Welcome to Sangam
Sangam is a non-profit public charity organization based in Kansas City serving the Bengali population of Kansas and neighboring states of midwest.
Sangam is a non-profit public charity organization based in Kansas City serving the Bengali population of Kansas and neighboring states of midwest.
Venue : Lenexa Community Center. 13420,
Oak St, Lenexa.
KS 66215
To promote cultural, educational, literary and religious
traditions of Bengal, primarily within the communities of
Bengali speaking people residing within the Midwestern
states of America.
To promote charitable activities for the benefit of the
deserving persons and institutions in USA and
in India.
To promote Indo-US relation through the development of
mutual understanding and respect of American and Bengali
cultures and traditions
Since 1991, Bengali speaking families of Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Nebraska are getting together during Durga Puja festival in Wichita. A need for an association has been felt as a vehicle for promoting Bengali cultural activities in the midwestern states. During 1995 Durga Puja festival in Wichita, a consensus was formed to organize an association. An association by the name Sangam was formally formed at a meeting held on November 18, 1995, at Dr. Ashim Mitra’s residence in Overland Park.
Story of Durga Puja (worship of Divine Mother Durga)
Ananda Bhattacharya
Ananda Bhattacharya
Durga Puja is the biggest festival of Hindu communities of Bengali tradition. It may be compared with Christmas celebration of the Christian communities. The festival is performed in the fall. Traditionally it is a four-day festivity with worship services, cultural programs, feasting, family get-together, greeting exchange and making new friends. Though it is primarily a religious service, its social and cultural aspects are also significant. Locally, every year for the last nine years mostly Bengali ethnic immigrant families from India, who are residing in the Kansas City and surrounding areas in Missouri and Kansas, and even in parts of Iowa, Nebraska and Oklahoma join this festival on a weekend with great gusto and merrimen
Significance of Durga Puja: Hindus worship Durga as the Divine Mother Goddess believed to be the highest manifestation of the Universal Power of God. The image most commonly worshipped during Durga Puja is that depicting Durga having ten arms, surrounded by her children, slaying a demon coming out of a buffalo. The story describing her triumph over ‘Demon King’ who represents a great evil, has been narrated in the Holy Scripture of ‘Chandi’. Thus, by this service, Hindus celebrate the God’s overpowering victory over evil.
The Story: Many years ago there was a great war between the gods and the demons. The demons defeated the gods, captured heaven and forced the gods out of heaven. In their effort to defeat the powerful demon king and to retake the heaven, the gods concentrated their energy and created Durga – a beautiful ten-armed goddess. Each god gave her a weapon. The great god, Vishnu gave his wheel (chakra), Another great god, Shiva gave his trident (trisul), other gods gave their various weapons. Even Himalaya, the king of mountains gave a lion that carried Durga. Armed with these divine weapons Durga fought a fierce battle with the demon army led by the demon king who changed forms several times to deceive the goddess. Finally, Durga slew him, as he came out of the body of a buffalo. The demon army was destroyed. The gods regained their heaven. The universe rejoiced and sang the glory of Divine Mother Durga. Thus, Durga Puja (the worship of Durga) is a celebration of triumph of good over evil and the return of universal order peace and harmony.
There is another myth particularly popular with Hindus of Bengali heritage. According to this myth, at this time of the year Durga returns to her parents’ home with her children. Durga is the wife of Shiva who cares little about worldly affairs and spends most of his time in yoga and meditation. Thus, Durga’s welfare is a constant source of worry for her parents, Himalaya and Menika. So, once every year Durga comes down from heaven to visit her parents on earth. Thus Durga Puja is also a celebration of the yearly return of the daughter to her parents’ home.
MORE DETAILS HERE: http://www.sangam-midwest.org
Significance of Durga Puja: Hindus worship Durga as the Divine Mother Goddess believed to be the highest manifestation of the Universal Power of God. The image most commonly worshipped during Durga Puja is that depicting Durga having ten arms, surrounded by her children, slaying a demon coming out of a buffalo. The story describing her triumph over ‘Demon King’ who represents a great evil, has been narrated in the Holy Scripture of ‘Chandi’. Thus, by this service, Hindus celebrate the God’s overpowering victory over evil.
The Story: Many years ago there was a great war between the gods and the demons. The demons defeated the gods, captured heaven and forced the gods out of heaven. In their effort to defeat the powerful demon king and to retake the heaven, the gods concentrated their energy and created Durga – a beautiful ten-armed goddess. Each god gave her a weapon. The great god, Vishnu gave his wheel (chakra), Another great god, Shiva gave his trident (trisul), other gods gave their various weapons. Even Himalaya, the king of mountains gave a lion that carried Durga. Armed with these divine weapons Durga fought a fierce battle with the demon army led by the demon king who changed forms several times to deceive the goddess. Finally, Durga slew him, as he came out of the body of a buffalo. The demon army was destroyed. The gods regained their heaven. The universe rejoiced and sang the glory of Divine Mother Durga. Thus, Durga Puja (the worship of Durga) is a celebration of triumph of good over evil and the return of universal order peace and harmony.
There is another myth particularly popular with Hindus of Bengali heritage. According to this myth, at this time of the year Durga returns to her parents’ home with her children. Durga is the wife of Shiva who cares little about worldly affairs and spends most of his time in yoga and meditation. Thus, Durga’s welfare is a constant source of worry for her parents, Himalaya and Menika. So, once every year Durga comes down from heaven to visit her parents on earth. Thus Durga Puja is also a celebration of the yearly return of the daughter to her parents’ home.
MORE DETAILS HERE: http://www.sangam-midwest.org
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