Our Mission
The mission of the association shall be the promotion of Bengali culture and literature in the United States and to promote friendship and cultural exchange with other organizations and groups, American and foreign, in the United States. The association will be a meeting ground of Bengalees and their friends in Northeastern Ohio and will provide opportunity for the families and friends of Bengalees in Northeastern Ohio to learn Bengali language, culture, and traditions. The association shall be a non-profit organization and will exist as an incorporated association of its members. The association shall be non-commercial, non-sectarian, and non-partisan. The name of the association or the name of any member in office shall not be used in any partisan interest if not related to the objectives of the association.
এই সংস্থা যে পথ অনুসরণ করে চলবে, তার লক্ষ্য হবে বাঙালি সংস্কৃতি ও বাংলা সাহিত্য যাতে মার্কিন যুক্তরাষ্ট্রে পরিচিতি ও সেইসঙ্গে আরো উৎকর্ষতা লাভ করে, তার জন্যে সচেষ্ট হওয়া; তাছাড়া সংস্থা তৎপর হবে মার্কিন যুক্তরাষ্ট্রে, মার্কিনি তথা অ-মার্কিনি সংস্থাগুলির সঙ্গে উত্তরোত্তর দৃঢ়তর মৈত্রী সম্পর্কে আবদ্ধ হয়ে তাদের সঙ্গে সংস্কৃতিক যোগাযোগ রক্ষা করে চলতে। সংস্থা চায় উত্তরপূর্ব ওহাইও অঞ্চলে বসবাসকারী বঙ্গভাষাভাষীদের ও তাদের বন্ধুবান্ধবদের মিলনকেন্দ্র হয়ে উঠতে; সুযোগ সৃষ্টি করতে, যাতে এই অঞ্চলের বঙ্গভাষাভাষীরা সপরিবারে ও সবান্ধবে বাংলা ভাষা চর্চা করতে পারেন, বাঙালি সংস্কৃতি ও তার ঐতিহাসিক ধারাটির সঙ্গে পরিচিত হতে পারেন। সংস্থা তার কোনো কাজেই মুনাফা অন্বেষণ না করে সদস্যদের মিলন-সংঘ রূপে বিরাজ করবে। সংস্থা কখনো কোনো প্রকার ব্যবসায় লিপ্ত হবে না, কোনো বিশেষ সম্প্রদায় বা দলের অনুগত হবেন না। সংস্থার অনুসৃত পথের বিরোধী কোনও প্রকার দলগত স্বার্থে সংস্থা অথবা তার কর্মনির্বাহী সদস্যের নাম ব্যবহার করা চলবে না।
Announcements
Natya Mela & Bijoya Sammilani
- January 10, 2023
This year, as part of the BCS jubilee celebration, we are preparing for a grand finale of our year-long sequence of celebratory events. This will be part of the BCS Biyoya Sammelani.
On Saturday, November 5th, 2022, we will be hosting the first ever ‘Natya Mela’ (drama fest) in Cleveland featuring three captivating theatrical productions by three highly acclaimed drama groups from Washington DC, Chicago and Columbus, as well as our own production (the Bengali adaptation of a famous crime thriller).
Partially funded by an ‘ArtStart’ grant from the Ohio Arts Council, this event will take place at the Berkman Hall Auditorium of the Cleveland State University (1899 E 22nd St., Cleveland, OH 44115) and will also include an informative panel discussion by eminent experts in the field of theatre from some leading educational institutions in northeast Ohio such as Case Western Reserve University, Kent State University and the University of Akron.
Registration is mandatory for attending Natya Mela & Bijoya Sammilani. All are requested to register using following link by Nov 31st, 2022 (Mon). One registration per family is required.
Durga Puja – Golden Jubilee Year
- September 1, 2022
Bengali Cultural Society (BCS) Executive Committee is pleased to announce that our Golden Jubilee Durga Puja will be celebrated in-person on Sep 30th (Fri), Oct 1st (Sat) and Oct 2nd (Sun) in the Bloomfield Hall, Lyndhurst Community Presbyterian Church (5312 Mayfield Rd, Cleveland, OH 44124). We hope all will join us in celebrating 50th year of BCS' Durga Puja. Please mark your calendars accordingly. Details of the program will follow.
Durga Puja 2022 attendees are encouraged to exercise social distancing, wash their hands regularly and wear masks. We expect fully vaccinated people to attend the Durga Puja. Any exceptions must be reported to BCS Executive Committee.
Registration is mandatory for attending Durga Puja. All are requested to register for Durga Puja using following link by Sep 10th, 2022 (Sat). One registration per family is required.
Together we keep it flowing
- April 2, 2022
Bengali Cultural Society (BCS) Executive Committee is pleased to extend a warm invitation to our inaugural cultural event of Golden Jubilee celebration titled “Together we keep it flowing”.
The first event will be an in-person live performance reflecting a five-decade journey through dance, music & drama. The event will be held at Berkman Auditorium, CSU on April 16th, 2022 and attendance is free. Registration is mandatory. Please submit your registration by April 8th, 2022.
Program details:
Social hour and snacks: 5.00 PM
Doors Open: 6.00 PM
Program Starts: 6.30 PM
Dinner: 9.00 PM
Our second event (April 23-24) will be a virtual global extravaganza featuring multicultural, multigenerational programs including virtual get-togethers with celebrities, virtual concert LIVE from India, panel discussions on poetry, literature, drama, language, and food.
Saraswati Puja
- January 22, 2022
Bengali Cultural Society (BCS) Executive Committee is pleased to announce you that Saraswati Puja will be celebrated in-person on Feb 5th 2022 in the Bloomfield Hall, Lyndhurst Community Presbyterian Church (5312 Mayfield Rd, Cleveland, OH 44124). We hope all members will join us in celebrating 50th year of BCS.
Please mark your calendars accordingly.
Our decision was prompted by the encouraging data from Cuyahoga County COVID dashboard showing significant drop in the number of new infections with some of the projections indicating further drop in cases. However, members attending the Saraswati Puja 2022, are encouraged to exercise social distancing, wash their hands regularly and wear masks. Proof of vaccination is mandatory for attending this event. Any BCS office bearer, members of executive committee or volunteers will not be held responsible on any account of anyone contracting Covid-19. By agreeing to attend this this event, you’re acknowledging the risk of exposure to COVID-19 that exists in any public place. Please follow CDC guidelines and Ohio state guidelines during the event for your safety.
The event is limited to BCS members only. We appreciate your continuous support and encourage you to renew your BCS membership ASAP. Non-members who wish to attend Saraswati Puja can also take membership for the year 2022.
Please RSVP by January 29, 2022 if you want to attend the event in-person.
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From the President’s Desk
- January 6, 2022
On behalf of the Executive Committee members of Bengali Cultural Society (BCS), Cleveland, I
wish you all the best for 2022! Together with my fellow members, I feel honored to have been
elected to represent BCS Executive committee for the year 2022. This year marks 50 years of
BCS, only the fourth Bengali organization in North America to cross this historic milestone.
Apart from the regular BCS events, 2022 BCS Executive Committee will also be working hand
in hand with members of the Golden Jubilee Committee to commemorate this landmark
occasion through special events that will help us to remember, reconnect and rejoice 50 years
of BCS existence.
For the past two years, the world around us has been changing rapidly due to COVID-19 and its
variants. We would like to acknowledge and applaud the difficult task completed by 2020 as well
as 2021 BCS Executive Committees to conduct BCS events following local, state or federal
health mandates. We would like to assure all members that we would continue to adhere to
these guidelines when arranging scheduled events as the health, wellness and safety of our
community members and families will be our top concern.
The current pandemic situation had made us to change our plan for our first event of the year –
Saraswati Puja. We will soon be sharing our revised plan with the updated fee structure with our
members. BCS is a member driven organization and we therefore would like to take this
opportunity to appeal for your continued support through donations that has sustained and
grown this organization for the past 50 years.
As always, we thank you for your continued dedication and support towards our organization
and look forward to serving you in the year of 2022.
Ranjan Dutta
President
2022 Executive Committee
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Patronage
We seek your continued patronage and support. We request all to pay their contribution for annual patronage online or on the day of the Saraswati Puja and take advantage of our special package rate for various events.
We are truly grateful for your support! We’ve now made it very simple to send your generous donations via Zelle to treasurer@bcscle.org, and remember to include your name along with the specific event or membership in the payment comments. Thank you!
For additional donations please click the button below. Donations to Bengali Cultural Society, Cleveland are tax exempt under code 501(c) 3. Any and all donations are welcome and highly appreciated. Thank you!
All checks payable to ‘BENGALI CULTURAL SOCIETY‘
BCS Mailing Address:
Bengali Cultural Society, Cleveland
32624 N Roundhead Dr, Solon OH 44139