Venue: Houston Durgabari Date: Sunday, April 21 Time:
Baishakhi Mela – Beckoning Baishakh in Bayou City
Baishakhi and Bengali New Year was welcomed with traditional fanfare in Houston on April 21st, Sunday. It was a fun-filled day of food and fashion, song and dance, which truly reflected the spirit of the New Year.
Huge crowd enjoyed the absolutely fabulous spring weather and the festivities. Food fest featured delicacies from Bengal, prepared by the choicest of volunteer chefs. The spread was mouth-watering, bringing us a feeling of Bengal right here in Bayou City. Mita Shome and Nivedita Hatty coordinated the entire food fest.
Fashion bazar, the shopping fest, featured newest and traditional fashion from India. It drew overflowing crowd, checking out the latest wares and picking up the best deals.
The musical “Bhairab Theke Bhairabi” was a fantastic presentation of music and dance, tastefully choreographed and designed for the occasion. So many members of the community, both young and not so young, practiced for weeks and presented a super show. Many thanks to the director, Rajnita Bandyopadhyay and the coordinator, Swapan Dasgupta. Audience loved the show and it drew lot of accolades.
The day’s event had a special touch as excited kids made the spelling bee and extempore such a success. Smiles on their faces told the story why Durgabari is such a special place and Baishakhi mela was a fabulous success. Hats off to the organizers Abhishek Banerjee and Samira Khan. Kudos and appreciation go out to the overall coordinator of the Baishakhi mela day – Kumkum Bhattacharya and Piyali Chatterjee.
In short, the New Year was welcomed in style at Durgabari, our home away from home, halfway across the world. The success of the event speaks well of the exciting year ahead, with more festivals, interesting activities and enthusiastic community engagement. Hope to see all of you at DurgaBari throughout the year.
Partha Sarathi Chatterjee
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