Volume 25: Issue 5 : December 2000
[Selected articles have been presented online.]
Vol. 25-1 Vol. 25-2
Vol. 25-3
Vol. 25-4
Vol. 26-1 Vol. 26-2
Vol. 26-3
Vol. 26-4
Vol. 26-5
Vol. 27-1
Vol. 27-2
Vol. 27-3
Vol. 27-4
Vol. 27-5
Current Issue

Year 2000 Committee Concludes Year with General Body Meeting

A quorum of the BAGC community assembled for the annual General Body Meeting on November 4, 2000 at Tefft Middle School in Streamwood, Illinois.

The Meeting was conducted by Anindita Mukherjee (President), Samir Dutta (Treasurer), and Shamik Mukherjee (Jt. Secretary). The following notes were recorded and submitted by Shamik Mukherjee.

Minutes of the Meeting
1. Anindita Mukherjee called the meeting to order at approximately 5:00 pm. Mrs. Mukherjee thanked everyone for coming, presented the agenda, and explained the meeting procedures to be followed during the General Body Meeting.
2. Mrs. Mukherjee presented the President’s Address highlighting the accomplishments and challenges of the previous year. She expressed the goal of introducing the next generation as leaders of the community and the efforts that took place to welcome new people to the membership. She highlighted some of the key changes that took place referencing the new look of the BAGC newsletter, the use of the web site as both a forum as well as a knowledge repository, and the institution of wristbands to insure proper revenue collection. She addressed problems amongst the youth and how certain indiscretions may make significant challenges for BAGC committees in the future from both a financial and logistical standpoint. She suggested that there exists a great deal of passion in the community, but that passion to be critical is not enough; that involvement is needed to provide solutions and assist in implementation. Mrs. Mukherjee thanked the members for the opportunity to have served as president and introduced Samir Dutta.
3. Samir Dutta, the 2000 BAGC Treasurer, provided a Summary of Financials for the year. Mr. Dutta mentioned that over $20,000 had been collected at present and that, though desirable to have a surplus for contributing to the special fund, a balance is necessary such that appropriate goods and services are returned to the membership.

4. Mr. Dutta highlighted the success of fundraising activities Sri Sri Ramkrishna and Mamata Sankar. He detailed current receipt totals as well as projected receipts, provided a comparison to the previous year’s finances per event, and explained the current standing of the special fund. He also explained the institution of wristbands as a first step toward disciplining ourselves.

5. Rajashree Sen, a BAGC member, was introduced by Mrs. Mukherjee to speak about her son Partha who has leukemia and is in need of a bone marrow transfusion. A number of guest speaker were introduced and the spirit of coming together as a community; the ability to help another individual in need in such a dramatic and graceful way was poignantly conveyed to the membership. A question and answer session followed to provide insight into the donor process.

6. Anindita Mukherjee explained that at the 1999 General Body Meeting, the Year 2000 Executive Committee was asked to complete the following:
1) Present a concrete, workable, and quantifiable BAGC building proposal
2) Secure Chicago as a future host site for the North American Bengali Conference

7. Anindita Mukherjee presented the Bengal Club Proposal. The primary objective, scope of the project, and the utilization purposes were described.

8. Mrs. Mukherjee motioned that the Special Fund appoint a committee, responsible to the General Body, to continue further investigations, deem viability, and suggest future actions. Samir Dutta seconded the motion.

9. Sunondo Roy suggested that the current proposal bore no provision for leasing a property and should be thusly amended.

10. Mono Majumdar expressed concern over insurance issues for the property and suggested more careful consideration of the topic.

11. Devipriya Roy described prior experience with a building purchased by the Hindu Cultural Society. She offered concerns over operational costs and logistics.

12. Prabash Nag made the suggestion of referencing the building as a Kali Bari.

13. Sabita Busch expressed concern over the proposed size of the building and its ability to meet the requirements of the community.

14. The motion was passed by a visible majority.

15. Sunondo Roy motioned to have the committee consider the option of leasing as part of the exploration. Esha Roy seconded the motion. The motion was passed by visible majority

16. Anindita Mukherjee introduced the topic of Chicago hosting the NABC for a second time. She explained that after several telephone discussions, meeting with the CAB at the 2000 NABC, and two written requests, there was some tentative indication that the earliest Chicago could host the next NABC would be in 2004.

17. Mrs. Mukherjee motioned that a NABC chairperson be elected by the General Body to continue discussions with the CAB and be the overall leader in assembling a NABC committee to host and run the NABC program whenever Chicago is chosen as the host site.

18. Malabika Palit asked that the motion be amended to offer the provision for multiple individuals to chair the committee. The motion was thusly amended.

19. The motion passed by visible majority.

20. A number of members were nominated by the General Body and were given the opportunity to accept or decline. Ultimately the General Body agreed to leave the nomination process to the next committee.

21. Anindita Mukherjee expressed deep regret that a dish served to children during Durga Puja had unintentionally included meat as an ingredient. The General Body acknowledged the error and demonstrated resounding support.

22. Shubham Sanyal motioned for BAGC to consider, organize, and support a Midwest Festival promoting culture, literature, and social activities. The motion was seconded by Devasish Das.

23. Dibyendu Mukherjee mentioned that such a festival already occurs in the Midwest called Banga Mala. He added that he was familiar with the organizers and felt that they would welcome the support of the BAGC.

24. Subrota Mukherjee added that Banga Mala was to be held in St. Louis next year.

25. The motion passed by visible majority.

26. Shanku Gosh motioned that 25% of the Special Fund be more aggressively invested in the stock market.

27. Bhattacharya seconded the motion.

28. Subrota Mukherjee suggested that the constitution be referenced to understand whether this was allowable.

29. The motion passed by visible majority.

30. Anindita Mukherjee introduced the nomination and election of next year’s committee. Mrs. Mukherjee nominated Amitava Deb as President. Amitava Deb accepted and was elected by visible majority.

31. Mrs. Mukherjee thanked everyone for their cooperation and concluded the meeting.

President's Message
by Anindita Mukherjee

As we end the year, it was my hope to make my last message about our bright future and to celebrate all the fun we had serving our community. While the sentiment is still there, my message must instead focus on something more serious and urgent. During the last two puja events, unacceptable behavior by our BAGC children have jeopardized our ability to conduct any future events. During Durga Puja, one of our youth members was engaged in the illegal act of taking drugs on school premises, and during Kali puja, a group of children broke into the school’s computer room. These two acts are unacceptable and have ruined almost a 20 year relationship we had with the school district that provided facilities for the use of BAGC functions. The future now is very uncertain as we may have lost the use of both these facilities forever. I ask myself, how this could happen, especially in our community, where we take the upbringing of our children so seriously. I urge all parents, no matter how old or young your children may be, to take responsibility for their actions at all times, especially during BAGC functions. There will be zero tolerance for any illegal behavior and anyone else caught in the future, will be handed over to police authorities.

The challenge before us is great and I ask that the community to show full support and help our new BAGC president and his executive committee. Please remember, we are in this together. We have come too far to let these stupid and senseless acts ruin what everyone has so passionately built for almost a quarter century. So it is with sadness and cautious optimism that I thank the community and my wonderful committee for the opportunity to serve you this past year.

Editorial
by Aninda Roy

A year ago, the first Executive Committee led by the second gen-eration stood before the General Body to enthusiastic applause and presumably a “mandate” for change. The Y2K computer bug and the dramatic transition to the new millennium bracketed our thoughts with uncertainty and hope.

Y2K turned out to be a non-event. We anticipated that a world intricately connected by telecommunications and computing might possibly come apart if this one thread were pulled, but the fabric of technology is more resilient than we had feared.

We learned too through the year that constrained as it is by budgets, preferences, commitments, talents, habits and so on, any BAGC committee will steer a course along a familiar highway.

Our Committee did of course present many innovative programs and utilize novel approaches to the various logistics of BAGC events such as inspiring puja decorations and satisfying meals. From the children’s program at Saraswati Puja to Sukalyan’s artistry at Durga Puja and the many top-notch programs in between, the Cultural Committee put on a remarkable show appealing to a majority of the membership.

However, the general framework, norms and conventions of BAGC have remained remarkably stable over the years, and the increasing involvement of the second generation in the past ten years has not changed that. Indeed, through this consistency, BAGC reveals its “staying power”.

At every General Body Meeting, we talk about making changes, about expanding the scope of our Association. For instance, this year’s committee dealt once again with the matter of utilizing the Special Fund for a community building and with hosting the NABC. Yet, in spite of repeated calls to action, we have not seen any dramatic new initiatives emerge in BAGC.

Perhaps one reason why we have not moved from concepts to consensus is that we are undecided as a commu-nity on how to evaluate the merits of a proposal before us. Which ideas do we take up as worthy challenges? Which do we dismiss as risky ventures? Each of us brings different knowledge and experience to bear on such questions, so how do we decide which is the right course?

Change may be instigated by two very different leadership approaches. A charismatic approach to leading change involves presenting a “vision” for the future. A leader’s vision prompts us to imagine a different way of doing things or some new thing altogether.

But a vision is not always enough. In the world of technology, for example, this year started with unbounded exuberance for new Internet business models, and finished with a gigantic heap of failed businesses referred to jokingly as “dot compost”.

On the other hand, a pragmatic approach to change is based on “insight” into how and why things are working today.

Awareness of the existing order leads efforts to usher in the new. Experienced BAGC committee members acquire an appreciation for the limitations and possibilities of a small, voluntary organization. “Hard-knocked” insights moderate their views on propositions brought forth by “dreamers”.

We need a little of both approaches. The “top line” should be understood together with the “bottom line”. As we need inspiring ideas, so do we need keen awareness of the fundamentals of how BAGC operates – financially, logistically, demographically.

Change takes hold when we are both motivated from above and enabled from below. The discussions at the General Body Meetings have tended to be fueled by vision and have remained unfulfilled. We need to scrutinize more closely the fundamentals of our Assoc-iation for hints of the future. What might radically alter our budget? What part of our population is growing or shrinking? Are certain potential volun-teers being overlooked? Are new sources for contributions being missed?

We find ourselves standing firmly in an emerging new era with a track record of successful joint effort. Looking both inside and out for new ideas, we can anticipate a bright future for the Bengali Association of Greater Chicago.