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thankyou/dhonobad/shukriya to everyone who helped make this event the success that it was
...Hotath
Holo Brishti... Friday
1st November saw the MDH hosting the Bangladeshi Society’s biggest
event to date. The dinner was in support
of “Bitan”, a
charity based in Chittagong, Bangladesh that
works to ‘Empower Women Through Technology’.
Its purpose is to
train women in
Bangladesh with usable
computer skills (DoC watch
out!), such that they may work and provide for their family.
This form of
enablement is especially crucial for women who are divorced or widowed
and have no source of income. Institutions
like our own can play an important role in bringing development and relief
initiatives to the attention of a wider audience, broadening our collective
experience and giving us the opportunity to make a tangible impact on peoples
lives. Our guests were drawn from students of the other London Universities, Cambridge, Oxford, even Birmingham University as well as graduates and old-timers from the British Bangladeshi Professionals Association - International Development Group and Bunch of Bengali Professionals, with over 200 people attending. To the sonic backdrop of monsoon rain, Sachin the tabla maestro, set a thundering atmosphere for the evening, hypnotizing us all with his most triumphant skill. Israt Alam then took to the floor, performing a classical form of dance known as ‘Kathak’ to an instrumental choon by Junoon. The crowd wooed by her moves of purpose and grace, were then treated to some light entertainment in the form of poetry notably by Shabnam Parkar, Head Wordsmith of Poetry Society who vocalized the charity’s hopes and aspirations so eloquently. The audience (already wooed) was then wowed with a superb dance act by Shahnoun and Catherine, performing a high-energy salsa number. Before the clapping/swooning ceased, food was on the table to appease the hungry crowd, provided kindly by Pride Of Asia Restaurant. Once
the hungry masses had
been fed, Andaleeb 'Starwatcher'
Ahmed sang two beautiful Bengali songs. From
this point onwards, our
guests were subjected to improvised acts from members of the audience,
including bizarre impersonations of break dancing to singing games known as “Antakshari”. At
11pm the MDH floor was claimed by the dancing few whilst others retired to the
‘Chill Out Zone’, located in the Ante Room to converse, tell strange
stories, exchange emails (of course) and eat chocolate.
The
night, I believe was a success thanks to the attitude
of the audience, the spirit
of cohesion that pervaded the build up to the event and also to the kind
support lent by the Bengali community as a whole. On top of this, the evening was filmed by Bangla TV who will
be airing the show to eagerly expectant mothers, hoping to see their offspring
on the box! Initial
estimates show that
£1440 was raised from ticket sales alone, with more to be added from the
collection boxes. Thanks to all who helped with the organising! Shamim
Rahman President
Random Pictures from the night |
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Send mail to fmma98@ic.ac.uk with ideas, news and
abuse.
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