Bf¢e ¢L p‰£a-−fËj£? N£a¡ cš −b−L −nËu¡ −O¡o¡m, h¡ e¢Q−La¡ −O¡o −b−L n¡¿¹e¤ °jœ, pL−mC ¢L Bfe¡−L pj¡e i¡−h BLoÑZ L−le? a¡q−m Bfe¡lC SeÉ Bjl¡ ¢e−u H−p¢R e¡−Q-N¡−e ilf¤l h¡wm¡ R¡u¡R¢hl Ru cn−Ll N¡e ¢e−u Bj¡−cl −Øfp¡m n¡lc£u ¢e−hce... “h¡wm¡ N¡−el −pL¡−pL¡mm J HL¡mHL¡m!!!!” n¢eh¡ln¢eh¡l,, 20 A−ƒ¡hlA−ƒ¡hl,, 20122012,, påÉ¡ 6:45 ¢j¢e−V! −Q±l‰£ 2012 2 Chowrongee 2012 p§Q£fœ Contents Utsav Literary Committee and Disclaimer 4 pÇf¡cL£u / Editorial 5 Utsav Committee Members 6 Message from the Utsav Boardroom 7 Utsav Accounts 8 Program Schedule 9 Community News 10 Utsav Award Winners 12 L¢ha¡ //Poems fËZ¢j −a¡j¡u afa£ −i±¢jL 14 p£j¡ a¾cÊ¡ h−¾cÉ¡f¡dÉ¡u 15 ¢ae¢V L¢ha¡ A¢i−oL e¡N 16 p¡q¡e¡ B¢oL M¤c¡h„ 17 B−j¢lL¡ q£ea¡u −L h¡y¢Q−a Q¡u −N¡ AÇm¡e l¡u 17 ¢h¢rç fËZu l¡e¡ −i±¢jL 18 fËhåfËhåfËhå / Articles Bj¡l c£O¡ ïjZ ¢p¢jL¡ hp¤¤l¡u 22 ""¢nL−sl V¡−e, fËh¡p A‰−e'' j”¥ l¡u−Q±d¤l£ 23 n£−al B−Nl n£a B¢hl c¡p 25 B−m¡LfË¡¢ç nË£¢h−hL 27 œ−u¡cn£ c£fwLl −pe 31 My Trip to India Kajori Mukherjee 34 To and From Russia with Love Shyama P. Chakraborty 36 33G Notebook Biswanath Mukherjee 43 Vivekananda and Rabindranath Swami Prapannananda 47 Brief History of Utsav 49 Utsav Membership Roster 51 −Q±l‰£ 2012 3 Chowrongee 2012 Literary Committee Rashmi Nandi Biswanath Mukherjee Rajat Saha Somen Nandi Pulak Chowdhury Manas Ray Avishek Nag (Editor) Cover design by Snehungsu Guha Disclaimer The views and opinions of authors in this magazine do not necessarily state or reflect those of Utsav, Inc. For writings published in this magazine, Utsav does not warrant or assume any legal liability and responsibility for accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information disclosed and/or published. Information provided is accurate as of the date of going to press; Utsav or Chowrongee is not responsible for any errors or omissions. Opinions expressed are those of individual authors. Advertisers are solely responsible for the advertisements, not Chowrongee or Utsav. Utsav Inc. 11230 Gold Express Drive P.O. Box 310-412 Gold River, CA 95670 www.utsavsac.org Chowrongee is published annually for Utsav members by Utsav, Inc., Sacramento, CA, USA (www.utsavsac.org) Printed at: AlphaGraphics, 3068 Sunrise Blvd., Suite F, Rancho Cordova, CA 95742 Phone: (916) 221-4333; http://www.alphagraphics.com Postmaster: If undelivered, please return to Utsav Inc., 11230 Gold Express Drive, P.O. Box 310-412, Gold River, CA 9567 −Q±l‰£ 2012 4 Chowrongee 2012 pÇf¡cL£u Editorial −cM−a −cM−a Bl HL¢V nlv Q−m H−m¡z fË¢ah¡−ll The chill in the morning air and the trees ja Hh¡−lJ j¡ Bp−Rez Bj¡−cl Bn¡, c¤NÑ¢ae¡¢ne£ j¡ shedding their leaves give a clear hint that Hh¡l j§mÉhª¢Ü, c¤eÑ£¢a, f¡¢hÔ−Ll fup¡u S¡j¡C-Bcl, another festive season is knocking on the door! M¡j−Mu¡¢m hs¢c, H¢cL −p¢cL −h¡j¡h¡¢S, B¿¹SÑ¡¢aL Durga Puja, the most popular festival of Bengal, c¡c¡−cl q¡a¡q¡¢a −a Em¤-M¡Ns¡−cl fË¡Z-e¡n, −Ny−V- is first on the list of festivals. Though a Hindu ritual, Durga Puja has transcended the religious h¡a, −fË−j −m¢‰, fËi«¢a Bj¡−cl S£h−el −R±V-hs pjÙ¹ boundaries because of its innovative artistic c¤NÑ¢a …¢m −L e¡n Ll−hez −p±li N¡‰¥¢m R¡s¡ HC themes and cultural extravaganzas associated HLj¡œ j¡ c¤NÑ¡C B−Re k¡yl L¡−R Bj¡−cl HaM¡¢e with it. fËaÉ¡n¡! Bn¡ Ll−h¡ Bj¡−cl −c−nl i¡C J −h¡−e−cl We, the members of Utsav, the Bengali p−‰ p−‰, Bj¡−cl ja fËh¡¢p p¿¹¡e −cl fË¡bÑe¡ −LJ association of Sacramento Valley, are j¡ pj¡e fË¡d¡eÉ −c−hez j¡−ul BNje Hh¡l N−S, Nje organizing our very own Durga Puja which is −e±L¡uz entering its 11th year. We have a sense of deep association with this puja as all of us have a role j¡ −L ü¡Na S¡e¡−a Bjl¡ −L¡jl −hy−d −e−j to play. Some of us have management roles, f−s¢Rz Hh¡−l Bj¡−cl pÉ¡œ²¡−j−¾V¡ EfaÉL¡l h¡‰¡¢m some take part in acting, singing, painting, naru pwNWe, Evph, f¡ ¢c−µR j¡a«h¾ce¡l HL¡cn hR−lz making, and what not. SjL¡−m¡ p¡wú«¢aL Ae¤ù¡e Hhw Evp−hl piÉ−cl Coming up with a season of new Evp¡q J EŸ£fe¡u il L−l Hh¡−l Bjl¡ HL¢V l‰£e publications – ‘Pujo Sankhya’ or puja edition of n¡−l¡c£u¡u j¡a−a Q−m¢Rz Evp−hl HC ¢Øfl£V, e¡Q- magazines is an important tradition associated N¡e, e¡VL, i¥¢s−i¡S, J −h±¢c−cl lw-−hl−Pl n¡¢s with Durga Puja. Chowrongee, the annual R¡¢f−u Bj¡−cl f¢œL¡, −Q±l‰£l fË¢a¢V f¡a¡−aJ dl¡ magazine of Utsav, is part of the same tradition. −c−h! Utsav members become poets, writers, critics, proof readers, composers, and so on. Evp−hl HL¡cn f§S¡u −Q±l‰£l HL¡cn n¡lc£u¡ For the past eleven years, every issue of pwMÉ¡ lwH l©−f, L¡¢ml ByQ−s p¡¢S−u pcpÉ J Chowrongee attempted to provide a window to …ZNË¡q£−cl q¡−a a¥−m ¢c−a −f−l deÉ −h¡d Ll¢Rz the thoughts and dreams of the Bengalis living in the Sacramento Valley of California which HC fËL¡ne¡l j§m Q¡¢mL¡n¢š² p¡wú«¢aL L¢j¢Vl were articulated by both kids and adults through pcpÉ−cl fr −b−L ph¡C−L S¡e¡C f§S¡ A¢ie¾cez their paintings, poems, stories and articles. i¡−m¡ b¡L¥e, f§−S¡ Ef−i¡N Ll¦e Hhw −Q±l‰£ Some reminisced the puja days of Kolkata, some fs¥ez portrayed the future they intended to build in USA. This year is no different. A¢i−oL e¡N Like Utsav, over all these eleven years, Chowrongee has also been supported by dedicated team members to ensure its quality and timely production. I thank all those, who as members of Utsav’s Literary Committee or in any other capacity, have helped with the production of Chowrongee, and I am sure they will continue to do so in the future. Wishing all the readers and well wishers of Chowrongee warm Puja Greetings. Avishek Nag −Q±l‰£ 2012 5 Chowrongee 2012 Utsav Committee Members Governing Body Members (GBM) Registration Committee: Joy Mukherjee (President) Pulak Chowdhury Pulak Chowdhury (Vice President) Prodosh Chakraborty Tanusree Guha (Cultural Secretary) Biswanath Mukherjee Mitra Choudri (Public Relations) Sumanta Ghosh Rajat Saha (Secretary) Barin Kumar Hem Sarkar Community Council Members (CCM) Rupa Chowdhury (Chairperson) Hem Sarkar Food Committee: Pulak Chowdhury (Chairperson) Prodosh Chakraborty Rashmi Nandi Literary Committee Nupur Joshi Rashmi Nandi Biswanath Mukherjee Fundraising Committee: Rajat Saha Joy Mukherjee (Chairperson) Somen Nandi Snehungsu Guha Pulak Chowdhury Tanusree Guha Manas Ray Mitra Choudri Snehungsu Guha Anima Kumar Avishek Nag (Editor) Website Committee: Pulak Chowdhury Cultural Committee: Tanusree Guha (Chairperson) Mala Paul Sanhita Bandyopadhyay Utsav Youth Group: Debolina Simmi Sarkar Sharod Nandi Udayan Chanda Sunoy Nandi Nupur Joshi Neha Joshi Manas Ray Natasha Chanda Ayananta Chowdhury Election Committee: Adi Choudri Aditya Chowdhury Biswanath Mukherjee Debanshu Das Somen Nandi Rinita Mukherjee Sharon Sarkar Puja Committee: Mitra Choudri (Coordinator) Supriya Mukherjee (Chairperson) Rupa Chowdhury Santana Das Anima Kumar Shashwati Roy −Q±l‰£ 2012 6 Chowrongee 2012 Message from the Utsav Boardroom Dear Utsav Families and Friends, Based on our new Bylaws passed last year, this is the final year of the two-year The Utsav Board of 2012 welcomes you all term of the current Utsav Board (including to celebrate the 11th year of Utsav’s Durga my two-year tenure as President), and Puja. I am sure you all will agree that it is a during this final quarter, I would like to challenging task to follow the mammoth THANK all of you who made these past two celebration of our “10th Year Of Success.” years something to cherish for a long period But we the Utsav Board Members have of time. Last but not the least, I want to continued Utsav’s main motto when we personally thank all the volunteers from the began our journey in 2002, namely to bottom of my heart who came forward in involve the membership and bring the making this year a special one for not only community together to pass on our rich me but for all of us. culture and heritage to the next generation. I know we are not perfect but it is Last year, we wanted our members you, the Members and the Friends of Utsav, to sit back, relax, and enjoy the who should come forward and bring us to performances of the talented artists from perfection.