Bihar Association of North America Holds Cultural Carnival
Last updated: December 05, 2008

The BANA (Bihar Association of Northern America) cultural fest, held at the New Stafford Civic center on Sunday, November 30, started aptly with a moment of silence for the many lives lost during the recent Mumbai blasts. The moment gave way to executive proceedings of the association, which commenced with a welcome speech by the new
president, Mr. Ravikant Choudhary.

Mr. Choudhary presented the association’s budget and gave an overview of its activities during this past year. He was particularly proud of the committee’s organization of BANA’s annual picnic as well as the BANA Academic Fest.
While the picnic is a means for members to come together and enjoy outdoor fun, games, and music, the Academic Fest celebrates the math, spelling, and debate skills of BANA’s youth members. The association also publishes the magazine Biharika every two years.

The magazine features articles by members and their children. Mr. Yusuf Sultan then introduced the outgoing committee, of which Dr. Madhusudan Choudhary served as president, and the new incoming committee, headed by Mr. Ravikant Choudhary. The new president then addressed the audience, lauding the outstanding efforts of the outgoing
president and his committee, and promising to carry forward the work and pace put forth by them. The BANA awards ceremony was next in line and this year’s Academic Youth Scholarship was awarded to Harsh Mishra, a junior at St. John’s High School and Aman Sharma, a junior at the Texas Academy for Math and Science. Both students excel at
academics as well as extra-curricular activities at their respective schools.

While Aman has won several awards for various math competitions, Harsh recently traveled to Mexico to build a home for an underprivileged family in Mexico. It was indeed a proud moment for all BANA members to see the new generation of Indian Americans, who are not only achieving high academic honors, but are also involved in humanitarian and relief efforts, thus growing up to be confident, intelligent, and responsible citizens of tomorrow. The next award to be presented was the community activity award.

This award went to Mrs. Soni Mishra and Mr. Chandeshwar Sharma. While Mrs. Mishra has been an extremely committed and active member of BANA, organizing the Academic Fest as well as the picnic and cultural fest last year, Mr. Sharma wrote and directed a humorous play which received outstanding reviews and appreciation by the audience.

This year’s partnership award was presented to Sewa International, which has been dedicated to humanitarian service for the past twenty years, in more than 12 countries around the world. Sewa USA recently provided food and health care relief to displaced victims of the Bihar floods as well as the Bhutanese refugees and Hurricane Ike victims in Houston. The Special Award was presented to Dr. V.R.P. Sinha for his achievements in the field of Indian aquaculture research. Dr. Sinha has worked with various international organizations such as the World Bank and the United Nations, and has received prestigious awards such as the Lal Bahadur Shastri Award, the Hooker Award and the Aashirwad Award. The last award of the evening, the lifetime award, was presented to Mr. Vijay Singh for his significant contribution, over several years, to all of BANA’s activities, including the Academic Fest and Cultural Night.

Mr. Singh has also worked to foster intercultural relationships with various Indo- American organizations and was lauded for his efforts in doing so. In his address, Mr. Singh was right on the mark when he said that BANA not only served to bring the community together and contribute positively to society, The last matter at hand was the publication of the association’s magazine Biharika. Dr. Madhusudan Choudhary released the magazine which was then available to all.

The break was followed by the much anticipated Cultural Carnival. This year’s theme was a musical discovery of India and what followed was a truly inspiring and enjoyable journey through the various cultures of India. The program incorporated patriotic songs, songs about Indian festivals, Sufi qawwalis, and much more. It all started with a skit about
a group of kids bored on a long and humid summer afternoon in Houston. In answer to their prayers for something exciting to happen, they were offered a fairy godmother who took them on journey that explored various aspects of India through song, dance, theatre, as well as a fashion show. And what a journey it was! Both hilarious and touching, it did not fail to take the audience down nostalgia lane. It involved both children and adults and entertained at every moment.

Particularly impressive was the first children’s dance to the song Mere Desh Ki Dharti. At a time when Mumbai is still reeling under the recent terrorist attack, the nostalgia and patriotism resonated with every audience member. All the dance numbers were well choreographed, well practiced and well performed. The fashion show, featuring wedding costumes from different parts of India, was presented by teen members of BANA and the qawwali quartet featured adult members of BANA. Their rendition was professional in both form as well as content. All in all, the show was loyal to its
theme and presented efficiently and gracefully. As audience member Nupur Vikas aptly put it, “There was something for everyone in the show. Usually, children get bored at cultural shows, but this show incorporated the interests of children and adults alike in an extraordinary manner!”