Bengali Association of Pittsburgh (BAP)
Address: Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh
Website: www.bengali-pitt.org
The Bengali Association of Pittsburgh (BAP) is a non-profit organization based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. BAP serves the ethnic Bengali population in Pittsburgh and neighboring communities. Since its inception, BAP has been promoting Bengali culture and awareness by hosting social, religious and cultural programs throughout the year.
The Bengali Association of Pittsburgh (BAP) is a non-profit organization based in Pittsburgh, P. BAP serves the ethnic Bengali population in Pittsburgh. Experience your Bengali culture.
Mission
To promote Bengali language, literature, art and culture
To create cross cultural interaction and appreciation of diverse cultures
To engage in cultural exchanges with like-minded organizations
To participate in social welfare activities
To encourage participation of youth in the activities of the association
Company Overview
Since its inception, BAP has been promoting Bengali culture and awareness by hosting social, religious and cultural programs throughout the year.
- A sub-committee was formed by 2009-2010 Executive committee to revise the current BAP constitution
- The Executive committee approved the draft presented by the sub-committee
- A General body meeting on November 15, 2009 was called by the executive committee and the draft Bylaws were presented to the members present.
- Suggestions received from the members were incorporated in the draft
- The Bylaws with further revisions were adopted by the Annual General Body Meeting during Saraswati Pujo on January 23, 2010
- Following the adoption of the By Laws, the first Advisory Council of five members was formed at the same General Body Meeting along with the new Executive committee for 2010-11
BACKGROUND
In the early and mid – 1960’s, there were only a few Bengali families residing in the city of
Pittsburgh and its immediate suburbs. The heads of these households worked mostly in the local
industries. There were some Bengali students studying in the local Universities but their number
was not very large. There existed however an active Indian association which represented all the
Indians. The total membership of the association in 1966 amounted to one hundred twenty. From
late 1960 onwards, the population of the Indian community in Pittsburgh started increasing. This
was a reflection of the increased hiring by the local corporations and the relaxation of the
immigration rules. The size of the Bengali community in Pittsburgh started increasing from around
the same time.
In the early 1970’s, the Bengali community reached a critical size for it to organize festivals such as
Saraswati Puja and hold cultural functions. Initially, the Pujas were held in local residents’ homes
and the attendance at these events amounted to sixty or seventy people. The cultural functions
used to be held at the University halls and neighborhood centers such as schools, churches, etc.
With the growth of the Indian population in Pittsburgh, several community leaders moved for
establishing a Hindu temple. The movement received broad support from the entire community
since a need for having a community site owned by Indians for holding worships and cultural
functions was being felt by the many local residents. The idea of a community temple was quickly
implemented, first by holding the religious ceremonies at rented places, and later at a renovated
church which was purchased using funds raised from the community. However, the members of
the temple could not agree among themselves on several fundamental issues, and two separate
temples shortly came into being: the Hindu Temple and Sri Venkateswara Temple.
At the same time the Bengali community here got big enough for it to have cultural functions
staged by well-known artistic groups from Calcutta. One such group was the theater organization
known as CHETANA which staged its signature play “Jagannath”. The party consisted of 18
members. Another group was brought by the famous Rabindrasangeet singer, Suchitra Mitra. Her
group consisted of 20 members. It staged the dance drama “Tasher Desh”. To house these
groups, to feed them properly, and arrange their transportation presented large scale logistical
problems. Also, the management of the finances posed quite a challenge to the organizers of
these functions.
Thus, it was then felt by many members of the Bengali community that it would be a good idea to
have an association for organizing events of interest to the community. The advantage of having
such an organization would be to have a smoother management of the finances, to hold a reserve
fund, to give opportunities of leadership to its members in a democratic manner, and allow for
leadership transitions. It was also felt that such an organization would be more capable of devising
programs that would expose the children to the Bengali cultural heritage. The example of the
Pittsburgh temples demonstrated that it was quite possible to build such community organizations.
Starting from the year 1981, several informal meetings were held at the residences of individuals
who would by then have lived in Pittsburgh for the longest period. A consensus followed in which it
was decided to hold a general meeting for all the known Bengali residents of Pittsburgh. Two such meetings were held quickly in succession to discuss the pros and cons of forming a Bengali
association. Although there were some dissensions on the proposed organizational structure, the
majority of the residents who were present were enthusiastic supporters for the Association.
Among the people who attended the two meetings were: Bidyut & Shefali Niyogi, Surya & Mira
Das, Sushanta & Rina Banerjee, Mainak & Sati Mazumdar, Krishnadas & Rama Banerjee, Dhiren
& Tapati Misra, Deb & Namita Sen, Subrata & Chandrima Barua, Pranabesh & Chhabi De
Chowdhury, Sanjoy & Arati Das, Pradip & Sandhya Mitra, Siba prasad & Lipika Ray, Tapan &
Neela Gupta, Nirmal & Chandra Bose, Sanjib & Mausumi Mukherjee, Baidyanath & Bharati Roy,
Partha & Sushmita Sen, Sushanta & Sheela Sinha,Tarun & Alakananda Basu, Nripen Chakrabarti,
and Siddhartha Kar. The final resolution to form an association was approved by the majority and
subsequently, steps were formed for incorporating the association, framing a constitution, and
obtaining the requisite Government approvals for a tax-exempt status.
In the interim period until the documents were finally prepared and the approval for the
organization were obtained, a group of five individuals consisting of Sushanta Banerjee, Dhiren
Misra, Deb Sen, Mainak Mazumdar, and Subrata Barua agreed to take the responsibility for setting
the organization in place. The organization was formally inaugurated on the day of Saraswati Puja
in 1981 under the name, Bengali Association of Pittsburgh. By a unanimous vote of those present,
Sreerupa Mitra was chosen to be the first president of the association.
INCORPORATION WITH THE STATE AS A NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
In the year 1982, Sushanta Banerjee was elected as the President of the Association on the day of
the Saraswati Puja which was held at the Hindu temple in Monroeville. Steps were taken for the
registration of the association with the state of Pennsylvania as a non-profit organization. The
submission process required that a draft constitution or the articles of incorporation for the
organization be attached with the application documents. The constitution was drafted with the
help of a lawyer who was recommended by Sanjoy Das. It spelled out the name and the objectives
of the association, and the details on the membership and the dues, executive committee, election
procedures, and the manner in which the financial records will be kept. An application for the
registration of the association as a non-profit organization was duly filled with the State on August
9, 1982. The signatories were Sushanta Banerjee, Tarun Basu, and Siddhartha Kar, in their
capacity as President, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Association. The certificate of registration
was received the following year. It was initially mandatory to renew the registration every year but it
was waived later in view of the small amount of the annual income of the association. There was
no communication with state for about 15 years but tax exempt status confirmed in 2009.
According to the constitution, the objective of the association is the promotion of Bengali culture
and literature and to promote friendship and cultural exchange with similar organizations in
Pittsburgh and its vicinity. The constitution provided for three officers, the President, the Secretary,
the Treasurer, and four committee members who would be elected for a one year term by the
membership at an annual general meeting. The constitution spelled out the duties of the three
officers and the committee. Later on, in 2009, as experience accumulated on the running of the
organization, a five-member advisory council was added to oversee the activities and plan for the
future of the association. The council members each would have a two-year term. The motivation
for creating the council was that it would be composed of ‘elder’ experienced members who would
be in a position to take a more long-term view than the other officers who were elected for one year
only and remain busy carrying out the regular affairs of the organization. The By-laws were also
amended during this time.
EVOLUTION OF THE ASSOCIATION DURING 1982 – 2013:
This period has witnessed the growth and maturation from a small group of likeminded people with
a common background to a viable organization which has a stable membership base and which
attracts several hundred persons in its major functions. Every year on a regular basis, the
association has organized the following well-attended functions: Saraswati Puja, Rabindra Jayanti,
Annual Picnic, Durga Puja, Bijoya, & a Holiday Party. A brief description of these events is given
below. In addition, whenever the opportunity arose, in keeping with its resources, the organization
has organized programs with well-known artists and groups from Kolkata and Bangladesh. The
entire period is divided into four chronological sections and the participating artists are listed.
Special activities and acquisitions of the association during these periods are also mentioned.
