Volume 26: Issue 1 : January 2001
[Selected articles have been presented online.]
Vol. 25-1 Vol. 25-2
Vol. 25-3
Vol. 25-4 Vol. 25-5
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

Editorial by Debasish Gooptu and Anjan Roy

Perhaps the greatest courage that man can exhibit is in the face of life-threatening illness. It is a silent, and lonely battle that the patient alone has to wage, minute by minute, without respite. In most cases, it is the patient’s fighting spirit that alone sustains and helps him to emerge victorious against his deadly adversary. But the battle is long and relentless, and at times the brave spirit might despair and falter. In such times, our collective good wishes and encouragement can go a long way in rejuvenating their flagging hopes. Our past President, Achintya Roy, has been fighting cancer for more than a year. At his request, we are printing here a poem that Rekha Maitra has written for him. However, this conveys our best wishes not only to Achintya, but also to others in our BAGC community who are facing a similar situation - to name a few, young Sanjoy Sen who is battling with leukemia, Sahab Latif who is fighting back a partial paralysis resulting from a sudden cerebral stroke, Sabari Bhattacharya who is recovering from a life-threatening complication arising from the birth of her child, and others. We pray for their speedy and complete recovery.
Achintya by Rekha Maitra
There are times when The spectre of Death stalks us And we wrestle desperately To flee its clutches. Yet sometimes In a matter of months, Sometimes a few years, It reappears, Lurking with its entrapments Behind life’s every alley, Like a loan shark to collect Its inexorable dues.


But you will certainly Emerge victorious, Breaking through its clammy coils. Your thirst for life, Your incessant raging Assures us of that. Your name itself is Achintya – The One without Worry – Can you with The merchandise of worries Be burdened for long? (Translated from Hindi)


Community News
  • Millennium Party
    • This year’s BAGC Millennium Party was held at the Marriott Convention Center in Lisle on December 31, 2000. Many BAGC member-families attended this party which went well past midnight. There were snacks, drinks, delicious food and of course music and dancing. It was indeed a joyous bonding experience. Members who worked hard to make this event a success include Subrata Mukherjee, Narayan Das, Sudipta Sengupta, Sankar Sarker and Debanshu Bhattacharyya.
  • BAGC Donates to Flood Victims
    • BAGC donated $7,427.00 to Bharat Sevashrama Sangha towards donation to flood victims in West Bengal, according to Samir Dutta, the Treasurer for last year. A separate amount of $1000.00 was donated to Swanirvar, a charitable organization, for the same purpose.
  • Announcements
    • Congratulations to: Indranil and Jayita Mukherjee on the birth of their son, Rohan Vivek, on Nov 13, 2000 Abhijit and Jaya Mukhopadhyay on the birth of their daughter, Neelam, on Dec 21, 2000 Pradeepta and Sabari Bhattacharya on the birth of their son, Arjo, on Dec 26, 2000
  • Food Committee Member Replaced
    • Sanjoy Sarkar is being relocated out of the country and therefore, cannot continue to be an active member of the executive committee. However, Prasant Banerjee has kindly agreed to help us with the management of food. The committee is grateful to Prasant for this kind gesture and his contribution will be greatly appreciated.

    President's Message
    by Amitava Deb

    I wish all the members and friends of BAGC a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year and hope that you had great holidays.
    This is the 25th year of BAGC. I am reminded of how in the mid-seventies, a group of young Bengali Chicagoans struggled, stumbled and finally succeeded to form this association. Lots have changed since then but the common bond of Bengali identity coupled with our culture and heritage has kept us together. I hope that we continue this positive growth as one unified community.
    As always with the beginning of the New Year, the executive committee is preparing itself to meet the expectations and challenges of the year ahead and your help and generous advice will be an inspiration for us. However, at this juncture, a few issues have surfaced that deserve to be addressed by the community. The first and foremost of which is that we are in the threshold of losing the privileges of using our most favored facilities such as Streamwood High School and Bartlett High School. The primary reason for this loss would be because our children are not disciplined enough and appropriately supervised while in the facilities and some of these young minds indulge in unacceptable destructive behavior. It was also alleged that one of the kids was involved in smoking an illegal substance inside the Streamwood school facility.
    During last Kali Puja at Tefft Middle School, a few of our children were engaged in such irresponsible behavior that the school principal decided not to rent us the premises anymore. At that point, I wrote a letter pleading our case and requested him to reconsider his decision to revoke our privilege. The principal’s response to my letter is published in this newsletter only to share the facts with all the community members. I wish that the President, referred to in the principal’s letter, had disseminated the information to all members of the community at that time.
    During last Kali Puja at Tefft Middle School, a few of our children were engaged in such irresponsible behavior that the school principal decided not to rent us the premises anymore. At that point, I wrote a letter pleading our case and requested him to reconsider his decision to revoke our privilege. The principal’s response to my letter is published in this newsletter only to share the facts with all the community members. I wish that the President, referred to in the principal’s letter, had disseminated the information to all members of the community at that time. As parents, we must take responsibilities for the actions of our children or bear the consequences of their behavior. If we fail to recognize this, we will run out of places for BAGC events. Let us not take the attitude of denial and indifference toward this important issue. All of us invoIved must work toward zero tolerance. If the problem still persists and the offender/s is identified, the association may decide to publish or announce his/her name for the sake of the larger interest of the community.
    I have included a few suggestions for the parents who may need to think about this situation. Please tell your children that they must not engage in unruly behavior or get involved in any activity that is not acceptable. A few examples of unacceptable and illegal activities are noted below but obviously these are not all inclusive. Be cognizant of your children’s whereabouts from time to time. Anyone noticing mischievous activity should interrupt it and bring it to the attention of an executive committee member or other responsible adult. The following activities are considered unacceptable within any rented facility. a) Destruction of property including defacing of walls or scuffing floors. b) Unruly behavior such as turning the schoolhouse into a mini football / soccer field. c) Tampering with fixtures including smoke alarms, door knobs, public phones etc d) Entering into areas closed off to BAGC. If in doubt, check with committee members or custodians. e) Illegal activities such as smoking or drinking alcohol within the premises.
    At last, after lots of persuasions and assurances, the principal of Streamwood High School has agreed to give us another chance to demonstrate that we, as a community, can control and supervise our kids in a public place. I had to give him in writing the different measures we are taking to alleviate any future problem. One of his requirements was that we provide independent security personnel and I intend to do that exactly. Hopefully, this will drive home the message that we are serious about maintaining order and not tarnish the reputation of BAGC that we are so proud of and love dearly. We have to redeem ourselves as a disciplined group of people and live up to our commitment.
    Finally, I hope that everything is not negative about us. All we need to do is recognize the problems, prioritize our focus in a responsible manner and move forward. We need everybody to cooperate in this matter.
    Finally, I hope that everything is not negative about us. All we need to do is recognize the problems, prioritize our focus in a responsible manner and move forward. We need everybody to cooperate in this matter. In the last twenty-five years, BAGC has grown tenfold and that was evident during last Durga Puja at Streamwood High School. Therefore, it is imperative that we find a larger facility for Durga Puja, the cost of which is unknown at this time. Normally, our GFP rates are determined based on past expenses. However, due to the uncertain cost of the new facility, the GFP members may have to pay an additional amount for Durga Puja only. This is not our plan but we may be forced to do that. The new GFP rate for 2001 will be eighty dollars per adult, which is essentially an increase of a meager $ 1.00/person/event.
    Personally, I am deeply humbled by your trust in me. I sincerely believe that we have a very talented and motivated group of committee members who will work diligently to execute their responsibilities towards the Bengali community with independence, deliberation and integrity.
    Thanks for your support and I will see you at Saraswati Puja.