tagore Community Hall which is now named Srimati&Paritosh Chakrabarti Mancha.

The photo above shows Dr Chakrabarti receiving an engraved plaque from Mr. Jai Prakash Biswas, President, and Dr Debajyoti Chatterji, Vice President, reading the following citation: “Ananda Mandir is honored to recognize Dr Paritosh M. Chakrabarti forhis outstanding success as a visionary industrialist and for his generous and sustained support of cultural and educational initiatives of Indian American organizations in New Jersey and neighboring states.”

Following this felicitation, Dr Chakrabarti made brief comments and thanked Ananda Mandir for the work it is doing for the community.

EDISON, NJ, Feb 3rd, 2022 – Samragnee Majumdar, an agent for New York Life in New Jersey, has earned membership in the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) for 2021. Achieving membership in MDRT is a distinguishing life insurance career milestone, attained only by those who have demonstrated superior professional knowledge, experience and client service. MDRT membership represents the top life insurance and financial service professionals worldwide. MDRT is an international, independent association of the world’s best life insurance and financial services professionals. In addition, this is the 60th consecutive year that New York Life has dominated the MDRT in the United States.

“Leading the MDRT’s membership ranks for 60 years speaks to the unwavering dedication of New York Life’s family of agents as well as to our industry leading training program. Our agents are unsurpassed in providing families and businesses with extraordinary professionalism and outstanding service year after year, and in upholding the professional standards set by generations of agents before them,” said Mark Pfaff, co-president of the Insurance and Agency Group, New York Life. “I am proud that we have attained this level of achievement for sixty consecutive years, and I want to thank all of our agents and managers past and present for helping us reach this level of success.”

Ms. Majumdar has been a New York Life agent since 2010 and is associated with New York Life’s New Jersey General Office in Edison. She is actively involved with the Kallol Women’s Forum of New Jersey, a non- profit organization supporting deprived children in India. Ms. Majumdar currently resides in Hillsborough, NJ with her family