Dear Member,
As your proud President of “Kallol of NJ”, our own club, I welcome you to the 46th edition of New Jersey Durga Puja, 2022. Thanks to all of you, our club is 48 years young today! We are proud to carry the legacy of a group of visionary Bengali Indians who came here almost 5 decades ago to carve a niche for themselves in establishing a cultural and social base in the United States. Thriving since inception, Kallol has emerged as the pioneer organization of the largest ethnic group from Eastern India living in the Tri-state region of this nation.
This year has been very special to us for many activities we accomplished in our journey to give back to our community. I would like to highlight a few:
- A new Executive Committee led by yours truly, was elected via General Voting after 20 long years! It was a well contested election,467 of you voted thus making it a huge testament of your love and support for this club. The new committee has assumed responsibility since the 1st day of April 2022 and made a few fundamental changes. After almost 2 years, new membership was opened to eager patrons with a brand new Kallol website, a new Protima purchased, and last but not the least, the Kallol club was opened up to members on Fridays.
- After a somewhat curtailed celebration for the past 2 years due to the pandemic, the 3 days Durga Puja festival is back this year in full swing, with the same old zeal and zest.
- During the pandemic, Kallol has raised close to $100kto help the distressed performing artists and artisans in India and to build temporary healthcare centers and COVID wards in numerous hospitals, and this year we have ensured that our efforts didn’t go to waste by following up with the organizations which got benefited earlier.
- Kallol partnered with American Red Cross in June 2021 and August 2022, to organize a Blood Donation camp at the Kallol Club house in Edison NJ. This initiative benefits the RWJ University Hospital and St Barnabas Hospital chain towards their blood bank efforts. Kallol has also started a Gen-Z initiative which has recently raised funds for Make-A-Wish Foundation of America. Besides all of these, Kallol has continued the tradition of hosting Annual Picnic, the Annual Youth Day, and celebrating the Founding Day of our Clubhouse on the 1st day of the Bengali New Year in April.
- Kallol’s own all-female led charitable subsidiary, “Medha” continues to grow stronger with sustained commitment to provide support and assistance for educating the underprivileged children.
- The New Kallol EC has undertaken the project to operate a newly energized athletic unit with enthusiastic members who regularly practice racquet sports (Table Tennis and Badminton) and organize tournaments in a Table Tennis club situated inside the club house, as well as other private facilities. Kallol just recently hosted a very successful 2nd edition of the Annual Sports Day, and with the autumn Cricket and Soccer tournament in memory of 2 of our founding members now already scheduled for the later part of the year, our sports calendar is full! These events are very popular amongst our community, and we have active participation from every age group of our community members.
Heading back into the Durga Puja, Kallol believes in the idea of Utsav, which is an embodiment of socializing in a quintessential Bengali way during the Pujas, with the right blend of puja rituals, fun, food and frolic.
I thank you for your continued patronage and let me ask you to please take a moment to talk to me or any of my fellow members and be as candid as you can. Your feedback is a strength for us to improve, and we will make every effort on our part to make your experience enjoyable and memorable.
With best wishes during this festive season,
Arijit Chatterjee President, Kallol of NJ and Chairman, New Jersey Durga Puja 2022