Bengali Community of the Sacramento Region Holds Annual Mela
By Ras H. Siddiqui
Sacramento, California is located in one of the most diverse regions in America. Almost every ethnic group in the world is represented here including the Bengali community from South Asia. Most of the Bengali speakers in California’s capital city are from Bangladesh and the rest from India. Combined they might number approximately 1,500 people who represent a very rich linguistic and cultural tradition which needs to be proudly shared in this country. For this very reason, a group called the Anandamela Team has taken on the task of holding an annual event showcasing Bengali culture in this part of Northern California. It is a very colorful Mela which other South Asians also try to attend.
This year, after a two-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bengali community came roaring back with an outdoor gathering at the Village Green Park in Rancho Cordova on May 7, 2022. It was a unique troika of celebrations rolled into one. The Bengali community here celebrated Boishakhi (Bengali New Year), Eid Al-Fitr and Rabindra-Jayanti (Rabindranath Tagore’s birthday on May 7th) at this event. Rabindranath Tagore is considered the Bengali language’s preeminent poet akin to Urdu’s Ghalib or Persian’s Hafez. Tagore won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913, the only South Asian to do so in his native language thus far. Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam is another great name in Bengali literature and between these two great poets, numerous and memorable Bengali songs have emerged.
Walking into the Mela was quite an experience. It was like walking in a posh area of Dhaka or Kolkata or any other Bengali city. Elegant fashions just could not be missed, with the colors white, gold, and red dominating the attire of the women and children present. And since this is about Bengal, green too was included. The food was a big hit, and the lines became long. Ethnic delicacies like Ilish Mach (Hilsa Fish), Phoutka, Chotpoti and desserts such as authentic Roshogulla and Chom Chom could be found here. There were some great rice dishes too. A pleasant surprise addition this time was a large booth set up by the Town & Country Event Center (Haveli Restaurant) serving Pakistani food. Town & Country Event Center was also a Grand Sponsor of this Mela and owner Mr Waqar Khan was here to assist along with Aftab Bhai from Haveli.
The formalities started with a parade from the food serving area to the stage nearby. Bangladeshi American kids carrying the Stars and Stripes were prominent here. The stage was adorned with welcoming banners and a large American and Bangladesh flag on each side. The proceedings began with the US National Anthem, followed by the Bangladesh “Amar Sonar Bangla” originally written by Tagore. The opening was quite inspiring, and it was great to see two young ladies hoisting the flag of Bangladesh during the playing of the anthem.
The program was split into five distinct musical segments. It started off with songs celebrating the new year starting with Esho He Boishakh. It was followed by a Children Segment to the delight of all. The ode to Tagore or Rabindra Jayanti on for birthday was next, followed by a special Bollywood segment remembering Lata Mangeshkar, Sandhya Mukherjee and Bappi Lahiri whom we lost earlier this year. Last but not least, there was a Modern Song Segment which was enjoyed by all.
It is always a pleasure to receive an invitation to attend this event from Najmus Saquib, who is an engineer, entrepreneur, author, and a leader within the local Bangladeshi community. I asked him about the Anandamela Team in a follow-up. He said that “Anandamela was founded in 2004 by a group of community volunteers who speak Bangla language. Our vision is ‘Nurturing an environment for personal and social transformation through celebration of cultures.’ Our mission is ‘To be an organization that promotes, celebrates, and integrates the values of differing cultures at the grassroot level., ” I also asked him what the goals of this annual event were. He replied, “Our goal is to build friendships with various communities and nurture mutual appreciation and understanding. We believe that exposures to each other’s cultures will help us know each other better and sharing food and joyous cultural activities is a major step towards that.”
On a side note, in August 2019 the Folsom Public Library agreed to add a Bengali book section to its collection. Folsom is the Hi-Tech Hub of Sacramento County where many Bengali speakers reside. This is another example of the emergence of Bengali readers and speakers in the area.
To conclude, it was a great to see our Bengali friends gather to celebrate their heritage in the Sacramento area. One of these years I hope to make it back to a Bay Area Bangladesh Association (BABA) event in the Bay Area too. Till then, looking forward to some more authentic Chom Chom and Jhal Muri at the next Eid gathering or Boishakhi Mela.
