Durga Puja - Pragati, the Bengali Association of the greater Philadelphia area
website: www.pragati.org
More than forty years ago, in 1972, the Bengali Association of the Greater Philadelphia area was formed. It was named Pragati, and became the strand that held the 50 or so Bengalis that lived in this area, close together. It was a place to come together, to share common beliefs, backgrounds, stories, dreams and to forge a bond that would grow stronger with the years. Today their number has swelled to more than 1200 people. To know more about the proud history of Pragati, please click on Pragati 40th anniversary presentation and you can also find an interesting article about the first Bengali in Philadelphia here: First Bengali of Philly.
Each year we Pragati members enthusiastically celebrate Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Saraswati Puja, and Naba Barsha. We sponsor numerous Bengali singers, musicians and writers as part of our cultural activities. Pragati has been actively helping people in distress through the donation of money, clothes, food, and medicine in USA and India. Through annual food drives we collect canned food from our members to contribute to a local Hospice. Toys are donated to the Children's Hospital and blankets are distributed to the homeless and needy during the Holidays.
We have come a long way to play a pivotal role both in our community and in the life of the city we have adopted, and we are proud of our achievements.
History:
In 1972, Pragati, the Bengali Association of the Greater Philadelphia area was formed by the Bengalis of this area, and it was incorporated as a not-for-profit association in 1977. Currently, Pragati has nearly 80 life members and over 200 regular members and friends.
Pragati, being a 501c(3) tax-exempt organization, has a charitable obligation towards the greater community that we live in. Actually, it is not just an obligation – it is part of Pragati’s mission as specified in the constitution. Every year, during different Pragati events, we collect donations, raise funds but dedicate all the proceeds primarily to fund our own festivities. We tend to forget the moral duty that we have towards the community that we call our home. Different executive committees in the past have raised funds for helping people during different disasters and carried out Pragati’s charitable work on an ongoing basis.Pragati has also started food donation drive, cash donations and donation of a good amount of non-perishable food items. Through our members support we have proved that we care and feel for the plight of the less fortunate citizens of the area. We have received encouragements to continue this work.
