Desi Senior Center celebrates Pohela Boishakh or Bengali New Year

Desi Senior Center seniors celebrate Pohela Boishakh

Desi Senior Center seniors celebrate Pohela Boishakh

If there is an occasion every Bengali waits for all year, it is Pohela Boishakh! That is what the first day of the Bangla calendar is popularly known as all over the world. The Bengali people, wherever they may live, celebrate the day with great festivity and color. Most of India Home’s members at its Desi Senior Center in Jamaica are Bangladeshi immigrants and last Thursday they celebrated the festival. The auditorium of Desi Senior Center was decorated with flowers and bright red cloth for the occasion. There was a feast of special foods and a mega-size cake! The seniors came to the center dressed in colorful clothes and greeted each other with “Shuvo Nabobarsha (Happy New Year)!

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Ms. Putul Chanda, a senior from the Desi Senior Center participates in the Pohela Boishakh celebration

The Desi Senior Center’s Site Director, Ms. Nargis Ahmed, was the master of ceremonies for a rich cultural event where our own members, Ms. Putul Chandra, Ms. Jamuna Chatarjee and Mr Razzak Sikdar recited poems and sung songs. Ms. Ahmed enchanted the seniors by singing a popular Bangla song “Aguner Poroshmoni.” The colorful program concluded with prayers for peace, prosperity and happiness conducted by our member, Saidul Islam.  (MD “Manik” Didurul Islam contributed to this post)

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A special meal for a special occasion