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