BANGA SAMMELAN 2022
Dilip Chakrabarti
After two years of forced hiatus Covid Pandemic CAB’s dream child Banga Sammelan is once again is seen in the horizon of July 1st week of the year 2022 in fun city of Las Vegas, some also calls it sin city, Las Vegas depending on who looking from what angle of complexity of Las Vegas. Banga Sammelan in North America is one of the most important events which has turned itself into the status of a great if not the greatest festival in the Bengali Community in North America and Canada. Its vastness, its depth of perception, its far-reaching effect and influence in the life of Bengali Community cannot be ignored anymore, rather it is a pleasurable joyfulness which mingles with the soul of Bengali Community. This year the venue is none other than the one and only Planet Hollywood of Las Vegas. The gorgeous appearance, the invitation for alluring cozy night, the attraction of different musical performances and the mouth-watering delicacies of different taste and country, and a mystic smiling beauty queen with folded hands is inviting you to the door steps of the famous Planet Hollywood just to make you enjoy the glow of one and only Banga Sammelan of North America, probably the largest festival of Bengalis in North America.
This 2022 Banga Sammelan is different from any other previous Banga Sammelans in the sense that this year the Organizers are some qualms about the physical attendance of the spectators because fear of flying and assembly have created a strong hesitance among all the supporters of Banga Sammelan. Revenue is the main nutrition for its highest potential of blooming of total success of any Banga Sammelan. For achieving this goal, Milan Awon, the Convenor of Banga Sammelan, is working 24/7 relentlessly so that participation of vendors and spectators maximize the convention. Banga Sammelan is always unitary in responsibility but collective in potential results. So, one’s failure can diminish the value of other’s success, to avoid this situation, one committee’s potential problem is addressed with the strength of another committee. These committees meet regularly to discuss the status of every committee of Banga Sammelan and try to evaluate the potential adversity or success and act according to the needs. Because of this any chairman of any committee is literally involved with every committee. This is an ideal example of functioning together unitedly to achieve the highest level of success. Any success of any function is largely dependent on the leadership’s vision and foresightedness. Luckily this Banga Sammelan’s pilot is Milan Awon and he is driving it with his vision and passion to reach the highest possible success. Of late, participation of Bangladesh was very feeble but this year participation of Bangladesh will be much more even at the participation and performance level not to mention about management level, Hasanujjaman Saki, a TV Journalist, is the coordinator for Bangladesh participation. His enthusiasm and hard work under the helm of Milan Awon will make this Banga Sammelan a Convention of all the Bengalis of both Bengals namely East and West Bengal.
Every Banga Sammelan runs on a particular theme. This year’s theme is “Hate Hat Dhore Choli” or “We Walk Together Holding Our Hands”. This is a real Mantra for helping one another and work together for a common goal. In every Banga Sammelan, the opening and closing ceremony become the heart and soul of the Convention, this year will not be any different either, the closing and opening ceremonies will be the essence of the whole Banga Sammelan.
The assembly of stars of the Bengali Film and Music Galaxy will perform to entertain the collective participants for this great Convention. The inaugural ceremony will be done by the direction of two stalwarts of dance and music and they are respectively Guru Sanchita Bhattacharya and Pt. Tanmoy Bose along with many well-trained professional dancers of East and West hemispheres of the globe and they will depict the propagation of the holy river The Ganges in their dance. The other attraction is Bollywood Singer Sunidhi Chauhan who is famous for her melodious cuckoo’s voice.
Unlike other years, this year’s one of the main attractions is that the Banga Sammelan is paying special homage to three pioneers who dreamt of forming an independent Bengal of Science and Technology and they are revered Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy, Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose and Dr. Prasanta Kumar Mahalanabish. Besides, Rahul Dev Burman, Hemanta Mukhopadhyay, Sachin Dev Burman and Salil Choudhury are also in the slate for a homage for their contribution in Indian Music and Film Industry. Business Seminar, Medical Seminar, Art Exhibition and many other like Film Festival will also be very attractive to viewers of this Banga Sammelan of 2022 but to mention the Literary Seminar of 2022 Banga Sammelan will be the real show case of assembly of poets, writers of both Bengals and the participation of writers of North America will be very visible with their rare talents. Contribution of Atul Prasad Sen in Bengali literature and the true dedication of leading the fight for the Freedom of India would also be discussed in this Literary Seminar. This Literary Seminar is also becoming an altar for a new trend of recitation and music blended together in Bengali Poetry and Music, this could establish a new era in the field of poetry recitation. In this muslin of Literary Seminar the Local Writers will get an opportunity to speak with the established writers and they will also be given an opportunity to read the most magnetic portion of their literary creation, this will definitely add a new aroma in our Literary Seminar. The cooking of Literary Seminar has already started to increase the mind alluring appetite for the different dishes of Literary Seminar among the lovers of Bengali Literature.
Banga Sammelan was postponed for last two years due to Covid-19. The huge and lengthy work for every Banga Sammelan is done by hundreds of volunteers, from the Convenor to grass root worker, everyone is working free and selflessly just to present a beautiful Banga Sammelan to all the spectators. These unsung heroes deserve thankful gratitude for their sacrifices in making the event a success. It is an honor and privilege for anyone who has been entrusted with the membership of the Management Committee of this 2022 Banga Sammelan and this dedicated team is leaving no stones unturned to raise the 2022 Banga Sammelan to a new level of success in Bengali Diaspora with their sedulous endeavors.
It is an immense privilege and pleasure to indite about this coming Banga Sammelan of 2022 and the organizers do not want to miss this opportunity to invite the readers, family and friends to attend this coming Banga Sammelan. This Banga Sammelan is a Sammelan of two “Bangas” East and West and is going to create an example of love, affection and cooperation of Bengalis of both Bengals.
