SBA Newsletter Feb 2009

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www.somersetbengalis.org

We come. We eat. We

enjoy cultural entertain-

ment. We gossip with

other family friends. But

then what makes Saras-

wati Puja different from

any other festivities? In

fact, what do you really

do during Saraswati

Puja?

The goddess Saraswati, is

known to be the goddess

of the knowledge and

arts, and the mother of

the Vedas. Her four arms

represent the different

aspects of human learn-

ing and knowledge; mind,

intellect, alertness and

ego.

On goddess Saraswati’s

birthday, also known as

Vasant Panchami—or

Saraswati Puja—Hindus

celebrate with much ac-

tivity and excitement.

The color yellow is given

great importance on this

day, and Saraswati is

dressed in yellow. Sweets

are given out, as always,

and many perform differ-

ent types of worship.

Many believe that the

most significant aspect of

this day, is teaching a

child their first words—

as an auspicious day to

begin to learn to read and

write. Hinduism has also

found a way to weave in

the changing seasons

with this Puja, since dur-

ing this time, spring is

approaching, signaling

the birth of new life.

There are many important

aspects to this wonderful

event. So there is a reason

why we dance, sing, and

socialize on this day. But

let’s not forget the true

reason we celebrate our

goddess, amidst the sing-

ing and dancing. Because

knowledge is so impor-

tant, and highly re-

spected. Of course, it is

also a time to show off

that new sari you were

dying to wear.

Editorial Team:

Aparajita Ray

Anjali Mitra

Esha Ray

Spreeha Choudhury

Volume 1, Issue 1

From the Editors:

What is Saraswati Puja?

February 2009

Shoes of the Wright .. 2

My Future Life 4

Live My Life Over 6

Fiscal Responsibility 11

Hunting The Hunter 12

Cuckoo 14

The World Is Different 15

Just Another Saturday 5

Winter Poems 4

What Freedom Means 5

Snowy Das 7

My Grandfather 6

Hi Friends 9

A Poem 12

Cultural Program 16

Indian Suffusion 12

Inside this issue:

Somerset Bengali Association

Saraswat i Puja 2009

Looking Back…

Even though we’ve only

been a part of this asso-

ciation for a little more

than a year, we have

gained many experiences.

Initially we were asked to

dance. Somebody appar-

ently wanted to choreo-

graph a dance number

and she needed some

teenage girls. What we

didn’t know, was that

once we joined, we

would be officially

hooked!

Now, as the next Saras-

wati Puja is rolling

around, we’ve made so

many friends, been in so

many dances, and in-

vested in so much stage

makeup. But seriously,

now we find ourselves

creating the newsletter

for the Saraswati Puja,

Bridgewater, New Jersey, USA

IN THE SHOES OF THE WRIGHT BROTHERS

Rohit Das

PAGE 2 SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

From the age of six, I had always wanted to be a pilot. I became interested in planes on my trips to

different parts of the world. While waiting at the airport, I would just sit at the window and watch all the

different planes. The different models and airlines caught my eye and soon I became fascinated with these

metal birds. I have more than 100 Die Cast models in my collected. I soon started researching planes on the

internet and at the library. I learned all about how the Wright Brothers invented the first airplane that could

be controlled while still being in the air. The Wright Brothers interested me because they tried so hard at

one thing, and never gave up. I am inspired by the Wright Brothers and I started to dream of the day when I

would be like them: piloting an airplane for the first time.

On a Tuesday, December 23, I woke up at my aunt’s house to find out that later that day I would be

able ride a small airplane around the city of Birmingham with my loving cousins. However, I never thought

that I would be given the opportunity to co-pilot the plane! I had never dreamed of this happening to me, at

only 11 years old! When we got to Birmingham International Airport, I got to meet the pilot. Then the

thought of having a plane’s steering wheel gave me cold feet. I didn’t want 6 lives on my hands! I started to

back out when I realized this was my dream! This was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. So I

plucked up all my courage and sat in the co-pilot’s seat. The captain, Mr. Danny, told me all the rules, like

how speak with him through the microphone and how to listen to the tower. While we were on the runway,

Mr. Danny let me take off. It was the greatest feeling, I felt like a bird! In the midst of flying through the

air, I got to hear the tower chanting,” Whiskey Charlie is in the air!”

We flew all over Birmingham; I saw my cousins’ house, the mall, the hospital, etc. Finally, after an

hour of flying, it was time for touch down. I drew back in my seat, sadly, thinking my job was over when I

heard Mr. Danny’s voice in the headset. “It’s time to land Rohit, parallel the plane to the runway.” I sat up

straight in my seat, thrilled to do one last thing. I had no idea how to parallel the plane to the run way, so

Mr. Danny talked me through it while I drove the plane. My mom didn’t know what I was doing so she

screamed when I drove the plane in a tilt and turned! “Rohit, please stop tilting the plane,” she said as the

plane was on its side and in my control. Five minutes later, the plane reached the ground. As I stepped out

of the plane, it finally came as an avalanche down a mountain, that I had driven a plane!

I had finally achieved what I had always wanted; I had stepped in to the shoes of the Wright Broth-

ers and I now knew how they felt when they drove their plane for the very first time.

SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

Snowman

One day I made a snow-

man

He was very bright and jolly.

I didn’t know what do with

him,

So I decided to call him

Wally.

Wally had a pet snow dog

Who my friends would call

Molly

They also thought the snow

dog

Looked exactly like a collie

My Future Life

Souvik Ganguly


I was thinking about being a veterinarian since I love animals, and I have 2 pet mice. They are one of the cutest

creatures I have ever seen. I like animals since you can teach them, play with them, and they always are on the move.

The reason I have mice instead of a dog is that my mom thinks they harm people, and they are too much work. My

mom said if we go on vacation we can’t keep the dog. The reason I can’t have a cat is that I’m allergic to them. I

can’t have reptiles and amphibians because my mom hates them. So that leaves rodents, birds, and fish as the only

choices. I don’t like birds because they can fly away from your hand. I don’t like fish because you can’t do anything

with them. So that leaves rodents as the only yet last choice. I think rodents are cool because you can play with

them, and you can hold them. My first pet was a white mouse with white, fluffy fur, red eyes, pink tail, and pink ears.

My mom said to me “We have a class pet because a family couldn’t take care of it because they had to cats didn’t like

it there” just like Tom and Jerry. So it is at school. My mom said “At school when its nap time the mouse starts run-

ning on the spinning wheel. A few days later my mom brought the mouse to my house and I kept it. It was in a small

blue cage running in circles trying to get used to its new home and owner. So now I have a mouse and I got to meet

its original owner’s family. So these are reason I want to be a Veterinarian.

I also thought about being a doctor because I want to help others who are need. Also because I hear that a lot of

my relatives and friends are passing away. I would like to be a doctor in Africa because there quality of medicine is

very poor. Another thing I would to like to do is to be a doctor in the military, army, marines, and the air force. Since

a lot of people are getting injured. I would be a doctor in the army because they would protect me when I’m healing

them. Another thing why I want to be a doctor is that there’s not a cure for cancer yet.

I would also like to be in the army as a solider because I wanted to help fight in battles to protect my country.

The problem is that if I get shot in real life I could die or injured. I wouldn’t be able to do anything else I wanted to

do. I also wanted to be a car engineer/builder because I always wanted to build my own car and sell them to others. In

videogames I used to buy a car then add more speed, better control, a faster engine, and better brakes. Then I would

add different tires, colors, and designs to the car. Then I would drive it all over the place. If I made a car I would have

to figure out where to add all the additional things such as cup holders, heated seats, and the CD player. I also play

car videogames all the time, so I have some experiences.

My last choice is a business man, because I always wanted to own my own hotel because you would earn a lot

of money, you don’t need to buy a house and you could live in the hotel, and I could get people to do stuff for me

such as getting room service everyday. All of these job choices are very good for me. Some of these jobs are very

cool. But I will wonder which one I will end up with as a job. I’ll probably figure it out later in my life as I grow

older and when it is time to pick a job I will probably pick the best one for me.

Winter Wonderland Poems

Sompurna Choudhury, Age: 9 Snowflakes

Lovely snowflakes,

Falling down,

Come close to earth

And spin around.

They touch the ground,

And then they melt,

What a short life,

That they have dealt

Snowballs

You better duck

Just in case

A gigantic snowball

Fly’s toward your face.

A place to hide’s

Behind a tree

Here comes a snowball

Not one but 3!

Winter is the Best

Summer’s too hot,

It makes my sweat.

In spring it rains,

So I get all wet.

I don’t like fall,

Because I barely get rest.

But in winter we have snow,

So winter’s the best!

Just Another SaturdayJust Another SaturdayJust Another SaturdayJust Another Saturday Anonymous (College student)Anonymous (College student)Anonymous (College student)Anonymous (College student)

PAGE 5 SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1 , I SSUE 1

"CHHOTUUUUUUUUUUUUU! SAT Class achey ak ghontar modhey! Ekhunni Utheparo!" yelled my

mother. I grudgingly turned over in my bed and cursed under my breath. I looked at my alarm clock as it blared back

at me with the same anger I heard in my mother's voice. It said 8 am and I realized that within the hour on this per-

fectly wasted Saturday morning I would be crunching vocab and algebraic equations up the wazoo!

I survived the three hour torture (I mean the scholastically renowned Princeton Review SAT Prep class guar-

anteed to get you at least a 2300) and managed to drive home. As I walked through the door, still half way asleep, I

was pleasantly greeted by the smell of my mom's daal. I completely acknowledge that Indian cuisine deserves more

praises than I could ever give, but at the end of the day I have to say that my all-time favorite dish is plain old Masoor

Daal. No questions asked. That's all I need. I sat down at the table and my mother asked "Kee holo? Atho taka

dheechi are kechoo lab hochey?" I stared blankly at my mom and said "Maaaaaa," and that was the end of that. I'm

pretty sure she didn't have the energy to respond. My perfect little sister came downstairs and into the kitchen and

quickly announced that she had already finished her homework and my mother smiled and said "Baaaah." I too could

have finished my homework in less than an hour when I was in 4th grade.

About an hour later my mother said that she was going to go to the mall and asked if I wanted to go with

her. I knew that she had just been there a few days ago and probably didn't actually need anything in particular. But

then I remember scanning the newspaper this morning and noticing some Macy's coupons missing from the

pages. There was my answer! She just can't say no to a sale!

By the time we got back it was probably almost five o'clock. After unpacking all the stuff from the car, my

mother quickly exclaimed that everyone should get ready to leave in an hour or so. Completely thrown off by this

sudden announcement I said "What? Kano?" (I think when I get flustered I start to mix my Bengali and Eng-

lish!) My mother explained that we were going to someone's house for dinner. As usual, I hadn't been informed

about the dinner party we were going to. But seeing how it was at another Bengali family's house, my guess was that

it was probably an impromptu gathering thrown together for the sole purpose of some good old "adda." I rolled my

eyes, but realized I didn't have much choice in the matter. I looked to my Bapi for some kind of reaction, but he sym-

pathetically looked at me and expressed the same confusion as me.

Yes, it ended up being just another Saturday in our normal lives. And although the tone I convey in this story

may come off as spoiled, agitated, or basically super ABCD (American Born Confused Desi), I have to say that ever

since leaving home these are the kinds of Saturdays I miss the most.

What Freedom Means To Me Ankush Rakhit, Age: 12

Everyday as you wake up, and go to school or work and live life the way you do, you use freedom. Freedom,

to me, is what symbolizes me as an American. Our ability to have a say in our government, our ability to live our nor-

mal lives without consequences or harsh restrictions all happen with our freedom as Americans. Freedom is the abil-

ity to do things without consequences. We often don’t realize it, because we are so used to our rights, how lucky we

are compared to those around the world who don’t live as freely as us. Without freedom, like we fortunately have in

America, we would not be able to rightfully protest, or have a say in our government, or even practice our beliefs and

religions without consequences. Living without freedom is as if you are living always with a watchful eye over you. I

personally feel lucky to have the freedoms that I have. Because of the freedom I have today I am able to walk freely

without the feeling of fear or pain, am able to get an education, and to work my way to success. Freedom might be

nothing to some people or they don’t think about it, but freedom is everything to me. Freedom, to me, is not just a

word, I believe that it is a part of me, and has shaped who I am.

If I had my life to live over again,

I would have watched the strokes of my life’s pen,

Instead at times not focusing on my goal,

Like a blind man upon the rim of a hole.

I would have filled the fireplace of char-ity with more wood,

And acknowledged the light of truth for good.


I would have ventured out instead of staying in my den,

Exploring new horizons,

Singing new hymns,

Dancing new jigs,

Performing new gigs.

I would have laughed with no sense of doubt,

Like a baby tree beginning to sprout.

I would have let the melodious notes flow,

From my violin in the warm glow,

Of a toasty fire on a winter night,

Smiling with joy hidden from a frosty bite,

Which raged outside in a storm of snow,

While I sat hidden from the ferocious blow.


I would not have cheated from my fellow men,

My wandering eyes came across the goal,

Just to find my grade dreary as coal.

I would have found the solutions from within my head,

And used my thoughts to copy down in lead.

I would have thought more of the dates,

And placed my writings in front of the gates,

Of knowledge and sight,

And the thought that I just might,

Demolish the procrastination,

And focus on the education.


I would have rewritten it with my own pen.

Being a part of the Somerset Bengali

Association has taken so much time

out of our lives, but we enjoy helping

out. We too, want to make sure that

the cultural program turns out to be a

success.

Now another Saraswati Puja comes

along for us to celebrate and be joy-

ous, and we hope we can be there to

Coming out of DJ-ing for a Bijoya

party. So many songs!

Overall, the journey has been a blast,

and as we put together the final

touches to this newsletter, we can

honestly say that we have created a

friendship which each and every per-

son contributing to it, including the

many aunts and uncles.

celebrate the festivals to come with

the entire community. They’ve be-

come a sort of large, disoriented,

Bengali family. So we hope you

enjoy this newsletter we’ve put to-

gether for you all!

From the Editors

My Grandfather

Rohit Das

If I Had My Life To Live Over Again

Rounak Mukhopadhyay

Admirable, loving, and always there for me.

Three things about him- which I will never

forget.

He was my grandfather

I was his only grandson

There was a connection, a special bond

Between me and him

We understood each other-

His love for ice cream

And my small mischief’s

He was only there for 11 years of my life-

But I will treasure his memory forever

Looking Back… (cont’d from Pg. 1)


‘Twas the night before snow day,

There were hopes that the snow may

lay,

There was frost all around,

But there was not even a flake on the

ground;

Pajamas were turned inside out,

Although there was quite some doubt,

All hoped the school would close,

But there were other thoughts among

those;

The opening would be a delay,

School would end earlier in the day,

Nevertheless the holiday season was

here,

The air was filled with happiness &

cheer;

In the houses there was a tree,

Filled with ornaments, lights & lots of

glee,

The temperature dropped to the teens,

But not one snowflake could he seen;

Anticipation was still there,

Even though the ground was still hard,

They went to sleep, hopes extin-

guished,

But they got their wish;

School was closed that Friday,

Though the grass was green & asphalt

gray,

But then the sky broke out with snow,

The layer started to grow;

In the hills the kids went,

Though the snow did not relent,

The visibility the snow obscured,

And snowball fight occurred;

Sleds sped down the hills,

There were many thrills,

And what of those who didn’t be-

lieve,

Even they were relieved;

For school ceased,

And the snow released,

And everyone had a good day,

On this unexpected Friday;

Who would have thought that the

snowless night,

Would produce sleds and snowball

fights,

You know when holidays arise,

But a snow day is a pleasant sur-

prise;

So all should enjoy their snow days,

And to all a good day!

SNOW DAY Arka Ghose



PUZZLES AND

GAMES!

SOMERSET BENGALI ASSOCIATION VOLUME 1 , I SSUE 1

Welcome to SBA’s Saraswati puja. When we first planned for the puja last year, and began contacting neighborhood

friends, I could not imagine that we will continue this event for the second year. In addition to the puja, due to over-

whelming enthusiasm and interest, we have also organized picnic in the Summer and Bijoya gathering in the Fall. On

behalf of the Association, I would like to take a brief moment here to convey my sincere thanks to all of you who

made all these programs possible and successful. Also I want to mention here that these events are organized by all of

us together whether you are in a committee or not. We need input and involvement from all of you. As you know we

are a very small organization, and participations are mainly through invitation and acquaintance and not by advertise-

ment. All of us are here today because you are invited by one of your friends, who think you are special to them.

The question may come to ones mind ‘why another puja?’. The answer is ‘we just did not want to start another puja,

instead we wanted to build an organization where kids participation and involvement will be at the center’. Our main

goal is to engage our kids to know each other by participating in activities, cultural events, fun and entertainment. We

encourage kids to decorate the hall, to plan for the events, participate in the cultural program – making it successful

the way they visualize it. We want them to feel proud by calling it ‘our pujo’. During bijoya, our kids decided to be-

come DJ, and chose the music where their parents and siblings can dance together. During this Saraswati puja, our

youth group took the lead and decided to publish a news letter to share their creative side. Do you know there will

about 50 kids on stage during to-day’s cultural program?

We hope to see you all during our next events, and all of us should try their best to make every event unique, full of

fun and entertaining. We are starting the year again with a Saraswati puja, and hoping to meet all of you during our

annual picnic and Bijoya. We are hoping this will be another year of fun filled events for our Youth Group as well as

the parents. All our events were tremendously successful last year, and we hope to continue it same way.

Hi Friends ! Somesh Choudhury on behalf of Somerset Bengali Association

Call anytime to talk about your needs and the opportunities though-

out Central NJ

ANDREW SPRECHER

Cell: 908 874-8421

Century 21 Worden & Green

908-874-4700 x382

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Fiscal Responsibility Spreeha Choudhury, Age: 15


I am a teenager. Teenagers are known for causing their parents to go bankrupt or for filling the house with

their fleeting interests. Walk into a normal teenager’s room and you will see glossy posters filling the walls, fashion

magazines falling off the bookshelves and various pieces of clothes and jewelry everywhere. Walk into my room,

and you will see a mess of printed photos instead of bought posters, hand-me-down textbooks instead of magazines

and clothes I have been wearing since 7th grade. Don’t get me wrong, my family’s not poor, quite the contrary, we

have more money than we need. I have done this to myself. My family has instilled such a strong sense of fiscal re-

sponsibility in me, I am actually afraid to spend money.

Let me share one incident where the extreme sense of fiscal responsibility was been drilled into my head at

the age of eleven. I had ballet practice in Livingston. It was late and the last time I had eaten was almost 5 hours

before. I was starving and was ready to devour anything. I complained to my mom and she gave me a stern look and

said, “When we get home.”

It took a few minuets to convince her that I needed food right there and then. So we left the studio with me

running to the car and my mom slowly walking. I tapped my foot impatiently and my stomach growled. I was think-

ing of all the great fast food places on the way home: Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Boston Market. Yum, yum, yum.

“We’ll stop at the Grand Union and you can run inside and get some yogurt,” my mom said, finally

unlocking the car. My brain froze. Yogurt? I wanted a Cheesy Gordita Crunch from Taco Bell. I had it all planned out

in my head.

“Just yogurt?” I asked getting into the car, “I wanted Taco Bell.”

“Spreeha,” my mom said, absolutely outraged at my suggestion, “We don’t have that much money

that we can spend it on food every day of the week. Sometimes you have to save money.”

So, on the way back, my mom stopped at a grocery store and handed me a five dollar bill. “Ja giye dhoi kine

niye aan,” she said, “and get the cheapest one you can find!”

So I barreled into the store and grabbed the first peach flavored yogurt I could find that was below five dol-

lars. My favorite yogurt was only $1.50, thank god it was on sale! I took it to the cash register and paid for it. I was

so hungry that just looking at the picture of the peach on the container was making my mouth water. I ran as fast as

I could back to the car and hopped in. My mom held her hand out for the change. I handed it to her and ripped

open the foil lid of the yogurt. I took out a plastic spoon I had stashed in the car and took a giant scoop of the yogurt

out. Just as I was about to eat it, my mom asked “How much was it?”

I looked at her and rolled my eyes, “A dollar fifty, can’t you count the change?” I went to shove the scoop of

yogurt into my mouth again.

“Then why is there only two dollars and 50 cents here?” she said stopping me in my tracks.

“There’s three fifty there, mom, I counted it. Can I please just eat my dhoi?” I looked at the wonderful food

on my spoon longing to eat it and at the same time wondering what was wrong with my mother.

“This was a test, Spreeha. I wanted to see if you could be responsible. And now, I know you can’t be. Where

is that dollar?”

“It was just a dollar mom, maybe it fell or something. Forget about it.”

“FORGET ABOUT IT?” my mom exploded, “Forget about it? What do you mean forget about it. It was MY

money and I want it back! Kichho paarish naa tui. I gave you five dollars, ar tui haariye felleesh. What am I going to

do with you?”

I looked at her in awe. What the heck, I thought, it was just a dollar. And then, out of my peripheral vision, I

saw it. It was laying on the sidewalk right in front of the automatic grocery store doors. If it will shut you up, I’ll go

get it, I thought as I opened the door to my car so that I could retrieve the dollar. That’s when I saw him. It was a

big, intimidating looking man, standing inches away from my dollar. If there was a physical interpretation of scary,

he was it, and I was scared. He was leaning over my dollar to pick it up and I was shrinking back into the car where

my mom was still going on and on. (cont’d Pg. 13)

There was once a time where western culture that

would work its way into India and the eastern half of

the world. The “guys and gals” would wear their “hip”

new jeans, and rock their converse. Now in the states,

it is Indian culture that is seeping into American cul-

ture. One can see Indian culture in all different aspects

of life. A few years ago, the movie “Bend it like

Beckham” was released in America, a story focusing

on an Indian girl. Even in the fresh start of this New

Year, there is a new movie, “Slumdog Millionaire,” a

movie featuring the story about a “slumdog” from

Mumbai. This story touched many hearts, and won

three Golden Globes! Indian culture has also impacted

the American fashion industry.

One hot item this winter was fashion scarves, many

with prints inspired from India. Cotton shirts and tops

have been imported from India by designer labels like

French Connection and Free People. The indisputable

conclusion from all these Indian trends in American

culture proves that India has become a worldwide

leader, and will continue to grow and prosper.

Indian Suffusion Sharmili Rakhit

A PoemA PoemA PoemA Poem Parama DasParama DasParama DasParama Das


Hunting The Hunter Sourabh Chakroborty

Joe worked at Ecoville Zoo, which took injured animals,

endangered ones, too.

The Poacher always shot wildlife, and he often killed.

The animal parts were all sold until his wallet was filled.

Whenever lives were shot, it caused much sadness.

So, Joe decided it was time to stop the madness.

Joe was feeding the animals late at night,

in a lynx habitat when the lynx chose him to bite.

Even from a mile away, Joe could hear

a low growl with his furry ears.

Was this for better or for worse?

Was mutating a blessing or a curse?

Joe wondered throughout the night.

How could he use his power and might?

He finally decided what he wanted to do -

save wild animals and stop the Poacher, too.

Joe went to spy on the Poacher in the woods,

hiding behind a tree in a hood.

Whenever there was a howl or hoot,

the Poacher would always shoot.

Joe watched and recorded this all.

He almost dialed 911 and was about to call,

when...

He was about to be seen by a stranger!

If glimpsed, he would be in danger.

Joe knew it was the right hour

to use the full extent of his power.

He knew his transformation was not mild;

he had special powers in the wild.

Joe muttered, “I’ll give it my best shot;

the Poacher will now be caught!”

The Poacher saw Joe and thought he saw a huge cat.

In his fright, the Poacher screamed, “WHAT IS

THAT?!”

When he took his gun out to attack,

Joe decided not to fight back.

Then Joe transformed, and gave the Poacher such a scare

that he dropped down, fainted, right then and there..

Joe called nine-one-one.

The police came and the Poacher was done.

This is the last thing I want to say:

Wouldn’t you like to have Joe’s powers one day?

Wrapped around a black blanket

Wearing diamond necklaces and earrings

I wear sparkling designs, of the greats who came

before us Everyone looks up to me

for I am a great sight I am always there for everyone big or small

A mystery they say, but a wonder at the same time

Fiscal Responsibility (cont’d from Pg. 11)


“Kee holo? “Kee holo? There’s my dollar. Go get it,” she said, nearly pushing me out of the car.

“Um, I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” I said, shrinking further into the seat. He was a grown man and I

was just a tiny little eleven-year-old ballerina. No way I was going up to him and asking for that dollar.

“Maybe he needs it more than we do,” I said, hoping that this excuse would be enough to make my mom

calm down.

“You think we’re rich, Spreeha? You think money grows on trees? Well, I’m very sorry to say, but it doesn’t.

We have to earn money to live. Blood, sweat and tears go into every dollar we make. Now, go fight, Spreeha, go

fight for your money,” my mom said in such a confident tone, she

sounded like a passionate general before a war. And, for a second, I

was actually convinced that I had to swordfight with the guy to get

my dollar back. I had half stepped out of the car when I realized

that it would be a really stupid idea.

“No mom, I think I’m just gonna eat my yogurt and forget

about the dollar,” I said, closing the door and barricading myself

from the man who was now walking away from our car. My mom

flung me a look of rage and fury. She gave a low growl and started

the ignition of the car.

“You’re not going to follow him? Right, maa?” I asked

scared for my life that I would have to get out of the car and

swordfight with him.

“No, Spreeha. I’m going home now so that I can tell your

dad about how little you care about his money. I am going to tell

him everything that just happened so that he never gives you any-

thing again. Now, you really will have to fight for your money,” she

said with her teeth clenched. Suddenly, I wasn’t hungry anymore.

Whatever, I thought, I’ll always get money from my daddy and I will always spend it. My mom was a crazy

about saving money and I decided that I did not want to be like her. I didn’t want to worry about fiscal responsibil-

ity. I wanted to buy whatever I wanted. But that night, both my parents gave me a lecture I would never forget. My

dad exploded when my mom told him that I lost a dollar. He looked me straight in the eye and said, “You could have

put that money into your college fund.”

I was eleven at the time. Now I am fifteen and this incident pops into my head every time I try to spend

money. I am terrified at the notion that I might lose a bill every time I pull one out of my wallet. Every time see the

cashier smile, I think of my dad’s disappointed face saying ‘why did you buy that, Spreeha, did you really need it?

You could have put it into your college fund.’ And every time I hear the ping of the cash registers, I see my mom’s

face in my head, yelling ‘GO FIGHT, SPREEHA, GO FIGHT FOR YOUR DOLLAR!’

The wind blows

While the moon sleeps

The sun rises

While nature creeps

Through the city

One by one

Till rest is over

When night is done

Still they glide

And crawl all over

Dim as dark

Light as a clover

One pokes his head

Out from a nest

He looks and looks

For a nasty pest

He lets out

A charming song

Till the creature

Is long gone

Off to do

Some loyal deed

For a friend

That is in need

You think he’s nice

You think he’s kind

But just get that thought

Out of your mind

This creature is not

Nice everyday

He’s always lazy

And gets in the way

He pushes eggs

Out of their bed

And they lay smushed

Half dead

Yolk spilling out

From either side

No mother, no father

To say goodbye

The criminal sits

With an innocent sigh

Waving and waving

Saying goodbye

Why you ask?

Why you say?

Why is he

Like this everyday?

I don’t know why

And this is true

That he’s always nice

And evil, too

The only creature

That has done

Good and evil

All at once

Now let us put that thought aside

Let us see what is the best

About our little creature here

Who seems to be a pest

This creatures singing voice

Is really, really good

I would listen to it all day

All day, if I could

It’s like a game

Of plain, old darts

Where you pierce a needle

Through your heart

Carried by

A silver thread

It makes its way

Through the head

Placing a voice

Right there

Where it may lead you

Anywhere

To destiny

Or to the king

A place where you

Might need to sing

And that little song

Will teach you how

Since you remembered it

From the past to now

Just like the creature

You will sing it through

And in the middle

Lies a cuckoo

Cuckoo Leena Roy


In the day sky

A flower weeps

Endlessly hop-

ing

While it sleeps

and sleeps

Waiting for

nightfall

Everyday

So it may show

off

In a very odd way

Glowing and glowing

Letting out its bright light

Filling the whole world

Destroying the fright

Leading the way

To a magical world

Where it’s happy and joyful

Where laughter is twirled

This wonderful sight!

It drives me insane!

But I know that my friend

Will bring me here again

Still I dance the few moments

That I still own

But soon I fly away into day

Finding myself alone

Though something now seems

similar

Something, I can see

It’s that the whole world has

changed

All accept me

Day and night

passes

And my

friends walk

the line

But when I

have the sun,

moon and

Earth

It’s never time

to say good-bye

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I am in a cage

A cage made of steel bars

And locked inside

Working hour after hour

I watch the clock

The continuous tick hypno-

tizes me

I turn my head and look

outside

I see the bees buzz-

ing

Butterflies flying

And birds chirping

But I still wait

Hands moving

Body still

Mind thinking

Loosing hope for

survival

But still

Hands moving

Body still

Mind thinking

Waiting…

Waiting…

Waiting…

Finally the silence is broken

by a loud

And out of nowhere bell

Right then I rush outside

with a boulder on my back

I feel the wind blowing

against my face

I sense the bees buzzing

Butterflies flying

And birds chirping

And now I know

I am free

I am finally free

The World Is Different and School Leena Roy



Saraswati Puja 2009

Cultural Program Schedule

Time: 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm

Adamsville School, Bridgewater, NJ

3:30 Welcome Mrs. Mitzi Morillo

Principal, Adamsville School, Bridgewater, NJ

Inauguration Dance “Lagi Lagena” Aditi Roy, Anika Khathuria, Anjali Mitra,

Anuranita Gupta, Anusha Banerjee, Esha Ray,

Leena Roy, Mohona Chowdhury, Parama Das,

Pranjal Thakur, Ramyani Mitra, Rhea Banerjee,

Ria Mukhopadhaya, Rini Bhattacharyya, Rohini

Sengupta, Romoli Bakshi, Shruti Roy, Shivani Ghatak,

Shreya Halder, Susmita Ghosh, Tanya Banerjee,

3:35 Children's Songs Conductor: Sudip Chakraborty

"Tog Bog Tog Bog Ghora Chutiye" Sunit Chakraborty, Soham Sen

"Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" Riki Das, Atreyee Ghosh, Rishav Das

3:45 Individual Performances

Recital - "Khichuri" Aditya Chakraborti

Piano: "Snake Song" Raaka Mukhopadhyay

Vocal: "Bulbul Pakhi Moina Tia" Shreya Haldar

4:00 Children's Drama " Ha Ja Ba Ra La" Directors: Reetika Gupta, Sangeeta Mukhopadhaya,

Sharmistha Sen

Cast: "Chhele" - Saurabh Chakraborty,

"Kaak" - Rohit Das, "Udho" - Souvik Ganguly,

"Budho" - Nina Ray, "Hijibijbij" - Rounak

Mukhopadhyay, "Chhagol" - Sompurna Choudhury,

"Sheyal 1" - Arka Ghose, "Sheyal 2" - Ankush

Rakhit, "Nara" - Soham Sen, "Pancha" - Kushaan

Misra, "Sojaru" - Sunit Chakraborty, "Kumir" -

Rishabh Das, "Kola Bang" - Atreyee Ghosh

"Chhnucho" - Arijit Dutta, "Khargosh" - Sudham Das,

“Beral” - Kushal Das, "Mejomama" - Rahul Banerjee


Piano: "Ode to Joy" Deblina Mukherjee

Violin: "Snake in a Basket" Trisha Mukhopadhyay

Piano: "Alo Amar Alo", "Ami Chini Go" Joheen Chakraborty

Bengali Karaoke; “O Akash Shona Shona” Pratik Hom Chaudari


5:10 Children's Dance "Raja Ranir Golpo" Choreography and Direction: Sunrita Mitra,

Video: Shoumo Sarkar, Audio: Sunanda Mitra

"Hobu Chandra Rajar Gobu Chandra" Aditi Roy, Anika Khathuria, Ria Mukhopadhaya,

Tanya Banerjee, Shruti Roy, Shivani Ghatak,

Rhea Sarkar, Sunit Chakraborty, Rishabh Das

"Shadher Lau" Leena Roy, Parama Das, Anuranita Gupta, Anusha

Banerjee, Ramyani Mitra, Rhea Banerjee,

Sompurna Chowdhury


Piano - "Mor Beena Othe Kon Sure Baaji" Arpan Chakraborti

Electric Guitar Abhishek Choudhury

5:30 Sruti Natak - "Indu Babur Kapal" Director: Rina Roy, Music: Amit Ray

Cast: Soma Chowdhury, Kallol Ghosh, Parna Ghosh,

Archan Misra and Rina Roy

5:50 "Jhoom Barabar Jhoom" Dance Choreography and Direction: Sunrita Mitra,

Video: Shoumo Sarkar, Audio: Sunanda Mitra

"Ek Do Teen" Esha Ray

"Hawa Hawai" Spreeha Choudhury

"Mere Khwabon Mein" Rini Bhattacharyya

"Yeh Ishq Hai" Pranjal Thakur

“Gore Gore Say Chore” Mohona Chowdhury

"Mere Dholna" Romoli Bakshi

"Barso Re/Kajra Re" Anjali Mitra

“Pappu Can't Dance” Leena Roy, Parama Das, Anusha Banerjee,

Ramyani Mitra, Ankush Rakhit

“Deewangi Deewangi” Mohona Chowdhury, Romoli Bakshi, Anjali Mitra,

Esha Ray, Rohini Sengupta, Pranjal Thakur, Rini

Bhattacharyya, Spreeha Choudhury, Leena Roy,

Parama Das, Anuranita Gupta, Anusha Banerjee,

Ramyani Mitra, Rhea Banerjee, Ankush Rakhit,

Vivek Mohan, Rohit Das, Souvik Ganguly

6:30 Popular Bengali and Hindi Songs Nabanita Chakraborty, Rajyasri Das, Suparna Das,

Soma Rakhit, Anjana Sarkar, Apratim Purakayastha,

Aparajita Ray, Prasun Chowdhury, Sunith Roy,

Sudip Chakraborty, Amit Ray

7:15 Closing Ceremony Thank you and Recognition to Directors

and Guest Artists

7:30 END


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With best wishes

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SBA Newsletter Feb 2009

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Transcript of SBA Newsletter Feb 2009