Bichitra Inc.

Magazine 2013-2014

Message from the President

Dear Fellow Community Members, Friends and Families,

On behalf of the 2013-2014 Executive Committee, it is my privilege and honor to

welcome you all to the 2013 Durga Puja Festival organized by our club Bichitra

Inc. of Michigan, USA.

As you know, the very basis of any “Community” is a sense of common thread, mu-

tual-support, solidarity and the spirit of camaraderie – we deeply treasure your

eloquent presence, gentle demeanor, your unconditional support and your pure

joy during this auspicious time together.

We all possess our very own nostalgic memories of Durga Puja from our childhood

days; the period of nervous anticipation, followed by few days of freedom; the aro-

ma in the air, the euphoria, the jubilation.

As they say, ‘one can take a boy out of a country, yet one cannot take the country

out of a boy’ – here we are, 13,591 km away from our quintessential motherland

India – still celebrating the same festival with equal passion, dedication & spirit –

not just for us, but also for our next generation – so that they can see and learn our

culture and create their own memories – which they will cherish many years down

the road.

I’d like to take this opportunity to say my sincere thanks to Abhijit (Biswas), Ran-

jit-da(Roy), Subimal-da (Dinda), Krishna-di (Roy), Mam (Anindita Mukherjee),

and last but not the least Sujay (Dutta) for pursuing the painstaking task of put-

ting this publication together.

Best wishes, always

Amitabha Neil Ray

President, Bichitra Inc.

Bichitra Inc. Executive Committee 2013-2014

President

Amitabha Neil Ray amitabha@neilray.com

Vice President

Facility/Cultural Program

Madhu (Soma) Scherba madhuscherba@yahoo.com

General Secretary and Communication

Sujay Dutta sujay4@gmail.com

Treasurer

Krishna Roy kroy0829@gmail.com

Other Members:

Puja Sumi Mukherjee jaysumi207@yahoo.com

Food & Beverage Shyamal Sarkar ssarkar1us@yahoo.com

Kalyan De kajaride@gmail.com

Kids Program Leema Bose leemabose@yahoo.com

Brochure & Printing Abhijit Biswas a.biswas@wayne.edu

Fund Raising Subimal Dinda sdinda@aol.com

WE THANK OUR VOLUNTEERS

Meena Bhattacharya

Mahesh Bhattacharyya

Rita Bhattacharyya

Anita Biswas

Dolly Biswas

Kaushik Bose

Pulak Chakraborty

Gopa Chanda

Mita Chatterjee

Biswajit Choudhuri

Ratula Choudhuri

Niladri Das

Shanky Das

Kajari De

Alaka Dinda

Monalisa Dutta

Gopa Gangopadhyay

Arup Gangopadhyay

Paula Gangopadhyay

Neal Ganguly

Indrani (Monti) Ganguly

Amitabh Ghosh

Indira Ghosh

Ila Guha

Jayashree Guha

Sharbari Joshi

Shashank Joshi

Meena Khasnabis

Adhip Majumdar

Aparajita Mazumder

Purba Mears

Walter Mears

Ranjan Mitra

Shyamalima Mitra

Susmita Mookherjee

Anindita Mukherjee

Ranjit Roy

Rupa Roychoudhury

Barun Saha

Devjani Saha

Mala Sengupta

Sephali Sil

Debasish Talapatra

Pali Talapatra

With Best Wishes for Durga Puja

from the Mullick Family

Mona, Dilip, Joey and Rick

Anita, Abhijit, Rohan and

Ishan Biswas

Best Wishes and

Puja Greetings

The Bhattacharya Family

Meena, Pallab, Ramona and

Monica

Madalasa, Chandan,

Saumya and Tisha SA-

HA

The MAITRA Family

Wendy and Satyabrata

Ranjan, Rahul, Terra,

Layne and Londyn

The CHOUDHURY

Family

Lynn and Sajal

Sourab, Amy and

Sonya

Manideepa and Amiya

HAJRA

PUJA GREETINGS !!!

WITH BEST

COMPLIMENTS

FROM

Douglas M. Rouff, D.D.S.

31700 W 12 Mile Rd; #103

Farmington Hills, MI

48334

248.553.4600

http://www.drrouffdds.com/

Greetings

From

Mini Garg

Varalakshmi Kanduru

and

Krishna Senapati

Devyani, Barun, Rohit

and Raima SAHA

The SARKAR Family

Norma and Ashish

Alicia, Jaydev and Mon-

ica

Rupa, Rajshekhar,

Rooshaty and Rohon

ROYCHOUDHURY

PUJA GREETINGS

The DOSHI Family

Shukla and Boghilal

David, Jimmy, Avik

and Shirin

Sukla DUTTA

Pradip, Mausumi and

Sujata SYAMAL

The KHASNABIS

Family

Meena and Snehamay

Shoma, rakesh, Arjun,

Zubin, Raiva and Ri-

shi

Debi, Kevin, Ela and

Lola

Joyous Celebrations!!!

The Chatterjee Family

Mita, Anjan, Alok and Priya

Best Wishes and

Warm Greetings

Sati and Tapan Datta

Gopa, Arup, Payel and

Moynawk

GANGOPADHYAY

Sephali and Ranajit

SIL

The SENGUPTA Family

Mala, Subrata, Vikram

and Vivek

Paula, Utpal and Richa

GANGOPADHYAY

Best Wishes for the Puja!!!

Veena and Debashis

Bhattacharya

Wishing the Best for

Durga Puja

The Rajput Family

Minoti, Hemant and Shaili

Keya and Robert Milla

Sharbari, Shashank,

Reejuta and Aurko

JOSHI

Aparajita, Jyoti,

Debashis and Debayan

MAZUMDER

Sharmistha, Jayato,

Josh and Tia

MUKHERJEE

Snigdha, Amitabha Neil,

Anwesha and Akash RAY

PUJA GREETINGS

Durga Puja

Greetings

Sheila, Saikat, Aeva, So-

ha and Ayon Dey

Alaka and Subimal Dinda

and Family

Puja Greetings and

Best Wishes

Monalisa, Sujay, Oishi and

Rishita Dutta

Rita, Mahesh, Sneha and

Neel BHATTACHARYYA

Nita and Gautam BOSE

Ratula, Biswajit, Raina

and Ritvik CHOUDHURI

Oli and Ajit BANERJEE

Sharadiya Shubheccha

Summer with Dadu and Thamma

This summer (2013) was very special for us. Our dadu and thamma came to

visit us from Kolkata. It was the best summer we had in a long time. We learnt

a lot of Bengali words, Bengali songs and about Bengali cultural events

happening in Kolkata. We went to many places with them and had lots of fun.

Although we made fun of them when they could not put their seat belts or

when they forgot to say excuse me after they burped or when they pro-

nounced the words different than what we are used to, we think the differ-

ences taught us what life is all about. It taught us how we should accept the

variations in life and embrace the diversity life provides us.

As a special tribute to our Dadu and Thamma, we will sing for you during

the Pujo, two of the songs they taught us while they were here. This would

not have been possible if they were not here this summer. We are ever so

grateful to them for this wonderful gift. We hope to see them again very soon

in the future.

Krishanu and Kunal Bose

With Best Wishes for Durga Puja

Susmita, Avijit and Joey Mookerjee

Aak

ash

Nei

l Ray

Best Wishes from

Jagneswar Saha

Durga Puja after over

Fifty years of our Independence

Oh Durga, Godess Durga,

Mighty Rama invoked you out of the turn

To pray for power, to destroy Ravana, the evil incarnation,

So we the people of Bengal too have

worshipped you,

Every year through the centuries

And immortalized the event,

But through only worshipping, meeting and

eating

And not through any matching action, as did

the Lord Rama.

As the Puja approaches, we become restive,

To prepare for receiving you, Ma Durga,

In the most befitting manner.

Starting first with the collection of donations,

Often through blackmail and the use of

muscle power,

By the Mastans and Dadas,

Who find the season ideal for

harvesting of the 'Chandas'.

As the Puja committees are formed,

Many clamour for the positions, with their own

motives and intentions

So that, they can handle the contributions as

cleverly and cleanly as possible,

To minimise the effects, on the Puja-functions.

Pandals are made ready and bedecked

For the reception of Parvati

Who as the legend goes is now coming to the

parents,

After household chores with her consort

'Shiva' for a year.

Oh Parvati! Oh Durga! your images are

meticulously made

By our best artisans and the enchantingly

dressed up and decorated

With the choicest ornamentations, that include

the ten "Ayudha's'' for each of the ten

positions.

Pandals are made to great artistic designs

and unmatched perfection

To look like some of the World's best

architectural sensations,

The finest monuments and the palaces from

the World over,

Come to Life in Calcutta,

Through matchless devotions and skill of our

artisans

And for them it is a million dollar occasion.

Then passes the days of Puja,

In the midst of glitter of the lights,

beating of the bands,

chanting of mantrams and taking Prasadams.

And come finally the 'bidai' and 'Bisarjan'

Time to say adieu to the departing daughter,

Through wailing and shedding of the tears

By the millions who love and care.

All said and done, Ma did not shed

A drop of her tear as she was to go

Since she was aghast and angry

At the ostentatious show of gourmet, glamour

and glitter,

That revealed little concern for the needy and

the poor.

And above all for the ill fated nation

That is being systematically swindled and

fleeced

By deceitful traders and the politicians.

Trinayani, Dasabhuja, Singhabahini Durga,

Looked on with much consternation

Not a drop of tears in her eyes

As her sons and daughters appear to have

forgotten,

To protest and fight and have surrendered

themselves

To the suicide course with total resignation,

After fifty years of independence of our nation.

Oh! Mother, Danabadalini, Durgatinashini

Durga

Pray give us 'Shakti'-the power and the

resolve to fight back

To save ourselves and our future generations

From ultimate, inevitable annihilation

May be, in another fifty years of

Independence, of the nation.

Dr. Shantimoy Dasgupta

MITRA Family

and

K&A Resource Group

Visit us at

knaresourcegroup.com

Mitha and Shyamal

SARKAR

Soma, Ranjan and Sa-

maira MITRA

Anindita, Debasish and

Debnita TALAPATRA

PUJA GREETINGS !!!

Gopa, Jayanta , Munmun

and Tanya Chandra

Durga Puja

Greetings

The Mazumdar Family

Sara, Adhip, Mita,

Sumona and Sharmila

Indira and Amitabh Ghosh

Durga Puja

Greetings

Ila and P.K. Guha

and Family

Bob and Denise

Karishma and Barry and

Rekha Beverly

THROUGH THE

EYES OF ARTISTS

KOLKATA

Full credit for the artworks above belongs to the original artists. The artworks are included here for display only.

Jamini Roy’s Paintings

Full credit for the artworks above is Jamini Roy’s. The artworks are included here for display only.

Dolly and Supriyo

BISWAS

Jayeeta, Suprateek,

Ishani and Arin

CHAMPATI

Leema, Kaushik,

Krishanu and Kunal

BOSE

Rita, Ranjan and Rishi

CHAUDHURI

PUJA GREETINGS FROM

BANGALI’r

KHAOA-DAOA

KONTA CHERE KONTA KHABO!!!

MUKH MISHTI

Swarupa, Niladri and

Aanya DAS

Anindita, Sankhya

and Vir Alexander

DAS

Kajari, Kalyan and

Mita DE

Sudipta, Subrato and

Rhea DHAR

Joyous Celebrations!!!

Aakash Neil Ray

The Khetrapal Family

Sarmistha, Sanjay, Rahul

and Rishi

Sharodiya

Shubhechha

Anindita, Prabal, Praneel

and Jukta BASU

Debjani, Sushanto, Karna

and Arjun SARKAR

PUJA GREETINGS!!!

Bipasha GUPTAROY,

Pramod and Proma

KHOSLA

Ishita, Pranab and

Preeta GUPTA

The GANGULI Family

Indrani, Neal, Isha

and Diya

Leena BOSE

Sriradha, Probir, Rohin

and Rahul GUHA

Best Wishes for the Puja!!!

Krishna and Ranjit Roy

Ciaran Kumar Mears and

Kamala Roy Carethers

Best Wishes and

Warm Greetings

The Guha Family

Jayashree, Subhendu,

Aveek, Jessica and Zoe

(Based on film “Bhooter Bhabisyat”.)

Drama Stage Date: Sunday Oct-13-2013

Venue: Seaholm High School Main Auditorium

Birmingham, Michigan, USA

Concept, Narration and Direction: Amitabha Neil Ray

Script Transcription: Sujay Dutta

Production Manager: Arup Gangopadhyay

Audio/Visual: Shashank Joshi and Shanky Das

Prompter: Gopa Gangopadhay and Anita Biswas

Light: Kaushik Bose

Make Up: Indrani (Monti) Ganguly

Stage Management: Shanky Das and Shashank Joshi

Cast:

Adhip Majumdar (Ramsay Saheb from London)

Arup Gangopadhyay (Jamindar Dropo Narayan Chowdhury)

Abhijit Biswas (Refugee Bhootnath Bhaduri and Local Thug Pramod Pradhan)

Sujay Dutta (Promoter Ganesh Bhootoria and Nayeb)

Sharbari Joshi (TV Anchor Sonali)

Mahesh Bhattacharyya (Loose-character Keshab Narayan Chowdhury and T K Guchait)

Anindita (Mam) Mukherjee (Actress Kadalibala from B&W film days)

Snigdha Neil Ray (Koel from Kolkata)

Rita Bhattacharyya (Luxmi, originally from Rajasthan)

Monalisa Dutta (Modern days Film Star Madhumita Sanyal and Secretary Rosy)

Barun Saha (Khaja Khan from Siraujdulla’s era)

Pulak Chakraborty (Atmaram Paswan from Durbhanga, Bihar and Ukil)

Niladri Das (Local Thug Hut Kata Kartick and Pramod’s Bootlicker)

Abhijit Guha (Eskimo and Pramod’s Bootlicker)

Gopa Gangopadhyay (Hena, from background)

Amitabha Neil Ray (Film Director, from background)

The “Bhuteraa Shob Jaabey Kothaaey?” stage production is an edited and condensed version of the 2012

commercial film “Bhooter Bhobishyot” directed by Anik Dutta. Full credit for the original work goes to the

creators of the movie “Bhooter Bhobishyot”.

Bengali Drama: Bhuteraa Shob Jaabey Kothaaey?

Founded in 1974 by the people of Bengali origin in Metro-

Detroit area, Bichitra Inc. is a charitable, non-profit organization

dedicated to promoting Bengali culture and values in Greater

Detroit and neighboring communities in Michigan, USA.

This organization sponsors several socio-culture, sports and phil-

anthropic events throughout the year, and collaborates with other

sister clubs, and Indo-American cultural organizations in the

Greater Detroit and Michigan communities.

Bichitra Inc.

SUBHO BIJOYA

Bichitra Inc.

Magazine Printed by Artistic Printing, Inc. 248. 356.1004