Letter from Boston
Ekushey and Bengali Expats
It was the first day of spring, but the cold and damp air that hit me as I stepped out of my house this morning at 6:00 AM reminded me that it's anything but spring. New England winter can be sometimes harsh, compared with Bangladeshi winter, but we use the season to good use: Christmas, New Year and of course, Ekushey, all happen in winter. In the true Bangladeshi tradition, we never miss a chance, come snow or blizzard, to show off our costumes (read sarees for women and kurtas for men) and to get together to chat, sing, and dance, or just reminisce.
Alert readers might raise an eyebrow and ask: What, you observe Ekushey in Boston and in February? Yes, indeed. Last year, we even had a full-blown Shaheed Minar set up at a local church in Cambridge. The United Methodist Church located in Central Square at Magazine Street is only a half mile away from MIT and Harvard University. For a modest $125 per event, the Church facilities,including its enormous kitchen, are available to the expatriate community. Centrally located, it is a popular hangout for Bangladeshis who rent it for weddings, musical soirees, and political gatherings. At midnight, the true Ekushey fanatics gathered in front of the 10-foot tall Shaheed Minar, laid floral bouquets, and filled the cavernous prayer hall with patriotic and devotional songs starting with "Amar Bhai'er Roktey Rangano Ekushey February".
This year, the local Bangladeshi organization arranged a cultural program and mela on March 1st at the Kennedy School in Cambridge. The Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA, Mr. Humayun Kabir was the chief guest. In his speech, the ambassador observed that such celebrations offered the Bangladeshi diaspora an opportunity to show off their culture and national pride to the host communities.
In the coming weeks, many Bangladeshi organizations in the Boston/Cambridge area have planned cultural shows and gatherings to celebrate the Independence Day, Poetry Month, and Pohela Boisakh. This Saturday, on March 22nd, Democracy Forum will host a discussion meeting at the Jefferson School in North Cambridge. On the 29th, Bhin Golardho (orchestrated by poet Badiuzzaman Nasim) and Kurai Nuri have scheduled a big celebration at the Morse School Auditorium in Cambridge. This event will also feature three Bangladeshi painters, Qayyum Choudhury, Rafiqun Nabi and Kalidas Karmaker, among others, who will bring their paintings and discuss their work. Also at this event, Kurai Nuri (We Collect Pebbles), led by poet Jasmin Ferdous will launch its printed collection of poems by local Bangladeshis. And then next month, Bangladesh Association promises to celebrate Pohela Baisakh and Independence Day in a befitting manner.
Looking forward, April is observed as National Poetry Month in the USA, and local poets and all poetry lovers have planned various activities. On April 20th, "Lekhoni", a Bengali writers' group has arranged a gathering at Gouri Datta's house in Newton, a suburb of Boston, for an afternoon dedicated to reciting poetry, either self-composed or one's favourite. On May 24th, Amra Kojon, will present its mega event, Rupali Aloye Dhushor Otit or Nostalgic Tunes from the Silver Screen, on Saturday, May 24th, 2008 at MIT's Kresge Auditorium (with an audience capacity of 1,250 ). This show, which will have songs, dances, and videos clips, is shepherded by Taposh, a dynamic impresario, to celebrate Amra Kojon's fifth anniversary along with Bangla Noboborsho 1415.
Some of our readers might remember that Amra Kojon, a Bengali cultural group from Boston, presented one of the most-talked about cultural show, "Thousand Years of Bangla Music," a few years ago to a sold-out audience at the same Kresge Auditorium. Promises to be an interesting spring season, after all!
Abdullah Shibli is a former Bangladeshi journalist who now calls Boston, USA his home.
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