For more pictures, please click "Saraswati Puja 2009" on top.
In the dawn of the New Year, Sanskriti celebrated its annual key event, 2009 Saraswati Puja, with great grandeur and exuberance.
As always, the participation of the community was unlimited, and this year it surpassed all expectations. Above 400 people including children attended, participated, and got involved in various activities including cultural programs, puja preparations, food distributions, as well as in making sweet dishes. Thanks to all those who volunteered to help Sanskriti in all possible ways. It really showed our community strength and determination to be united.

The Puja ceremony was performed by Dr. Bibhash Bandy in an atmosphere of profound devotion and solemnity, followed by “pushpanjali” and chanting of “Saraswati bandana”. The children, adults, and elders --all participated in this devotional process. The puja ceremony was followed by an elaborate "prashad" and "lunch”, as well as prolonged “adda”. A major activity of the afternoon was children's recitation and painting competitions, which turned out to be a highly successful event because of large participations of our community children. Thanks to all the parents for motivating their sons/daughters to take part, making us really proud of our community's integrity and commitments to the roots.

Cultural highlights of the program included an outstanding performance of 'Tasher Desh" by our local talented children, breaking all records of previous performances. Our sincere thanks to all those who organized this program and to all those who participated. Among other local talents, Kaushik Chatterjee gave an electrifying "RAP" performance, and Neil Dutta kept us spellbound by his variety songs. The "Odissi" dance events by Jayantee Paine and her troupe were simply outstanding, as were the "Katthak" performances by Bratati Saha and her team. Last but definitely not the least, a major attraction of the evening was songs sung by Partha and Suparna Mukherjee of Kentucky. Partha with his comical "parodies" made us both laugh and relax, while Suparna's melodious voice kept us charmed.

As we all agree, food is the most important part of our any festival, and this year's Saraswati Puja was no exception! A major highlight of the food event was the afternoon snack, "phulkopir singara" with tea/coffee. In addition, we served "khichuri" for lunch and "goat meat curry" for dinner (along with other items and a special menu for children and vegetarians).We, Sanskrti BOD members, always strived to serve the highest quality food and entertainment while maintaining the lowest possible cost. We sincerely hope that we have been successful in fulfilling your expectations! It all was possible because of your presence, support and contributions, which helped us financially breakeven while still providing quality food and program. The success of "Saraswati Puja, 2009”, once again demonstrated that the secret to the continued success of "Sanskriti" lies in community involvement and participation! THANK YOU!!