SBA Magazine, Volume 6, 2014 by Somerset Bengalis

Saraswati Puja 2014

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Welcome to the 2014 Saraswati Puja of the Somerset Bengali Association.

A Non-Pro it New Jersey Corporation www.somersetbengalis.org Email: somersetbengalis@gmail.com Vol. 6 - Annual Magazine EDITOR Parna Kundu CONTENTS Welcome to the 2014 Puja ............. All on Ice ................................................. Lost in an Ocean ................................... My Lovely Trip to Disney ................. The City that Beckons ....................... The Keys ................................................. The Big Bus Tour .................................. Prajapoti .................................................. Flawless Nature .................................... I love Rickshaws .................................. Buddha .................................................... Why I love Saraswati Pooja ........... Children’s Song Group ...................... Fun with Fear ....................................... Snowman ................................................ Dance Team - Nacho Toh Dekhi .... Cultural Program Schedule .............. Future Artist Gallery –1 ..................... The Adventures of Steve ................... The Ramayana: in My Eyes ............. Adults’s Song Group ............................ 2014 World Cup ................................... Future Artist Gallery –2 ..................... Bara/jhora ............................................... Shruti Natok Group ............................ My Favorite TV Show ......................... Children’s Ensemble Group ............ Lessons Cancer Taught Me ............... Life Poem ................................................

3 7 7 7 9 10 13 13 13 14 14 14 16 18 18 19 20 22 23 27 28 30 31 32 33 33 34 35 37

COVER ART

Classical Saraswati - A painting by Bridgewater artist Sneha Ganguly

Saraswati Puja is one of the most important festivals for Bengalis. On this day, we worship Saraswati Devi, the goddess of learning, music, art and culture. This day also marks the start of the beautiful Spring season and the wonderful festival of colors, Holi. SBA is honored to host the 7th annual Saraswati Puja in Bridgewater. Our organization is fairly young but we have grown rapidly, from 48 families in 2007 to 160 families in 2014! The purpose of our organization is to arrange cultural and educational events in New Jersey that provide a platform for our children and our community to stay connected with our roots. We invite you to join the SBA family and bene/it from the many cultural and educational opportunities we have to offer. Over the past seven years, we have successfully built strong relationships within our community - and it is no exaggeration that so far away from our ancestral land, all of you have effectively become our family. This becomes evident in such joyous occasions as today's Puja as well as the mournful events that sometimes strike us, such as the recent demise of our beloved Sharbashish Ghosh and Tarun Ghose, who left us prematurely for their heavenly abodes. Our thoughts and prayers remain with both families. It is a matter of great comfort that the SBA community rallies around in such a touching and exemplary manner in both happiness and tragedy. We have worked hard to make this past year a meaningful one for all our members and in October, we welcomed to our family, many new friends and to celebrate the festival of Diwali in a new and expanded facility in Hillsborough, NJ. Today, on the occasion of Saraswati puja, many of our young members will write their /irst letters with a traditional “hathe khori” ceremony. We will host a rich cultural extravaganza, showcasing talents by many young and adult performers. Our participants, directors, choreographers and committee coordinators have worked tirelessly to bring you a wonderfully diverse entertainment program and we thank them for all of their efforts. Whether it’s the melodious voices of our young children and adults, classical steps of an odissi dance, lilting beats of Bangla Folk dances or the artful ensemble of band music, you will hear tunes and melodies that are sure to /ill your hearts with joy. Add to that, our witty “Struti Natok” which is sure to amuse you with its heart- warming representation of a middle class Calcutta household! We extend a warm welcome to our professional artists, Vishal Bhalla and Harini, both of whom are /inalists of SaReGaMaPa USA. They will add color to our medley and regale us with their melodious music. We thank our members, grand patrons, sponsors and retail partners for their generous support in making this event a great success. We hope you enjoy this magical evening with your family and friends, savoring the delightful delicacies and enjoying the wonderful arrangement of music and dance. We look forward to seeing you at all our future events and becoming an active member of our organization. Please visit our website, and FaceBook page for event updates and to become a member. Thank you for joining us today and for making this event a special one for all of us. Board of Trustees - Sharmila Ghosh Anasua Sanyal Sanchoy Das Kallol Ghosh Soma Choudhury Mausumi Majumdar Joyjit Kundu 3

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Saraswati Puja - February 2014 Of iciating Priest: Arijit Chatterjee Event Managers: Somesh Choudhury & Kallol Ghosh Puja Arrangements: Sumita Dhara, Sayanti Basu, Lopamudra Das, Suparna Das Cultural Committee: Molly Chowdhury, Malini Mazumdar, Sharmila Ghosh, Mausumi Majumdar Food Committee: Nabanita Chakraborty, Manjari Chowdhury, Ashish Das, Krishnendu Mukhopadhyay, Sumit Sen Fund Raising & Finance: Joyjit Kundu, Sanchoy Das Guest Relations & Registration: Saurav Ghosh, Soma Choudhury, Anasua Sanyal, Kallol Ghosh Facilities Management: Anisur Khan, Probir Dhara, Indrajit Ghosh, Soumya Roy, Debesh Chakraborty, Rajiv Mukherjee, Subrata Roy

Diwali Party - November 2013 Event Managers: Parna Kundu & Rajyasri Das Thanks to the many volunteers who made these events a success

Grand Patrons We would like to thank the following individuals for their generous sponsorship of the 2014 Saraswati Puja Rina and Subroto Roy Sangeeta and Krishnenedu Mukhopadhyay Sanjeeta and Shubhomoy Mukherjee Sarmistha and Sumit Sen Sharmila and Saurav Ghosh Shampa and Saptarshi Bhattacharjee Som and Anuka Chowdhury Soma and Anup Rakhit Soma and Somesh Choudhury Soumya and Sayanti Roy Sudipta and Dibyendu Chatterjee Koel Chatterjee and Sukdeb Datta Sumita and Probir Dhara Suparna and Ashish Das Suparna and Tamal Majumdar Teesta Roy and Anisur Khan

Aparajita and Amit Ray Ambalika and Santosh Mukherjee Anasua and Aniruddho Sanyal Baishali and Arijit Chatterjee Devi and Chandrajit Bhattacharya Kasturi and Anindo Dutta Lopamudra and Chanu Das Malini and Indrajit Ghosh Manjari and Prasun Chowdhury Molly Chowdhury and George Abraham Mausumi Majumdar and Raja Das Nabanita and Sudip Chakraborty Nazneen and Somnath Mitra Parna and Joyjit Kundu Parna and Kallol Ghosh Prashanthi and Sunith Roy Rajyasri and Sanchoy Das 4

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All on Ice – Shruti Roy “Mama, I’m leaving. “ Sophie’s voice ringed through the busy house. The clatter of pans answered her as her little baby cousin escaped from her aunt and ran to hug her. Mama’s voice was muf/led as she replied, “Have a nice day, honey.” Sophie stepped out into the silent blanket of white, a never-ending sheen of beauty. She walked over to Ella’s house, and rang the doorbell. A brilliant blue eye peeked through the window curtain, and then Ella’s freckled face appeared in the doorway. “Come on, Sophie! Race you! Let’s go!” Ella ran off in full gear for ice skating, her skates making a thin dent in the snow behind her. Sophie closed the door and set off behind her, catching up quickly. Pines turned into a green blur as they whistled their song with the wind. They followed the road until the white glimmer of the lake’s ice came into view. Yesterday at about the same time, Sophie and Ella were gasping at the soft shine of white that the lake had acquired. It was then that they decided that they would come back the next day to skate the day away. Whatever came next didn’t amount to as much as the moment they spotted the wondrous lake. ‘It’s beautiful,’ Sophie thought as she ran. She didn’t know what was coming next. But then again, no one knew their own future. Ella had already reached the lake, and was starting to strap on her skates. “Beat you there,” Ella yelled, laughing as she swept her bangs to the side. “Let’s see how you do on the ice,” Sophie retorted. “Nothing makes my day like seeing Ella /lail on the frozen lake as she tries to skate gracefully.” “Hey,” Ella said as she punched Sophie’s arm. “It’s not like you’re so good either.” “You’re on.” Sophie stepped on the ice and glided off. “Wait for me,” Ella yelled, taking off a second behind Sophie. Sophie twirled out of the way as Ella zoomed toward her, but fell softly on the ice. “Can’t catch me,” Ella shrieked happily as she glided away. Sophie got up with a bit of trouble, but starting skating in no time. Considering that they were amateurs, she and Ella were doing just /ine. Sophie pushed off a little wobbly, but with enough power to send herself zooming toward the middle of the lake. The slick surface sped by beneath her skates, glittering in the re/lection of the blades. Sophie’s speed increased and she went faster each second. Soon the lake’s surface was only a blur, with re/lecting light that would make your eyes ache if you were looking straight down. But Sophie was only looking ahead, and wasn’t paying enough attention to notice the little cracks appearing on the surface. As she sped along toward the middle, bigger cracks appeared, and these Sophie noticed. But she was going so fast by now, she couldn’t change her course. In a matter of seconds, the ice beneath her collapsed and gave way. “Help!” she cried, just before she disappeared below the surface. Sophie gasped as she struggled her way to the surface. The cold wind welcomed her as she gulped at the air hungrily. Her vision blurred at the edges, spots dancing in front of her eyes. Her head was spiraling, her mind dizzied from the lack of air. She struggled to stay a/loat, drinking the air above her. She took only a few breaths before the water claimed her once more. Underneath, vibrations met her ears, making the softest sounds as if the breeze was whispering in her ear. She could barely hear the words, but she knew what they were. Ella was calling for help, and Sophie desperately needed it. “Help! Please, can anyone hear me?! Help, please!” Ella’s voice echoed in the air, and met her own ears as hopeless defeat. It had been 5 minutes since Sophie had disappeared under the surface, and she had only come up 4 times. Ella didn’t know if Sophie was conscious or not, but she didn’t dare go near enough to check in fear of falling in herself. Ella had noticed the cracks in the ice and had been about to warn Sophie when she heard the crackle of ice and the splash as Sophie fell in. In the 5 minutes past, Ella’s voice had grown hoarse and cracked as she /irst called Sophie, and then to the outer world for help. “Help,” Ella cried once. “Please.” She collapsed on the ice, breathing heavily. The ice vibrated under her, and she heard the swish of skates. She sat up like a rocket, on her feet in an instant. Joy /illed her heart. Moments later, two teenage boys came around the bend of the lake, stopping abruptly when they saw Ella. They started up Continued on page 7 → 6

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Lost in an Ocean - Shounak Ghosh There used to live a little /ish and a mommy /ish in a big ocean. His mother said not to go anywhere alone except school. One day, when he went to school, his friend said, let’s go outside and play. He forgot his mom’s promise and got lost. He cried and cried but could not /ind his mom. After few days a big /ish saw him behind a coral reef and helped him to go back home. Since then he never disobeyed his mom.

My Lovely Trip to Disney- Priyanka Chatterjee In my winter holidays I visited Disney World in Florida with my mom and dad. We went to Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom and Sea World. First at Animal Kingdom we went on the Safari, where I was able to see some exotic African animals. I was fascinated by the “zebra pant"-ed Addax and the enormous Hippo. Mr. Hippo had opened his mouth and oh boy wasn’t it simply huge!!!! The wonderful light and sound of the Finding Nemo show and the brilliant stunts at the Festival of Lion King were also great. Next day, we went to Magic kingdom. When I reached there, I felt I was on Aladdin's magic carpet and had indeed arrived at "A Whole New World". It was simply excellent!!!!! I took pictures with Mickey, Minnie, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. I saw two wonderful parades the Christmas one and the electrical one at night. The Christmas one with all the characters singing, dancing, marching and waving to the kids was simply amazing. And of-course there was the real "Santa Clause" at the rear calling out the kids by names. The /irework show in front of the Cinderella castle was glittering, with a thousand different lights lighting up the sky and the castle itself changing colors all the while. It was simply spectacular!!!! The dolphin shows and the "Shamu" show at Sea World were also wonderful. Though I reached out quite a bit, I could not touch the dolphin, though I saw one really close. It was an excellent trip!!!! I simply can’t wait to go back again!!! again, heading toward her. They stopped a few feet in front of her, one boy standing back awkwardly. The other stepped forward and introduced himself. “Hi, I’m Jake. My friend here is Brandon. We heard your calls. What’s wrong?” Jake steadied Ella kindly as she wobbled on the ice. “I’m Ella. Do either of you know how to swim?” Ella asked weakly. “Yeah, I do.” Brandon stepped forward. “Why?” “My friend Sophie fell in over there about 5 minutes ago and I haven’t seen her come up for air for 2 whole minutes.” Ella burst into tears, the salty water freezing on her face. “That’s bad.” Jake said as he patted Ella’s back. “Brandon, do you think you can bring her back here. And take off your skates, they’ll weigh you down.” Sure.” Brandon slipped of his skates, and took off his jacket . He waddled carefully to the edge of the ice, testing the way before he stepped. He dove in, the water hitting him like a hundred jabs of pain. The cold was so intense, his body went numb in an instant. He glimpsed a /lash of skin underneath the surface, and pushed off toward it. He grabbed Sophie’s arm, and kicked as hard as he could toward the surface. Sophie’s body was dead weight. She had fainted sometime after her last breath, but the contact with air jolted her awake. “Wha-what happened?” Her words were garbled as Brandon dragged her onto steady ice. Ella ran toward her and hugged her with all her might. “Thank you, thank you thank you thank you!!!” Ella said softly to both Brandon and Sophie. “You’re all right, Sophie!” Ella cried with happiness. “We’re all right.” 7

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The City that Beckons – Abantika Mukherjee When it comes to Kolkata, the erstwhile Calcutta, some deep emotions stir up within me. The place that rekindles my fondest memories, the city that witnessed my growing up years and above all the city that means home to me is Kolkata! So when I get closer to it I feel grounded. For some of us, Kolkata is a city with rich past; it is a melting pot of culture and art, city of intellectuals and luminaries. Yet to others, it is a city of processions and strikes, way too crowded and polluted, old and dirty with stagnated growth. To me it means much more beyond this. This city has so much to offer for everyone - historically, culturally and gastronomically. Our love for Bengal starts with taking pride in our language Bengali. And why not? Bengali has been recognized by UNICEF as the sweetest language in the world. People here are friendly, erudite, sports loving, total foodie. A city is made of its people. It is said that Kolkata is a city with heart and soul. It embraces rich and poor alike, people from all walks of life, all faiths and religions. I love the hustle and bustle of the city, the crowd, its zest for life, the poking and prodding neighbor, the ‘adda’ (chit-chatting), festivals and social congregations like Durga Puja and Diwali. Being a cosmopolitan city, it houses worship places of different religions and faiths from temple, churches, masjid to synagogue which re/lects its secular fabric. When it comes to Kolkata my mind conjures up images of book-fair, /ilms and theaters, little magazine, colonial architecture, Satyajit Ray, Tagore, Nandan etc. like any other Bengali. The city would never fail to entice me with its myriad hues. To me, no city is as exciting as Kolkata. I have stayed in Europe for few years and now have moved to the US. Every time to make myself feel at home away from home I have tried to map the similarities between cities. I have found some historical convergences of Kolkata with some cities in Europe. The best way to know a city is on foot. Given a chance I would like to join ‘Calcutta Walks’ to know the city better. But to my dismay this city is not pedestrian friendly. Footpaths are broken, unstructured and either encroached or occupied by peddlers, hawkers, homeless, rendering the city less walkable. Over the years so many things has changed in my city and certain things put me ill at ease. While the city started to build many new /lyovers and bridges to ease its traf/ic /low, quite a few of them are un/inished and delayed. Am not sure how common people will bene/it from changing the names of much familiar metro stations or for that matter the new color schemes (blue and white) of the government. City’s landscape is changing faster with mushrooming swanky malls, starrer hotels, high-rises and gated apartment complex. Vacant plots of land is now a thing of past. Relatively cheaper property prices (compared to other metro cities) luring people to invest in real estate. As a result, demand is shooting up. Old houses are being pulled down. Land sharks are even targeting the wet land leaving the city at the brink of natural disaster. While there is no denial of the fact that rapid urbanization is pivotal for the emerging economy of a developing nation but creation of civic amenities has to be proportionate with the population growth. That “old world charm” is missing. When I am vacationing there I miss out some of my relatives, cousins and friends who have also left the city since long in search of fortune elsewhere. The city has seen exodus of educated middle class, scholar and students over the decades. Our city is also becoming unsafe for women folk. Was it this unsafe before? Safety and security is not a matter of luxury, it’s so fundamental. We are worshippers of Ma Kali and Ma Durga in different forms. These mother goddesses are the quintessence form of feminine power, strength, energy, the source of life. So it’s high Continued on page 10 → 9

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The Keys – Trisha Ghosh This winter we decided to go for a vacation during the holiday season. With everyone in our family voting, deciding where to go was not easy. The /inal choice was between Vermont and Florida. Although we visited Florida several times, the /inal choice of Florida was due to its warm weather. I gazed out the window staring at the palm trees and teal waters, the Florida Keys are truly amazing. My family and I were driving from Fort Lauderdale to Key West. I thought the 4 hour trip would be boring and tiresome but it turned to be is very beautiful and exciting. We stopped to take pictures of a bridge that stretched 7 miles connecting two islands. Actually there were two bridges, the old and new one side by side. We arrived at our hotel and immediately went to see the sunset pier. After all Key West is famous for its sunsets. Next day KEY LIME FOODS – Key Lime Pie, Key Lime sauce, Key Christmas Eve, was when the fun really started - We went snorkeling, jet-skiing and parasailing. Unfortunately, I got stung by Lime jelly bean, Key Lime ice-cream, Key Lime chutney, Key Lime beer, a jelly /ish on my face which cut short my snorkeling trip. But after Key Lime wine, Key Lime taffy, Key applying vinegar, which the captain of the boat kept ready, I felt Lime gelato, Key Lime candy, Key Lime yogurt, Key Lime peanuts, Key much better by the evening. Both evenings were at Malory Square, Lime iced-tea, Key Lime lemonade, where everyone gathered to see the sunset and local shows. Key Lime chocolate, Key Lime Salsa.

My favorite – Key Lime ice-cream The next day we headed for Miami. Before we left we visited the southernmost point in the continental US. For 5 minutes I was at the southernmost point, isn’t that cool! The ride to Miami was beautiful like I expected, but could not save ourselves from some scattered rain showers. We arrived late at Miami so could not see much, except realizing it was a big city, much bigger than the ones we passed on our way. We went to the famous Everglades the next day and took an air boat ride. It was pouring so hard, we had a tough time keeping our eyes open in the moving boat. We saw many baby alligators, there were so cute! Later there was a show on alligators. We saw some really huge crocodiles which were scary, but did not seem to move. I held a baby alligator and felt its tail twitching in my hands.

Sadly at Miami we never spent enough time at the beach, but were able to visit one for just 10 minutes. At the beach, it started to pour and it was my /irst time in the beach getting wet. Few people started running to /ind a shaded place, few ran towards the water, I just stood there getting wet. Entire trip I had lots of fun, even though it could have been better without the rains. Overall, we had an unforgettable time at the Keys and surely if anyone had the best winter break, it was me! Continued from page 9 → The City that Beckons

time to wake up and /ight to protect our girls and put efforts towards making the city safe. I am appalled at the insensitivity and people’s aversion to heritage and history and its preservation. Much needed to be done for upkeep, maintenance and preservation of our umpteen heritage buildings and heritage precinct. Bengal (which was India’s capital) is labelled as a ‘dying and graying’ city by many. Time has come to revive it, a change is imperative now. State needs social reformers, grass roots organizers and responsible government. NRI’s and expats need to involve and engage with the city in a meaningful way. We have to come out of our nostalgia and ‘melancholy romance’ and make a difference. After almost three decades, there has been a ‘Poriborton’ in the government. Now how the fortune of the city and its people shines remains to be seen. Eminent leader Gokhale once said “what Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow”. Hope it lives to that expectation. 10

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The Big Bus Tour - Rishit Roy Chapter One: Boring Trip There were cars and buildings passing by. I was in New York City. I was excited. I was riding a big bus. I was riding the downtown tour. The bus had two /loors. One was at the peak. One was at the foundation. I was at the crown. In the beginning I could feel the enjoyment. I sat on a seat. I was really cheerful. I liked it. It was like a ride. Then it was getting boring. I was about to fall asleep. The bus going about /ive miles per hour. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. I was happy there were no seatbelts but it was crowded and I was still asleep. Chapter Two: Sleeping ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. I wasn’t in a deep sleep. I could hear what was going on. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Chapter Three: Almost Over When I woke up I was happy that the bus ride was almost over. One building looked liked it was crumpled. My family went past Macy's and the Empire State Building. I felt tired but overjoyed. My sister was also happy. I could feel the wind blowing. I felt how I felt on the beginning of the trip, contented. I wanted to go home and to me the tour guide was talking like this blah blah blah blah blah blah. Chapter 4: Chicken Nuggets After we got off, we went to McDonalds to eat chicken nuggets. They tasted good. I was bored for some of the time. I also had an amusing time. But I was happy to go home. My family was happy. We hardly have family occasions. I guess that’s it, but what will happen then? I go to a tour in Princeton? Maybe I will go to Princeton. But it won’t be easy.

Projapoti - Aditi Roy

Flawless Nature

The butter/ly spreads its wings and /lutters through the air Over a rainbow of /lowers without a care Suddenly, it stops in midair And gently lowers down to a /lowers lair

- Rishi Mukherjee I Love sitting by the stream, Especially when the warm sunlight beams, Above the Clouds are Fluffy Cream, All I want to do is Dream, dream dream… The Birds /lying up are sweet , As they go tweet, tweet, tweet… That’s what Life is all about.

On the /lower, it is in a crouch, It sucks sweet nectar, into its mouth. When it is satis/ied, it /lutters up again, As if to say, “I must leave some for my friends." Then it joins the air once more, In a fabulous journey, with no fear. It stops one time, looks around then smiles, And then it looks down and says goodbye.

Never be full of doubts, Appreciate what you Get and Your Life will be all Set!

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I love Rickshaws – Hiya Khan

Buddha - Nishka Abraham

This winter break I was in Kolkata and Dhaka to visit my grandparents and cousins. I had lot of fun spending time with them. I enjoyed eating out, visiting the Nehru Children’s Museum, the Victoria Memorial and the river Ganges. But the best fun I had was riding the rickshaw to go shopping at the Salt Lake City Center with my mom. I loved it because going on a bumpy road made me bounce up and down. I also liked the cool breeze against my face.

Buddha was born approximately 2,500 years ago in Lumbini. He taught us some amazing quotes:

In Dhaka the rickshaws are lot prettier than the ones in Kolkata. They are more colorful and beautifully decorated. The rickshaw rides in Dhaka was scary as they raced with the cars and buses on the road. My mom took a picture with me and my cousin riding the rickshaw. Now I am back home in USA and I look at the picture and miss Kolkata and Dhaka a lot.

•

“Do not dwell in the past; do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment”

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“An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind”

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“Health is the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship”

He also said that he drinks with his glass everyday but if the wind knocks it over he would say “ahh but off course.” He would say this because he knew it would break someday so he enjoyed the time he had with it while he had it. Buddha is an amazing person and we can all learn a lot from him.

Why I love Saraswati Pooja Rishika Roy Saraswati Pooja is about the god of learning. During the pooja many women wear saris and churidars. Men wear kurtas with pants. I love dressing up in fancy churidars and saris. Some people dance, sing, and do drama. My favorite part of Saraswati Pooja is performing on stage and watching the other performers. I love Saraswati Pooja because of the ‘hustle bustle’ and all the friends I make and meet. I love Saraswati pooja because of all of these reasons. 14

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Children’s Song Group - Directed by Malini Mazumdar It is again that time of the year when the kids of Somerset county get all excited and geared up to showcase their musical talents at SBA organized Saraswati Puja. The momentum picks up two months prior to the big day, kids along with their parents brave the brutal (Dec-Jan) cold weather to attend the rehearsals. Apart from practicing songs with dedication, the rehearsals become a great hang-out spots for the kids, chilling out with their buddies with the assurance of steady supply of refreshments. When the big day arrives, it becomes not only a proud moment for the kids but also the same for their parents to watch their little ones standing up on the stage and singing so beautifully from their heart. This year the kids will be singing songs to celebrate the onset of Spring. When the kids go up on the stage, we will momentarily forget about the reality of freezing temperature outside and instead be transported to the vibrant, colorful world of Spring woven by Rabindranath Tagore and Nazrul Islam. -Teesta This is my privilege to express my feelings on this little kids’ song programs. Lots of families like us are far from our own loved ones, our sweet and eventful cultural environment. Saraswati puja is always the most unforgettable event from our childhood. These little kids are the essence of Saraswati puja. Their songs take the cultural program to a great height. It's a joy to see these young kids growing up together and balancing their lives with both American and Indian culture. Our kids don't get chance to be exposed to our own culture in their day to day lives. But, these couple of sweet songs stay in their hearts for many years. As parents, we always feel happy and proud to see our kids on the stage performing Bengali songs. We take this program as a wonderful opportunity to introduce our own special culture to our next generation. Kids feel excited about their abilities. Appreciate the efforts from Malini Mazumdar and Soma Choudhury to hold this together. And of course, without the enthusiastic participation of the parents, it couldn't be a success. Thanks to SBA for giving us this opportunity. This is an opportunity where we can show our love and respect towards Bengali culture. It’s “Show Time” !! - Sumita 16

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Fun with Fear – Atreyee Ghosh “Whoosh! Zoom!” I zipped down the long rope, daring not to move a muscle just in case something terrible occurs. I was at the Arenal Sky Trek in Costa Rica going on a zipline set. As soon as I had strapped my harness and clasped my helmet, my family and my friend Alicia’s family rode to the top of the trek on a cable car. “Are you sure you want to do this? You have ziplines one and two to decide. If you go on number three, there’s no turning back,” our tour guide told us as he quickly went over the rules. The /irst two cables were the training cables and were supposed to be easy. We started with a 92 foot long cable. That was fairly easy. I could see the dirt on the ground and was a wee bit nervous. The second set was a little longer and slightly elevated. I suddenly wanted to go back. Our guide told us, “There is no going back from here! Are you sure you want to do this, kiddo?” We were at the platform of the third cable. I longed to say “No” but my feet moved forward, and the tour guide took that as a “yes!” Now there was no point yelling frantically, no point crying, no point doing anything, for it was no use. I was suddenly trapped 200 meters high going at 60 miles per hour. The number circled in my head while I tried to look down at the vast rainforest below. My palms were sweaty and I hung on to the rope for dear life. Before I knew it I had completed cable number 3. For a moment I felt relieved and happy like a bird /lying high. Zip zapping through cables four, /ive and six was fun. I suddenly halted at cable seven, which I remembered was the longest and the most dif/icult. I kicked off the platform, being brave and determined. It was a great feeling of being free and so much braver than I thought I was. I looked around the lush green rainforest and the clear blue sky above me. I felt like I could almost touch the clouds and reach for the stars. At the last cable I jumped off the platform on cloud nine. My frown turned upside down as for so did my feelings. As I was nearing the end of the zipline, I unfolded my legs and slowly found myself coming to a stop. This time, I nailed the landing! I thought to myself “I did it!” as the tour guide told me “you aced ziplining! All the tour guides are so proud of you for volunteering to be the /irst person to go! Great job!” I beamed. I never knew that I would be so happy.

Snowman – Trina Ghosh “Done” I shouted as I put the last detail needed on the snowman. Suddenly Whoosh! Whoosh! I turn around to hear a voice “Hello I am Mr. Snow and I like pie”. I pinched and thought to myself a real snowman, “Wow”. I couldn’t wait to go sledding on the slope behind our backyard, and have fun with snow balls. Since there was plenty of snow so wanted to build another snowman to have a snowball /ight? I wanted to start building the 2nd Snowman right away as I had only one day before the temperature goes up and it all melts away. When we went down the hill while we were sledding, Mr. Snow screamed at the top of his lungs as he never experienced going sledding down the slope. Mr. Snow loved it so much he wanted to go a million more times down the hill. Mr. Snow wanted another snow friend, so we built another one. When I put on the hat, Whoosh! Whoosh! “Hello I like pie”. It was just like Mr. Snow, so I named her Mrs. Snow. Both got along just perfectly snow /ighting. I invited my sister so the teams would be even. My sister and I were on one team and Mr. and Mrs. Snow were on the other. My sister and I got hit Boom! they got us with that one giant snowball, we fell on the snow. Soon the sun came out and sadly Mr. and Mrs. Snow started melting. I wanted to give some pie to them and say good bye, but it was too late they had already melted away. I felt vey sad, I felt like crying. So, I decided next year when it snows, I am going to again make snowmen, name them Mr. and Mrs. Snow, give them pie and play with them. 18

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Dance Team: “Nacho Toh Dekhi” - Directed by Debolina Sanyal The rhythms of rural Bengal sound in the drums of the harvest festival in the month of Poush in the Bengal Delta. Villagers gather in colorful groups to dance in celebration of a successful harvest, to celebrate at the fairs or Poush Melas in the red soil and mahua forests of Western Bengal. Young girls dazzle their admirers in their /inest attire, as the wandering Baul singers strum their dotaras and sing songs of spiritual love. Women sing songs welcoming young brides to the family, who dance in turn, in celebration of their new life. Young love cannot bear the separation as wives travel far from their husbands to visit with parents. And, so continues the cycle of life and love. The tableaus above are brought to life through the diverse forms of Baul, Dhamail, Rajbanshi and other dance and music traditions of rural Bengal, set to contemporary renditions of traditional songs. The performance concludes with an ode to the diversity of traditions in Bengal set to music by Soumyojit Das and Sourendro Mullick. As described by a stellar cast of luminaries in the original production, “Bengal has ever been the con/luence of numerous cultural rivulets… Each /low has brought with it a unique /lavor that enriched the state.” This year, the SBA Dance Team, led by Debolina Sanyal, pays homage to the rich heritage of folk music, dance, and cultural diversity of Bengal through its ensemble performance, “Nacho Toh Dekhi.”

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Saraswati Puja 2014 Cultural Program Schedule Time: 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School, Bridgewater, NJ 4:00 PM Welcome Announcement

Prasun Choudhury

4:05 PM

Song: Saraswati Bandana

4:15 PM

RDM-RHYTHMS OF DANCE & MUSIC

Participants: Malini Mazumdar, Teesta Roy, Sumita Dhara, Mili Ghosh, Lopamudra Das, Sudipta Chatterjee, Anurupa Mukherjee, Satabdi Choudhury, Priti Dutta, Ranjana Sanyal, Sreerupa Ghoshal, Debashree Saha, Sunith Roy , Swasti Bal Musicians: Chandreyee Roy, Prashanthi Ramarapu, Omkar Bhowmick, Spreeha Choudhury, Sanjoy Roy Choreographed by : Mitra Purkayastha RDM GEMS - Ishani Banerjee, Pranita Kundu, Anisha Mitra, Nayanika Ray, Krittika Pal, Kuhu Datta

"NRITYANJALI" an offering or anjali through a unique dance collage, choreographed in pure Odissi repertoire, in the gharana of Padmashree Guru Muralidhar Majhi.

RDM GOLD - Ahana Banerjee, Aheli Basu, Priya Sugathan, Ira Chakraborty RDM STARS - Meena Stalhamer, Vedika Senger, Oli Sinha, Upasana Banerjee, Saraswati Mookherjee RDM DYNAMITES - Sunaya Dasgupta Mueller, Manisha Nath, Trina Ghosh, Anwesha Mishra, Isha Mohapatra RDM JEWELS - Arushi Bhatia, Ria Mukhopadhya, Portia Sarkar, Trisha Ghosh, Nishka Abraham

4:30 PM

Prakritir Chhonde - Songs by SBA Children Sponsored By: Deal Code MMT-SBA

Conductor: Malini Mazumdar Participants: Shounak Ghosh, Akash Dutta, Chandan Dutta, Manu Datta, Priyanka Chatterjee, Saraswati Shee, Ria Mukherjee, Rishi Mukherjee, Abheek Dhara, Aditi Dhara, Hiya Khan, Rishit Roy, Rashi Roy, Rishika Roy, Aditi Roy, Shruti Roy, Ria Mukhopadhyay, Nirav Banerjee, Nipun Banerjee Background Track : Dibyendu Seal 20

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4:55 PM

Bangla Struti Natok 'Leelmoni' written by Banani Mukherjee Sponsored By: Samragnee Majumdar

Coordinator: Suparna Das CAST Sobha: Suparna Das Dipti: Sudipta Chatterjee Shumi: Shakuntala Sanyal Radha: Soma Choudhury Jhumpi: Shampa Bhattacharjee Mithu: Suparna Bakshi Music: Rishi Bhattacharjee

5:30 PM

Nacho Toh Dekhi, Bangla Folk Dances presented by the SBA Dance Team Sponsored By:

Choreographed By : Debolina Sanyal Participants Youth: Aditi Dhara, Aditi Roy, Ananya Sanyal, Atreyee Ghosh, Nishka Abraham , Pranita Kundu, Prisha Ghosh, Priyanka Chatterjee, Rashi Roy, Ria Mukhopadhyay, Rishika Roy, Ritika Sinha-Chaudhuri, Roshni Dutta, Shonchori Mukherjee, Shruti Roy, Sohini Bhattacharjee, Trina Ghosh, Trisha Ghosh Adults : Anuka Basu, Debolina Sanyal, Deepa Tripathy, Devi Mukherjee, Koel Chatterjee, Mahuya Ghoshal, Mausumi Majumdar, Molly Choudhury, Parna Kundu , Prashanthi Ramarapu, Sangeeta Bhattacharya, Sanjeeta Mukherjee, Sarbani Ghosh, Sayanti Basu, Sharmila Ghosh

6:00 PM

Introduction to the MC Team

Avik Sanyal, Prajit Kundu, Kirin Dasgupta Mueller, Ricky Das, Romir Chatterjee, Shreyan Das & Anjana Dutta

6:10 PM

Announcements

SBA Board of Trustees : Anusua Sanyal Introduction of the Puja Organizing Team

6:25 PM

Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Music Ensemble

Conductor: Amit Ray Participants: Anudeep Aakenapalli, Reshav Abraham, Swapnanil Deb, Vivek Gurumoorthy, Alex Kosnik, Esha Ray, Nikita Roy, Sunith Roy, and Amit Ray

7:00 PM Dinner Break 8:30 PM

10 PM

Feature Artist Show Sponsored By:

Songs by Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Finalists Vishal Bhalla and Harini Vasudevan accompanied by live band

Closing 21

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Future Artist Gallery - 1 4th of July Fireworks - Pranita Kundu

Flawless Nature - Rishi Mukherjee

Away From the City - Aditi Dhara

A Snowy Day - Ricky Das

A Majestic Horse - Arushi Sanbui

Mother Bird - Ria Mukherjee

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The Adventures of Steve – Prajit Kundu Training. That was the one thing Steve was constantly doing and thinking about. He didn’t have a choice though. His teacher, Sensei Rudy, was strict. Steve once asked his sensei why he trained so much. “It’s a dark and dangerous world out there,” he had said. “To survive there is only one thing you can do: /ight the monsters.” “So the rumors of the undead and are true?” Steve had asked. “Alas, the rumors are true but that is not the worst of it,” Rudy had said. “There is a dragon that lives in the abandoned castle of Herobrine, whom your father defeated. He is strong, fast and agile; three things that spell out obvious doom to all who dare to attempt to slay him.” “But who would even think about trying to slay the beast?” Steve had asked. “Only the very brave or the very foolish,” Rudy had replied and had ended the conversation there, giving Steve much to worry and ponder about. A loud roar echoed throughout the endless void. The /lapping of giant wings was unmistakable. Steve turned around, desperately trying to /ind the dragon or, at the very least, an exit. A diamond sword shone brightly in his hands. Suddenly, two glowing, bright white eyes pierced through the darkness. “Those eyes. I’ve seen them but where?” thought Steve. Suddenly, Steve was knocked out of the air. He crashed into an island made of stone. He saw a streak of black and white and turned around. And then the dragon /lew straight at him. Steve sat up in cold sweat. “Was that a dream, or is this a dream?” Steve wondered. He pinched himself just to make sure. “Okay, so it was a dream but what should I make out of it?” Steve asked himself. “Is it a glimpse of the future or a warning? Perhaps I should consult Sensei Rudy.” But Sensei Rudy would not tell him anything other than: “Only time can tell.” So Steve had no choice but to think and to train. Steve decided that training would give him something else to think about. He grabbed an iron sword from the weapons rack and walked onto the training grounds. As he walked in, twelve /igures popped up from the ground. Steve took notice of them and the swords in their hands, but ignored them. Suddenly he spun around with his sword and chopped one of the /igure’s head clean off. The other /igures stepped out of the shadows and Steve quickly examined them. There were six zombies and /ive skeletons. He narrowed his eyes and charged at the monsters. The monsters sent out four warriors to attack Steve. Steve ducked under the /irst monster and sliced him in half. Two monsters charged at him from opposite sides. Steve was just standing there but right when the monsters swung their swords, he jumped over them and the monsters /inished each other off. He rolled under the fourth monster and kicked him into one of his allies, sending both of them to the ground. He spun around and then three more warriors crumpled to the ground. There were three monsters left. He charged at the monsters and defeated two of them. He looked around for the last monster and spotted him trying to escape. He threw his sword and a loud thump proved that he had defeated every monster. A cloaked /igure stepped onto the training grounds. Steve picked up a sword from one of the fallen monsters and charged at the /igure. The cloaked /igure unsheathed a brilliant golden sword and parried Steve’s blows easily. He then started to attack Steve and Steve was forced to become defensive. Steve had to call on all of his techniques to avoid the golden blade. His opponent didn’t seem to be tiring at all. Suddenly, his opponent used the disarming technique and Steve’s sword went /lying. The cloaked /igure started to attack Steve more ruthlessly. Steve had to jump, duck and roll until his opponent started to show signs of fatigue. But it didn’t appear that that was going to happen soon. Steve suddenly kicked his opponent in the chest, and his opponent was startled. He wrenched the sword out of the cloaked /igure’s hand and knocked him to the ground. Steve held the sword mere inches from his opponent’s neck. His opponent slowly pulled Continued on page 24 → 23

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back his hood. “You are ready,” said Sensei Rudy. “Sensei?” asked Steve in surprise. “Why did you send monsters to attack me? And why did you attack me?” “To prepare for what lies ahead,” replied Sensei Rudy. “We are going to slay the fearsome dragon once and for all.” Steve sat on his bed, pondering over what Sensei Rudy had said. “Slaying the dragon? That’s not going to happen,” Steve wondered aloud. “Amazing things can happen,” said Sensei Rudy. Steve jumped up in surprise, for he was unaware of his sensei’s arrival and that he was talking out loud. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” said Sensei Rudy. “We leave for the castle at dawn. And so it was the beginning of a dangerous quest. Steve and Sensei Rudy took bows, arrows, swords, pickaxes, regular axes, shovels, torches, food, rope and many more supplies. The beginning of the adventure was not very dif/icult, for the terrain was grassy and there were many inns and taverns where the pair rested. But after crossing the border of their land, things got far more dif/icult. They had to search for shelter and had to fend off the increasing amount of monsters. It was a night, exactly seven months since they left, that caused a serious turning point in the adventure. Steve and Rudy stood back to back, swords drawn. “Just like old times,” said Rudy. “Yes, just like old times,” agreed Steve. Monsters poured out of the shadows, charging at the pair. They split off in opposite directions and tore into the monsters. One by one the monsters fell. Steve was swinging his sword, slicing into the monster warriors. Rudy was easily chopping down every monster in his path. Suddenly, a hail of arrows /lew into the clearing. “They have archers in the trees!” exclaimed Rudy and then rolled away. Steve de/lected arrows with his sword but knew that he couldn’t keep this up forever. He threw his sword, and a skeleton fell out of the tree. It had his sword stuck in its leg. He smashed the skeleton against the tree and took its bow and arrows. He climbed into the tree with the sword on his hand and a bow on his back. Suddenly, skeletons went /lying out of the tree. He sniped all of the monsters on the ground. He suddenly spotted a monster in armor near a portal standing over his sensei with its mace raised. He tried to shoot him but all the arrows hit other monsters, which had randomly spawned. He jumped out of the tree and sliced through the monsters. He threw his sword at one of the last ones and punched the rest. He then tackled the armored one into the portal and then deactivated the portal, cutting the monster in half. He shook his sensei a few times and his worst fears came true. His friend and mentor was dead. So Steve was crushed by the death of his sensei. He burned with hate on the inside and desperately wanted to slay the dragon. He found and tamed a horse and then following a map he found in his sensei’s pocket, he rode to Herobrine’s castle. And here, his adventure ended. He rolled out of the way just in time. The dragon rammed right into the stone next to Steve. “It looks like that dream was a glimpse of the future,” Steve thought. “You will never defeat me!” roared the dragon. “If you know who I really am, then you will understand much more.” “You’re Herobrine!” exclaimed Steve, realization /looding into him. “But, nonetheless, I will still slay you, or die trying.” “I gave you a choice to run. But now, I will have to kill you!” said the dragon, lunging at Steve. Steve rolled and dodged the dragon’s /ireballs until he de/lected one of the /ireballs back at the dragon. Steve jumped down to the island and attacked the dragon. He buried his diamond sword to the hilt into the dragon’s chest breaking the ‘indestructible’ diamond, which was the dragon’s life source. Time seemed to slow down as Steve pushed the sword even deeper into the dragon. Shards were /lying everywhere. The dragon let out one /inal, terrible roar and then closed its glowing white eyes for the last time. Steve kneeled in memory of his fallen mentor and whispered, “I have avenged you, Sensei.” 24

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AAHAR What A Bengali Calls Food

Weekly Home Made Authentic (â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ghoroaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;) Bengali Food Packets

Delivering to New Jersey and PA Every Weekend

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The Ramayana: in My Eyes - Abheek Dhara The Ramayana is one of India’s greatest epics. My favorite character is Rama, one of the sons of King Dashratha who defeated Ravana and became king. This starts when Rama is born as one of the four children of Dashratha and the three queens named Kaushalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyee. The other children were named Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna. After their childhood, they went to watch Sita’s Swayamvara. Lots of kings tried to /ix the bow and win Sita as his wife. When Rama tried to /ix the bow, it broke in half! That’s how Rama won Sita as his wife. When King Dashratha was very old, he thought about crowning Rama as king. He asked the judges if he could. It took them a long time to decide, but /inally, they all said yes. Dashratha was full of joy! He rushed to tell Rama that he would be crowned king the next day. But in the next day, things did not go right because Rama was sent on a fourteen year exile. Rama went to exile because Kaikeyee wanted Bharata to be king instead of Rama because Manthara, Kaikeyee’s helper, convinced her that if Rama is king, she would be nothing but a poor slave to Rama. Dashratha had given 2 boons to Kaikeyee before. Now she asked the two boons to King Dashratha. The /irst one is that Rama will go to exile for 14 years, and the second one is that Bharata should be crowned king. Dashratha fainted that moment. When he opened his eyes again, he started crying. He didn’t want Rama to go to exile. Rama spent his exile with Sita and Lakshmana at the Tasma River. On the way they faced 2 demons. It was easy to kill them. Ravana’s sister Surpanakha wanted to marry Lakshmana. He cut her nose and ears. When Ravana (king of demons) heard about this, he was really angry. He made a plan when he heard this. Meanwhile, Lakshmana was building a small hut for them to live in. He was heartbroken when he heard that his father died. Suddenly, a golden deer with silver spots (Ravana’s helper!!!!!!!) started roaming near the hut. Sita got attracted to the deer and made Rama go fetch the deer. He went and killed the “deer”. But the deer changed its voice and imitated Rama’s sound. Sita told Lakshmana to go /ind Rama. He went. Just then Ravana came out and kidnapped Sita. While Ravana was driving his chariot, Jatayu saw this and tried to help. But, because of old age, he couldn’t do much. Ravana cut off his wings and killed him. Everyone tried to /ind Sita. Then Hanumana found her. The bad people caught him and set his tail on /ire. Hanumana then made the city burn down and came back. Everyone was happy to see him back. When Rama heard this, he felt grateful. They made a bridge to get to the island. They had a big war. Lots of people from both sides got killed. One of the demons (Meghnada) shot an arrow that left Rama and Lakshmana unconscious on the battle/ield. But, they regained health and were stronger than before. Ravana was wounded badly by Rama when he went to battle. The next day was a big battle. They killed Kumbhakarna. Also, Lakshmana had fallen into swoon by Meghnada. Hanumana /lew to the Kailash peak and got the medicine to revive Lakshmana. When he regained life, he went and killed Meghnada. When Ravana heard this, he went to the battle/ield himself and thus, Rama killed him and because of that, they won the battle and saved Sita. The same day, Sita had a /ire-test. Everyone was afraid, and they were surprised to see her come out of the /lames safe and sound, too. Rama was /inally crowned king when they came back to Ayodhya. But people of Ayodhya didn’t accept Sita as the queen. So, Rama sent her to an exile in the forest. There, she gave birth to twins, named Kusha and Lava. By accident, they had a /ight with Rama, their father. But, then they got to know each other. After a few years, Rama decided to go to heaven. He crowned Kusha and Lava as king and went to Heaven.— I like this book because it has a lot of adventure, such as when Rama faces more than 10 demons. It’s also a cultural book because you get lots of Indian culture and tradition in it. 27

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Adultsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Song Group - Directed by Malini Mazumdar The Goddess Saraswati is known as the Goddess of Knowledge and Arts. It is an auspicious day to begin the journey of education by writing the /irst word popularly known as "Hathe Khori". Saraswati Puja plays very important role among Bengalis. It takes us back to our childhood days when we all used to seek blessing of the Goddess wearing yellow saree. Our song "Hey Sharaade Maa" is a small endeavor to acquire blessings from Goddess Saraswati. From the core of my heart I want to thank all the participants without whose relentless effort this would not have been possible.

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Weekend All-You-Can-Eat Grand Buffet Includes appetizers, drinks, and desserts. From the kitchen emerge golden knots of samosas alongside korma dishes and halal meats, and Punjabi and Mughlai influences gleam through in some concoctions. When the buffet is in action, more than 60 items fill the gleaming banquet table, which billows hot steam that foretells of fresh-from-the-oven tandoori dishes and goat biryani. FANTASTIC CATERING PACKAGES

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2014 World Cup - Arijit Dutta In Brazil thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heat Teams will still compete 2014 World Cup Spain will win the gold Italy is old 2014 World Cup Messi shows his skill But is it his will 2014 Brazil World Cup Bale thinks heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the best ` Rooney will contest 2014 Brazil World Cup Gold is cool Bronze is drool Silver stinks Good teams think Goalies Block To be a jock Cup starts soon Stay in Tune 2014 World Cup

A Pensive Look - Arko Ghose

Bad teams always dream And when they lose they scream 2014 World Cup A good player gleams Because of their team 2014 World Cup In order to win Finals you be in Score so many goals If you want control 2014 Brazil World Cup The Finals are the best Players are excited The World Cup is awesome All fans are delighted Netherlands want revenge Runner-up last World Cup Second was not too good They want to hoist gold up 2014 World Cup In Brazil In Brazil 2014 World Cup

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Future Artist Gallery - 2 Flower Collage Rashi Roy

Anna from Frozen Prisha Ghosh

Pokémon Rishit Roy

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"Ya kundendu tushar haar dhabala, -----samam patu Saraswati bhagavati, nishwesha jadyapahaâ&#x20AC;?. On the occasion of the worship of Devi Saraswati "Nibhrito bashini bina pani, amrito moorati motibani" , RDMRhythms of Dance & Music (mitapd@yahoo.com), presents "NRITYANJALI" an offering or anjali through a unique dance collage, choreographed in pure Odissi repertoire, in the gharana of Padmashree Guru Muralidhar Majhi.

Bara jhora - Suchetana Mukhopahyay Chakraborty

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Shruti Natok Group: Leelmoni - Team Direction by the Actors Last year's thunderous applause for our "Shruti natok" was still ringing on our ears as we set about planning for the 2014 Sarawati pujo cultural program. So instead of "Kreme Kreme Prosthan" we decided to make a grand re-entry on SBA stage - this time with more new faces and new laughs. This year, we present "Leelmoni" - a comical farce penned by Banani Mukherjee , our dear "Banani Mashi". We appreciate her help & guidance in staging this. Leelmoni is a tale of mothers and daughters; maids and maidens - their problems, idiosyncrasies and the ensuing kerfuf/le - all woven together with the thread of humor and laughter. While all characters are strictly imaginary, you may see some resemblance to real-life ones - and that's what will make you relate and be regaled!! Bringing the characters to life are (in order of appearance) Suparna Das, Sudipta Chatterjee, Shakuntala Sanyal, Soma Choudhury, Suparna Bakshi, and Shampa Bhattacharjee. Music for the play is being arranged and provided by Rishi Bhattacharjee. We also acknowledge Parna Ghosh for her help in selecting the play and Aparajita Ray for procuring the script. Hope we bring tears to your eyes, make your tummy ache, sides split ....with laughter!

My Favorite TV Show - Devjit (Adi) Bhattacharya My favorite TV show is Phineas and Ferb. My favorite character is Perry who is a platypus. I like this show because it is funny. My dad likes the show a lot too. Phineas is creative and loves to build stuff with his stepbrother Ferb. Ferb is very quiet but good with mechanics. Perry likes to be called “Agent P” as he /ights evil. His nemesis’s name is Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz. Doofenshmirtz never stops trying to defeat Perry and take over the tri-state area. Phineas’s sister’s name is Candace. Her goal in life is to bust the boys but she never succeeds; no matter how much she fails she keeps on trying. There is also a character named Baljeet who is Indian. He is very smart and likes to help with Phineas’s creations. His most favorite thing in the world is a calculator and all he cares about are good grades. Isabella is the girl who lives across the street from Phineas. She is also the leader of a group called Fireside Girls. She helps the team earn badges. Isabella’s secret dream is to marry Phineas but she never lets Phineas know about it and he does not share the same feelings. My dad and I spend most of our time on the weekends watching the show because we both love it so much. 33

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Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ensemble Group - Directed by Amit Ray The children's ensemble is a unique /lavor of musical presentation brought to our stages by Amit Ray for the last 5 years. The ensemble consists mostly of high school teenagers with impressive musical talent in various instruments. While the parents have heard their children play at their school concerts or other events on western compositions, they rarely get a chance to see them play together the kind of music that they may be more familiar with. This is a rare showcase in this country for Indian children playing various instruments together. "I try to create the bridge between the children and their parents by producing compositions of both Indian and Western music more familiar to the parents", Amit says. "It is challenging no doubt every year to create new music as the team does change when some kids graduate out of high school or become busy with other activities. Hope the children and all the parents have some fun through this experience".

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Lessons Cancer Taught Me - Mitushi Banerjee Every mom I know has moments of self-doubt, times where we felt unappreciated, un-cherished and taken for granted. Many a times I have wished my family would understand what it felt like if I just stopped doing all the stuff I always did for them. I had the grand misconception that everything would come to a standstill and the Earth would probably stop revolving. But when my illness abruptly made me stop, miracles happened. Well for one my family got how much and what I did and that part was very gratifying; but another thing happened next; self-realization and boy was that an eye opener. It made me proud and humiliated at the same time. I had done stuff my way for a long time and I was doing a lot of it wrong. I had in my mind decided my way was right all the time, instead of pausing to think if that was necessarily the right course of action. I walked around thinking “I am a big saint and martyr combined and you people have no idea how much I sacri/ice/care/do for you”. I had become the unelected dictator who was not treating my husband of thirteen years like the partner he was and seeing that my kids could do more for themselves unassisted. Maybe a part of me judged my self-worth based on the dependency everyone had on me. If there is anything my illness taught me, it made me acutely aware of what my marriage was made of. You know what they say about when going gets tough… With me completely in a daze with my diagnosis and chemotherapy everything fell on him. He had no warming up period, no two-week notice; he just had to roll with the punches. Life has a way of derailing you mostly when you think everything is going great. I learned our marriage could survive a derailment however catastrophic it may be. In some ways the illness brought back a much needed balance. I won’t sugarcoat it. The /irst few weeks after I was diagnosed were dreadful for both of us. We both struggled to accept the news. We both reacted poles apart but I know now that while his initial reaction may not be what I want or expect, that I can count on him to come through for me and our kids for when it matters the most. That both us will do whatever needs to be done, sometimes with a frown but usually with just a slight grimace. And that’s OK, because this is real life and unlike Facebook posts most times real life is not picture perfect. Often when a bunch of us friends get together the topic often leads to the lamenting of how after many years of marriage the romance has faded. The stolen glances, /lowers and chocolates have become the exceptions to the norm. Reserved for holidays and mother’s days. How our husbands would rather watch cricket than spend time with us. Me being sick made me realize that while my husband may not remember dates and get gifts which I end up exchanging, when it came to taking care of me he did remember every tablet, every injection I needed. He stayed besides me every chemo session pseudo-working on his laptop balanced on his knees in the small chair he got at the treatment center. While he may not be my ideal romantic with the long walk on the beach when it came to the awful nights where I stayed up sick, he was there trying to make me comfortable. While there is a lot of compassion and empathy for the cancer patient, what people often tend to forget is how much their signi/icant other has to suffer. The upheaval in their lives. The sorrows of seeing a loved one suffer while being faced with an uncertain future. I realized my husband was the perfect partner to me now that I gave him that freedom and did not try to be a saint. My parents came to help me with the kids. Since my husband worked away from home an adult was sorely needed. But what surprised me was how much my kids were capable of doing on their own. It totally altered how I viewed them from behind my rosy eyed glasses of motherhood. Out of necessity or design, my kids realized that there was a lot they could do for themselves. It’s ironic because while I wanted to bring up independent kids; it was I who was mollycoddling them to being dependent on me. I learned to be patient and see that how when they go to do things for themselves it was actually a good thing in the long run. Life threatening illnesses are a good /ilter to knowing who your true friends are. There were people I could have bet upon would be there for me when I needed them. And they were not. So I had a choice: I could change my expectations of them to better re/lect the reality of our relationship or I could move forward without Continued on page 36 → 35

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them. Either way, I was better off. But surprisingly for every person who disappointed me, another surprised me by providing support in an unexpected way. I just needed to be open to the thought that everyone handles crises differently. The best thing though was I learned to take it slow. Normal life moves at a very fast pace. Work both personal and professional never seems to cease. School, after school activities, birthday parties every weekend. Everyone running from one destination to another sometimes with errands, sometimes for fun. For a little while last summer, my world got very concise, calm and snail-paced. I always complained about how things would be better if I had a moment to sit down and do nothing… but I have to confess, I thought I would love it but I hated it. I was bored. I felt claustrophobic and isolated. I hated being alone with my own thoughts. But it was good for me. I realized this constant pace of life is what living is all about. The constant chatter of kids, the small and sometimes large arguments with my hubby, the being pulled in many directions at once is all a part of the fabric of life, what makes it worth living. I spent a lot of time wondering “why me” and frankly, feeling really sorry for myself. I guess it’s a phase everyone goes through. At that moment in time, it all seemed so unfair. I feel shameful now, not for the selfpity but because it took me a little while to /igure out that it wasn’t just happening to me. Because it was happening to everyone I hold dear. My husband had to carry all the weight that my sick body could not. My kids had to adapt to a mother who could not do as much as she did earlier. My parents had to leave their world to adjust in mine. But we did adapt. And we are still a WE and that is something no one should take for granted. I had got my life back. And I appreciated it as I never had before. And there is one more lesson I learned; albeit brie/ly I knew what it meant to be really sick. To be disabled and tired. I know now what it means to be entirely dependent on those around me. To really, really need help. And I will never look at the world the same way again and never forget the life lessons having cancer taught me. 36

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