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List of years
2006,2005,2004,2003,2002
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2006
April
Punascha with their outstanding performances
year after year has earned admiration from its audience and
now welcomes 'Call Show' from cities across the United States.
Interested organizations may contact Prabir Das at (314) 239-8193.)
Announcing the latest addition to the Punascha family. Pauls;
Shouvik and Abhipsa were blessed with their first child, born
on April 22, 2006 in St. Louis. The handsome little one is
named Aristuta. The proud parents and the baby are doing well.
Congratulations, Shouvik, Abhipsa and welcome Aristuta. Punascha
cultural committee is preparing for a spectacular cultural
event to celebrate Barsho-Baron 1413 scheduled on May 13,
2006 at the Mahatma Gandhi Center, 727, Weidman Road, Ballwin,
MO. 63011. Door opens at 4-00 PM. Cultural program will begin
at 6-00 PM sharp. We are looking forward to see you all. Together
let's make the evening truly exciting.
March
Punascha and its members mourn the untimely
demise of our member Ratna Bajpai. Ratna Bajpai was suffering
from undisclosed illness for a long time. Recently her condition
deteriorated rapidly and on March 12, 2006 she passed away
while in hospital under medical treatment. Cremation for Ratna
Bajpai will take place at Forever Bellerive Cemetery & Funeral
Home, 740 N. Mason Rd. Creve Coeur, MO 63141. (314.434.3933)
on Tuesday, March 14, 2006. Ratna Bajpai is survived by her
three daughters.
February
Defying the craze for Super Bowl XL a record
number of attendees observed the auspicious Saraswati Puja
on February 5, 2006 at the Mahatma Gandhi Center. Due to error
by the Mahatma Gandhi Center Committee, Punascha was forced
to changed its scheduled date for Saraswati Puja from the
4th to the 5th. (Details of the event will be published soon.)
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2005
October
Punascha organized Durga Puja 2005 was held
on 7,8,9 October 2005 at the Mahatma Gandhi Center. Bodhan
was performed on the 7th in the evening. Saroni Kundu and
Jayant Majumdar organized a sit and draw contest for the young
members. Enthusiastic kids drew a variety of pictures. On
the 8th Puja and Anjali was attended by a large crowd of about
400 people. Saroni Kundu organized a beautiful art exhibition
and art contest for everyone. It was truly a feast for the
eyes. The art contest was judged by Sri Pranab Ray and Smt.
Krishna Saha. Following lunch, a break the jar event kept
the attendees busy while the stage was being prepared for
the cultural program. This year's cultural program was completely
different in flavor. Cultural event began with Stuti Mandal's
beautifully choreographed dance item. Among other kids, Reetom
Bera, Rupsha Ghosh, Souradeep Ghosh, Samaita Majumdar performed.
After a brief address by Punascha President Sri Pranab De
and a prize distribution ceremony for the art contest, Saroni
Kundu inaugurated the next phase of the evening with a beautifully
choreographed dance performance. All prizes were given by
Punascha Executive Committee Member Smt. Subrata Das. Orijit
Ghosh played violin, Smt. Shakuntala Bhattacharya read poems,
Arindam Mukherjee sang contemporary Bengali songs and Punascha
member Krishnananda Chattopadhyay's play "Epaar Opaarer Kathaa"
was read by Subhra Chakrabarty, Indrani Bose, Susnigdha Das,
Anindita Chattopadhyay, Gargi Ghose, Souvik Ghose and Soumya
Das. Finally the guest artist for the evening Mr. Abhishek
Basu, a disciple of Tabla maestro Bikram Ghosh performed for
a spellbound audience. In the evening aarati and sindur khela
was performed by the attendees. On the 9th Bijoya Sammilani
was observed in the evening. It was marked with a wonderful
variety cultural program rendered by various St. Louis based
Punascha members. A delicious home cooked dinner marked the
end of this year's Durga Puja celebration. Laxmi Puja 2005
was celebrated on the 22nd October, 2005 at the Mahatma Gandhi
Center. This year's puja was performed by Debangshu Goswami
and offered by all Punascha members present at the Gandhi
Center. Following a home cooked dinner by Punascha members
the cultural program began. Noted singers from Kolkata Nirmalya
Roy and Suchismita Das performed for Punascha members. The
entire audience enjoyed the performance thoroughly. Nirmalya
Roy and Suchismita Das were accompanied in Tabla by Prabir
Das.
August
Punascha members participated in the recent
Bangamela 2005 held in Chicago Wyndham Hotel from July 22
to July 24. This year's Bangamela was attended by a record
number of attendees. It is estimated about 1400 people attended
this annual event catered mainly to the Bengali population
of Midwest. Punascha's presentation of "NAATOKE NAATOK" received
great admiration from the entire audience. In the form of
a play it portrayed a brief history of Bengali drama beginning
from the Vedic time. The play itself was unconventional and
innovative in its form of presentation. A spellbound audience
watched the one hour long play enacted by the members of Punascha:
Anjan Roy, Maya Bera, Sowmitra Ghosh, Indrani Bose, Prabir
Das, Gargi Ghose, Shouvik Ghose, Subhra Chakraborty, Jayant
Majumdar, Reetom Bera and Goirick Angon Das. Original music
was composed by Suchitra Ghosh. A dedicated group of members
helped the entire team behind the scene. They are Ashim Ghosh,
Papia Das, Ranajit Bera, Bijoy Ghosh, Sujata Biswas, Shaon
Ghosh and Rishi Ghosh. "NAATOKE NAATOK" is written and directed
by Prabir Das.
February
Saraswati Puja 1411 Bangaabda was held on
February 12, 2005 at the Mahatma Gandhi Center in Ballwin.
The all day event was attended by a record number of members.
Spontaneous active participation of the general members turned
this fair weathered mid February day a colorful one. Kids
along with at least one of their parents took active participation
in decorating the premise the night before Saraswati Puja.
The over enthusiastic participation of kids, turned the otherwise
routine set up evening into an cheerful environment. The following
morning all the kids actively participated in the formal puja
offering under the guidance of the priest. "It is truly a
beautiful sight to see our kids getting involved in their
culture and tradition" said one of the attendees. After a
delicious 'Khichuri' lunch, members presented a wonderful
evening of cultural program that included recitation, song,
and dance. A tasty home cooked dinner following the cultural
program brought an end to this year's (according to Bengali
calendar) observed list of festivals for Punascha. We are
awaiting for the next event scheduled on May 14, 2005 to welcome
the Bengali new year 1412 Bangaabda.
January
Veteran Punascha member Mrs. Salila Bhattacharya,
our Salila Masima has passed away on January 16, 2005 in the
morning. Salila Masima was a very active Punascha member since
its foundation. She regularly attended all Punascha events
and always offered guidance, suggestion and appreciation.
Salila Masima always reminded us to carry on with Punascha
ideology to pass on the legacy of our rich culture and heritage
to our next generation here in St. Louis and in the United
States. We will certainly miss her. Mrs. Bhattacharya was
suffering from Cancer. Salila Bhattacharya is survived by
his son Dr. Arjun Bhattacharya (a Punascha member), two daughters
and grandchildren. A funeral is scheduled on January 18, 2005
(Tuesday) at 11A.M. at the Bellerive Forever Cemetery 740
N. Mason Rd. Creve Coeur, MO 63141. 314.434.3933 Foreverbellerive.com
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2004
November
Durga Puja 2004 was a grand success for Punascha.
The festival was attended by record number of people. Following
the puja and pushpanjali a delicious lunch was served. Immediately
after the lunch a well participated and well attended cultural
event was presented. MC for the event Malabika Ghosh introduced
one after another excellent local talents on the stage. Kumar
Ranjan of Louisville performed his dazzling show of popular
Bengali and Hindi songs. On the 31st October, noted singer
from Kolkata Sanjoy Dey mesmerized the audience with his golden
voice and charm. Baulsamrat Padmasree Purna Das Baul and his
son Dibyendu Das accompanied in Tabla by Rabishankar Bhattacharya
truly won the heart of the audience. It was a rare opportunity
for many Punascha members who stayed over in order to witness
the performance by the Baulsamrat. Purna Das Baul was introduced
on the stage by Swami Chetanananda Maharaj of St. Louis Vedanta
Society. In his brief speech Swamiji eloquently explained
the link between us, our tradition and culture and Bauls of
Bengal. We are happy to announce the arrival of Ankita Goswami,
the bundle of joy to Punascha member Debangshu and Swagata
Goswami. Ankita was born right before the Durga Puja that
caused the Goswami family to skip the Durga Puja celebration
this year, however, nothing could be a better gift during
this season of festivity. We welcome our new member Ankita.
September
Punascha member Anupam Bhattacharya has been
admitted to Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis following
a sudden illness on Thursday, September 23, 2004. After initial
tests Anupam is diagnosed with a tumor in his brain. His surgery
is scheduled for September 28, 2004. On behalf of Punascha,
we extend our thoughts and prayers to the Bhattacharya family
for Anupam's speedy recovery and good health. Anupam has returned
home following a successful surgery at the Barnes Jewish Hospital.
He is recovering as expected. We wish him well. Punascha has
scheduled a spectacular cultural show during the Durga Puja
this year. Talented singer Kumar Ranjan will perform on October
30 with his popular Bengali and Hindi songs. On October 31
noted singer from Kolkata Sanjoy De will perform during Punascha
Bijoya Sammilani. The legend of Baul song Padmasree Purna
Das Baul and his son Dibyendu Das will also perform during
Bijoya Sammilani. Punascha is delighted to be able to organize
such a dazzling cultural show this year. We invite you and
your friends and family to join us during the Durga Puja and
enjoy the unprecedented cultural show. The executive committee
of Punascha has selected five recipients of financial grant
from the fund raising performance by Pandit Tarun Bhattacharya
and Sanchita Bhattacharya held in October of 2003 in St. Louis.
The first installment to support the meritorious underprivileged
students in India has been mailed out during the week of July
18, 2004. The details of the recipients will be posted on
our web site as soon as they are available.
July
The Bangladesh Association of St. Louis will
be holding a fund raising performance in aid of flood affected
families in Bangladesh on August 21, 2004 at the beautiful
History Museum Auditorium in Forest Park. Award winning singer
from Bangladesh 'Kanakchapa' will perform 'adhunik Bangla'
songs during the event. Donations ranging from $15 to $150
are welcome. For more details please contact the cultural
secretary of Bangladesh Association of St. Louis Mr. Emdad
Iqbal at 636-207-7574. Punascha youth member, Shaon Ghosh
appeared on stage to perform for her BharataNatya Arangetram
(Dance Debut). The spectacular program took place on July
24th, 2004 at the St. Louis University High School Auditorium.
For over two hours Shaon with her well trained movements mesmerized
the entire audience. Beside the traditional Arangetram items,
Shaon also performed a selected part of 'Chandalika' by Rabindranath
Tagore, where she portrayed all three characters of Prakriti,
Ananda and Chandalika. We congratulate Shaon for a job well
done and wish for her continued success.
June
St. Louis Bangla School concluded its 2003-2004
session on June 6, 2004 with six graduates. The school authority
has decided to close its door temporarily due to decreasing
number of student enrollment. Normally after every six years
the Bangla school comes to an end and then it begins a new
journey after a couple of years, explained Dr. Ashim Ghosh,
the head of school. We are looking forward to that new journey.
May
On May 8, 2004 Punascha celebrated Barsho Baron
at the Mahatma Gandhi Center in Ballwin. Long time Punascha
member Mrs. Shuva Banerjee inaugurated the occasion by lighting
up the auspicious (pradeep) lamp. Thereafter the MC for the
evening Mrs. Kakoli Bhattacharya took the stage to present
a variety cultural program. The members mesmerized the audience
with their outstanding performances. The students of St. Louis
Bangla School, Rishi Ghosh, Reetom Bera, Shamaita Majumdar,
Sushila Pepe, Debasmita De and Goirick Angon Das enacted "Ekti
Swarnaghotita Durghatona" a drama based on a short story by
Shibram Chakrabarty. The audience thoroughly enjoyedtheir
performance. The last event of the evening was another drama
presentation by the adult members. "Munni O Saat Choukidaar"
a hilarious drama by Manoj Mitra directed by Prabir Das gained
standing ovation from the audience. Performers included Anjan
Roy, Maya Bera, Sangram Bhattacharya, Mausumi Bhattacharya,
Jayanta Majumdar, Shouvik Paul, Soumya Das, Shantanu Paul,
Indrani Bose and Prabir Das. On back stage Ashim Ghosh, Sowmitra
Ghosh, Prajna Paramita Das, Pranab De and Rishiraj Das did
an outstanding job with lighting, music playing and prompting.
The evening was also marked by a delicious full course dinner
cooked by Punascha members. Punascha was invited by the Bengali
Association of Huntsville in Alabama to perform during their
Barsho Baron celebration on May 15, 2004. A group of performers
lead by Prabir Das presented a superb variety show at Huntsville.
Among the young members, Reetom Bera presented two melodious
songs and Sumedh Bhattacharya received applaud for his key
board recital. Among the adult members, Ranajit Bera rendered
recitation of one of his own poems. Mausumi Bhattacharya mesmerized
the audience with her dance recital. An audio drama "Tritiya
Aar Ekjan" written by Samir Dasgupta and performed by Prabir
Das, Indrani Bose and Sangram Bhattacharya stole the show.
The final event was a drama presentation. It was the same
drama presented by the students of St. Louis Bangla School
during Punascha Barsho Baron in St. Louis, however, with a
different cast. The cast included Anjan Roy, Maya Bera, Sangram
Bhattacharya, Papia Das and seven years old Goirick Angon
Das. Goirick's spetacular performance as "Kartik" earned him
a lot of appreciation from the audience.
April
Punascha will be celebrating Barsho Baron
(welcoming of Bengali new year) on May 8, 2004 at the Mahatma
Gandhi Center in Ballwin. Members are in full swing with preparation
for a colorful evening of cultural event. Rehearsal for two
dramas are in progress. Members interested in participating
in any type of cultural activities, are requested to contact
Mrs. Sujata Biswas at their earliest. On behalf of Punascha,
we invite you all to attend our celebration. "It will be a
memorable one for the people who enjoys comedy and for the
people who knows when and how to laugh" says Prabir Das, the
director for one of the two dramas.
March
Long time Punascha member Dr. Surit Ghosh
passed away on March 25, 2004 (Thursday) evening at 8-10P.M.
Surit Ghosh, our Surit da has taken active participation in
all Punascha activities since Punascha was founded. Surit
da was instrumental in launching Durga Puja in St. Louis.
Along with four other Bengali friends, Surit da initiated
the purchase of first Durga idol back in 1982. Since then
Bengali community in St. Louis have been organizing Durga
Puja regularly. As the number of members grew, Punascha was
formed a few years later. A successful physician by profession,
Surit da was fond of 'adda.' Dr. Ghosh was suffering from
Cancer. He was admitted to St. Luke's Hospital during the
first half of March, where he passed awayon the 25th. Surit
da is survived by his wife Dr. Nilima Ghosh. Surit da will
be missed by all St. Louisian Bengalees as well as Indian
community.
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2003
November
On October 26, 2003 Punascha organized an evening
of Indian Classical Music and Dance featuring world renowned
Santoor player Pandit Tarun Bhattacharya and noted Odissi
dance performer Sanchita Bhattacharya. The performance took
place at the Ethical Society Auditorium in Saint Louis. Both
the performers truly mesmerized the audience. This event was
marked for fund raising to support the economically underprivileged
meritorious students in India. On November 2, 2003, Prabir
Das, the convener for this event was pleased to announce that
Punascha has generated approximately $1500 from this event.
The executive committee of Punascha added an additional $500
from its fund and the entire amount would be donated to support
the above mentioned cause. Details are being worked out and
the funds are expected to be disbursed by February 2004. This
was the first time where Punascha actively organized such
fund raising event. The Steering Committee and Punascha Executive
Committee extend its warm regards and hearty thanks to the
entire audience for making this event a great success. Durga
Puja 2003 was celebrated with great enthusiasm at the Mahatma
Gandhi Center on October 3, 4, 5, 2003. A record crowd of
approximately 400 people attended the event. Many new faces
performed at the colorful cultural program on the 4th.An youth
group of Punascha members presented a thoughtful and well
researched audio-visual event portraying India and its culture
through their eyes. Their perception was truly admirable and
informative. Delicious fresh food dishes were prepared by
Punascha members for all three days at the venue. As usual
the 'Sindoor Khela' truly added color to the festival.
September
With profound grief we bring this news to
all our members that, Carol Ray, wife of Pranab Ray has passed
away on September 24, 2003. A funeral service for Carol was
performed on the 27th. at the Forever Oakhill Funeral Home
in Kirkwood, MO. Carol was always cheerful and friendly to
everybody around her. She regularly attended Punascha programs.
We will most certainly miss her. We express our condolence
to every member of the Ray family.
August
Here is a great news to share. Pooja Kumar,
daughter of Punascha member Pramod Kumar, is moving along
with her carrier in film acting. She has played a leading
character in an independent film called, 'Flavor.' The film
has been screened all across the United States and has received
a lot of attention. It's scheduled for two shows here in Saint
Louis on November 20 and 22, 2003 during the Saint Louis International
Film Festival. During a recent radio interview, Pooja has
informed that she has worked in couple of other movies as
well. Congratulations Pooja. We are proud of you.
May
Celebration of Barsho-Baron (1410 Bangabda)
was held on May 10, 2003 at the Mahatma Gandhi Center. It
was a grand success. As usual, a few new faces enlisted themselves
as Punascha members. We are happy to have new inclusions to
our ever growing Punascha family. Delicious food prepared
by the members added flavor to the colorful cultural activity.
Students of St. Louis Bangla School staged a drama "Hobu jaabe
Shule." About 13 kids ranged from 5 years to 16 years presented
this full length drama flawlessly. Later in the evening "Saajaano
Baagaan," a full length drama by Manoj Mitra was enacted by
the Punascha members. It received overwhelming applaud from
the audience. A delicious serving of popular Bengali sweet
dish marked the end of the festivity.
April
Good news arrived from the Ghosh family of
Saint Louis. The proud parents Pinaki & Paromita Ghosh announced
the birth of their daughter Pubali on April 8th, 2003. Pubali,
the sibling of Ghosh's first daughter Patrali is the newest
inclusion to the ever expanding Punascha family. Youth member
of Punascha, Priyanka Bosu, daughter of Gokul & Deblina Bosu
of Springfield, IL won the championship award at the regional
spelling bee contest. Priyanka now goes to Washington DC to
appear at the national level spelling bee contest. Good luck
to Priyanka and we wish her success. Punascha secretary Ayananshu
Banerjee and his wife Shyama Banerjee are preparing to depart
U.S.A. for good. They will be returning to Kolkata in May,
2003. The friends and well wishers of the Banerjee family
arranged a surprise farewell party on April 4, 2003 at Brentwood
community center. Many of the attendees spoke highly of the
Banerjees. Ayananshu & Shyama thanked the community and expressed
their gratitude through their eloquent and emotional speech.
We wish them all the best.
February
Long time Punascha member Arun Mitra passed
away in January 2003. Mr. Mitra regularly attended all Punascha
festivals and celebrations. He contributed regularly to 'Saagor
Paare' (the literary magazine of Punascha). Mr. Mitra is survived
by his wife and children. We mourn his sudden demise. The
students of Saint Louis Bangla School presented an outstanding
performance during the Saraswati Puja cultural program. Using
various instruments they played Rabindranath Tagore's song
"Phule Phule Dhhole Dhhole Bahe Ki Ba Mridu Baye..." The instruments
included key boards, violin, viola, cello, drum set, guiter
and mandira. The performers, age ranging from 4 to 16, received
great applaud from the audience. The members of Punascha organized
Saraswati Puja on February 1, 2003 (Saturday) at the Mahatma
Gandhi Center in Saint Louis, Missouri. The day long event
was attended by about 150 people. After the Puja offering
and the Anjali prayer delicious lunch was served. Cultural
program began at 4-15 and (even though it was scheduled till
6pm) due to the demand and request by the audience continued
through 7-15 in the evening. Home cooked dinner was served
after the performance followed by evening 'Aaroti' and 'Bisarjan.'
Posted: January, 2003 December 22, 2002 marked the last day
of the semester at the St. Louis Bangla School. The school
day ended with a spectacular Christmas celebration joined
by all the parents. Under the guidance of Suchitra Ghosh,
each student created a beautiful keepsake gift for their families.
After a delicious meal all the students and the teachers received
gift from the school. The Bangla School begins its Spring
semester on January 5, 2003. The Bengali community gathered
on the new years eve at the Valley Park City Hall to welcome
the new year 2003 with a big bang. About 100 people attended
the party. Delicious food was prepared for the occasion. Along
with the mouthwatering food, the new year began with all night
non stop dance by the cheerful crowd. The event was a feast
for the eyes.
January
December 22, 2002 marked the last day of the
semester at the St. Louis Bangla School. The school day ended
with a spectacular Christmas celebration joined by all the
parents. Under the guidance of Suchitra Ghosh, each student
created a beautiful keepsake gift for their families. After
a delicious meal all the students and the teachers received
gift from the school. The Bangla School begins its Spring
semester on January 5, 2003. The Bengali community gathered
on the new years eve at the Valley Park City Hall to welcome
the new year 2003 with a big bang. About 100 people attended
the party. Delicious food was prepared for the occasion. Along
with the mouthwatering food, the new year began with all night
non stop dance by the cheerful crowd. The event was a feast
for the eyes.
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2002
November
MRS. DIPALI KUMAR, a long time PUNASCHA member
passed away on November 6, 2002. Mrs. Kumar will be remembered
for her ever-smiling face and for her generosity. Her warm
personality always carried her as a genuine friend even among
the newcomers to the Indian community in St. Louis. Even though
Dipali did not speak Bengali, she always attended PUNASCHA
events. We mourn the sudden demise of our friend. Dipali is
survived by her husband Pramod, daughter Puja and by her son.
DIPANWITA LAXMI PUJA was celebrated on November 2, 2002 at
the Mahatma Gandhi Center. A troupe from Kolkata, India performed
a drama to a gathering of about 200 people. The troupe presented
a full length play 'KHELA JAKHON' written by noted author
Sri Samaresh Majumder. The casts included noted actor Arun
Bandyopadhyay, Shankar Ghosh, Sanghamitra Bhattacharyya, Rita
Dutta and Samaresh Majumder. They received overwhelming applaud
from the audience. SAINT LOUIS BANGLA SCHOOL celebrates Halloween
after the school hour on October 20, 2002. It was a very colorful
event. Smt. Sumana Ghosh converted the class room into a haunted
house. All the children dressed up in their favorite costume
for the event. Rishi Ghosh, Dina Ghosh and Sumana Ghosh performed
live to uplift the spirit of scary set up for the touring
students and parents through the make shift haunted house.
Later a costume contest took place where Mrs. Chinmoyee Banerjee
and Mr. Jagadish Banerjee judged the winning candidates. Beside
having fun all the students received prizes for participation.
PUNASCHA members celebrated Durga Puja 2002 with great enthusiasm.
About 350 members attended the three day festival at the Mahatma
Gandhi Center. A spectacular variety cultural show was presented
by various members of Punascha during the evening of 12th
October. The students of Bangla School once again presented
an outstanding performance to the audience. Each individual
student recited a poem written by Sri Annadashankar Roy. To
observe 'Bijoya Sammilani' a 'Gharoa Jalsa' (informal cultural
performance) was organized on October 13th. Bhattacharyyas
of Saint Louis are blessed with a newborn daughter. The healthy
and beautiful baby was born on August 15, 2002. What a glorious
day to be born. In case you don't know, it's the Independence
day of India. The proud parents are Anupam and Banashree.
Their son Atri is happy to have a baby sister to play with.
October
Saint Louis Bangla School is in full swing
for the current session. The interest and popularity of the
school was displayed through the number of new enrollments
this school year. The school now has three simultaneous classes;
beginners, intermediate and advance. The satisfactory progress
of the school thrilled the organizer, Ashim Ghosh and the
teachers Subrata Das and Prabir Das along with the students.
Beside learning Bengali, students are preparing for a presentation
on behalf of the Bangla School during the forthcoming Durga
Puja where a variety cultural program will be held on Saturday,
October 12, 2002 at the Mahatma Gandhi Center. Saint Louis
Bangla School is in full swing for the current session. The
interest and popularity of the school was displayed through
the number of new enrollments this school year. The school
now has three simultaneous classes; beginners, intermediate
and advance. The satisfactory progress of the school thrilled
the organizer, Ashim Ghosh and the teachers Subrata Das and
Prabir Das along with the students. Beside learning Bengali,
students are preparing for a presentation on behalf of the
Bangla School during the forthcoming Durga Puja where a variety
cultural program will be held on Saturday, October 12, 2002
at the Mahatma Gandhi Center. Saint Louis Bangla School will
commence its fifth year on September 8, 2002. The main goal
of Bangla School is to help the students to be able to read,
write and speak in Bengali. Also, through its regular curriculum
Bangla School encourages the students to appreciate Bengali
literature and Bengali culture. Bangla School provides with
appropriate coaching for students at different levels. During
regular Punascha cultural events, students of the Bangla School
participate in organized performing arts in Bengali. Classes
are scheduled on Sundays from 2 to 4 in the afternoon. Interested
persons may contact Ashim Ghosh at 636-256-3619.
August
'Living Room', a drama written and directed
by Prabir Das was presented at fourth Annual Banga Mela at
kansas City on July 13, 2002. The performers included Samiran
Roy, Jayanta Mazumdar, Ayananshu Banerjee, Prabir Das, Indrani
Basu, Rajsri Saha and Anindita Mukhopadhyay. 'Living Room'
presentation was made possible by behind the scene participation
of Sowmitra Ghosh, Indranil Banerjee, Krishnanada Chattopadhyay,
Sankar Saha and Mondira Dutta. Presentation of 'Living Room'
was attended by a large audience and post presentation feedback
from the viewers was excellent with positive remarks. The
old Durga idol from Punascha found new home with Utsav, a
Bengali organization in Sacramento, California. Meghana, daughter
of Neeta and Amiya Roy, along with her friend Amulya Upadhya
will graduate in Indian Classical dance (Bharatha Natya Arangetram)
on Saturday, August 10, 2002. They are disciples of Mrs. Asha
Prem. Together they will present their graduation performance
at Saint Louis University High School auditorium. Our heartfelt
congratulations to Meghana and Amulya on their achievement.
Mandals of Saint Louis are blessed with the birth of their
twins. A perfect combination of a girl and a boy brought joy
to the Mandal family. The proud parents Saptarshi and Tanushree
named the twins Shibasish and Shibpriya. They were born on
August 4, 2002 at the Missouri Baptist Hospital. Congratulations
to Mandal Family.
May
Mrs. Nilima Roy, mother of Tapan and Amiya
Roy, passed away on April 14 in Baroda, India. She is survived
by her 6 sons and a daughter. Mrs. Roy spent almost 8 months
out of a year in St. Louis for the last 10 years and was a
valuable member of Punascha. She was present in every Punascha
function when she was in St. Louis. All of us are going to
miss our beloved "Masima" and her ever-smiling face. Our condolences
to the Roy family. Soumitra, Son of Krishna and Sukumar Saha,
has tied the knot with Jennifer on April 20 at Mahatma Gandhi
Center in St. Louis. The occasion was witnessed by a large
number of friends and family members and was a huge success.
We wish a long and happy married life to the newly married
couple. Congratulations to the Saha family. Shaon, daughter
of Suchitra and Ashim Ghosh, along with her friend, Michael
Calhoun, recently participated in the state level competition
of "National History Day" in the University of Missouri, Columbia.
Shaon and Michael made a movie documentary entitled "An American
Perspective : through the eyes of children" and competed in
the senior division. They were declared one of the two state
level winners in their category. Shaon and Michael will represent
the state of Missouri in the "National" in Washington D.C.
in June, 2002. Good luck, Shaon and Michael. Bhattacharyyas
from Manchester, MO are blessed with a new baby girl named
Ria. She is born in local St. Lukes Hospital at Chetsterfield,
MO on April 25. Congratulations to Bhattacharyya family.
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