Bengali Student Society Of Minnesota
“A man alone in a forest is lonely indeed, but a man alone in a city is even lonelier”
-anon.
The life of an international graduate student anywhere outside his country is rather hectic, and here at the U of M is no different. Caught in an eternal struggle between his apartment and department, between his advisor and a Budweiser, he helplessly watches the simpler things of life pass him by as he relentlessly pursues the next big breakthrough for mankind. Back home, education was merely a part of life, it was not life itself. Life then was so densely populated with “humane moments”, fleeting moments that linger for a minute but whose memories last a lifetime. It seems ironical now that as graduate students we have to be on the constant lookout for these moments, hang onto them and savor them, such being their paucity in our lives today. Funny, isn’t it……
Birds of a feather, they say, flock together and it has borne out its verity so well in the founding of our organization. The year: 2005. A bunch of like minded students from Bengal gather on campus, each bonded by the Motherland 8000 miles away, each wanting to impart a sense of home to the campus. Their mission: to organize the world’s first ever student Durga Puja, that incomparable celebration of Autumn that can unite any two Bengalis anywhere. And thus BSSM was born…….
BSSM gathered all the Bengali students together on the same platform and invited others to be a part of its Board. As the initial shockwaves settled down, the nascent association took on a formal shape and successfully organized its first event on 16 October, 2005. You may say that was the day we were baptized. Since then, our Durgotsov has become an annual function, drawing people from as far as Iowa and the Dakotas. That apart we often have frequent gatherings - sometimes to celebrate a cultural day, sometimes to discuss sometime, but more often than not, simply to unwind……
We have now metamorphosized ourselves into a diverse student group, representing the culture and traditions of West Bengal, Bangladesh and surrounding areas, and have among our members, not only expatriates from these regions but also non-Bengalis who have an interest in our culture and way of life. We strive to bring a flavor of contemporary East-Indian socio-cultural activities to the heart of Twin Cities and try to provide a platform for any student bubbling with creative ideas to live out our traditions away from home…….
Today, many of our founding members have moved on beyond graduate school, and new members continually fill our ranks, brining with them fresh enthusiasm and a sea of brainwaves. As we continue to evolve, we look forward to forging new partnerships and meeting new friends. In short, we look forward to many more fun filled times ahead……
-anon.
The life of an international graduate student anywhere outside his country is rather hectic, and here at the U of M is no different. Caught in an eternal struggle between his apartment and department, between his advisor and a Budweiser, he helplessly watches the simpler things of life pass him by as he relentlessly pursues the next big breakthrough for mankind. Back home, education was merely a part of life, it was not life itself. Life then was so densely populated with “humane moments”, fleeting moments that linger for a minute but whose memories last a lifetime. It seems ironical now that as graduate students we have to be on the constant lookout for these moments, hang onto them and savor them, such being their paucity in our lives today. Funny, isn’t it……
Birds of a feather, they say, flock together and it has borne out its verity so well in the founding of our organization. The year: 2005. A bunch of like minded students from Bengal gather on campus, each bonded by the Motherland 8000 miles away, each wanting to impart a sense of home to the campus. Their mission: to organize the world’s first ever student Durga Puja, that incomparable celebration of Autumn that can unite any two Bengalis anywhere. And thus BSSM was born…….
BSSM gathered all the Bengali students together on the same platform and invited others to be a part of its Board. As the initial shockwaves settled down, the nascent association took on a formal shape and successfully organized its first event on 16 October, 2005. You may say that was the day we were baptized. Since then, our Durgotsov has become an annual function, drawing people from as far as Iowa and the Dakotas. That apart we often have frequent gatherings - sometimes to celebrate a cultural day, sometimes to discuss sometime, but more often than not, simply to unwind……
We have now metamorphosized ourselves into a diverse student group, representing the culture and traditions of West Bengal, Bangladesh and surrounding areas, and have among our members, not only expatriates from these regions but also non-Bengalis who have an interest in our culture and way of life. We strive to bring a flavor of contemporary East-Indian socio-cultural activities to the heart of Twin Cities and try to provide a platform for any student bubbling with creative ideas to live out our traditions away from home…….
Today, many of our founding members have moved on beyond graduate school, and new members continually fill our ranks, brining with them fresh enthusiasm and a sea of brainwaves. As we continue to evolve, we look forward to forging new partnerships and meeting new friends. In short, we look forward to many more fun filled times ahead……
Avenue S.E, Room 126, Minneapolis,
Minnesota 55455.
Email:bssm@umn.edu
Bengali Student Society of Minnesota (BSSM) will celebrate Durga Pujo for the fourth consecutive year. This year's pujo festivities , "Sharodotsav 2008" will be held at St.Paul Student Center , University of Minnesota on October 4th. You are cordially invited to this grand event. We also welcome your active participation in our cultural programs or in any of the pujo committees. Contribute articles to Journal of Durga Pujo at bssm@umn.edu
Venue: St Paul Student's Center Theater
Date:4th October,2008
Timings:8 a.m.-12 midnight
N.B.- We welcome volunteers on the evening of 3rd October from 6 p.m.- 12 midnight. @SPSC Theater.
source: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~bssm/index.htmVenue: St Paul Student's Center Theater
Date:4th October,2008
Timings:8 a.m.-12 midnight
N.B.- We welcome volunteers on the evening of 3rd October from 6 p.m.- 12 midnight. @SPSC Theater.
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