By Terrance Bobb
From the cuisine of fish balls with a splash of curry to cultural statements through intricate dances, and from various colored clothes from bold reds to historically significant browns, the Brooklyn College (BC) Bangladesh Student Association (BSA), in conjunction with other BSAs originating from other CUNY campuses including Baruch, Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), and the City College of New York (CCNY), delivered “Rongin Utsob.” Directly translated to “Colorful Festival”, the event not only celebrates the various South Asian cultures across CUNY, but also celebrates the Bengali New Year, also known as “Pohela Boishakh.”
“This is the first time in CUNY BSA history that most of the BSAs are collabing together. For us our mission is to share our culture whether you’re Bengali or not, we want to celebrate our culture, we want to share our food, our dances, it’s very important for us, and other CUNY colleges because this whole show is based on the tradition of the Bengali New Year,” Tunazzina Sakal, the current president of the BC BSA, told The Vanguard.
The full-capacity event dazzled with diverse food vendors, such as Fuchka’s Garden, a Bangladeshi food truck and vending service run by a current Baruch student. Once the performances and dances started, attendees had to fasten their seatbelts, take a seat, and get something to eat, because they were in for a treat.
“I really love celebrating events with them, I really enjoy the BSA Club,” he stated, capturing his previous collaborations and relationship with BSA. “Half of them I know because they go to my truck before.”
Another sponsor for the event was Jahan Fragrances, a brand that curates and sells perfume oils, and led by BC alumni and former vice president of the BC BSA Naheen Khan.
“Being able to cultivate a culture of diversity and understanding […] When walking through the event, you can also feel a sense of pride of culture, from the dresses to the suits to the smiles on their faces,” Khan stated.
Khan continued to discuss his identity as a person of Bangladeshi culture, specifically the cultural dissonance that many children of immigrants face today.
“As being a Bangladeshi, a lot of students who are growing up in New York City, that have never been to Bangladesh, they have cultural identity problems where they are not sure if they are American, are they Bengali. Through these types of events, we are able to foster a sense of home and a safe space for people to explore who they really are,” Khan stated.
The clothing that many attendees wore consisted of colorful robes and garments that symbolized the historical context behind the various cultures present. Paula Chewy, senior at BC and vice president of the Korean Culture Club, reflected on her Bangladeshi culture through her cultural clothing.
“The outfits are very colorful to commemorate the holidays of the season: Holi, Eid Mubarak, the colors of the nature, and if we go back into history, our flag represents the land we fought in: the red, the green is to represent the land, the red is to represent the blood that we shed during the war, so all the colors commemorate everything that we stood for,” stated Chewy.
“Back in the day when we were fighting for our independence, women used to fight in saris. It used to be really comfortable to wear, because of its cotton material, and a lot of aunties and grandmas still wear saris,” Faria Prova, co-president of the BC BSA, stated.
Each CUNY, from BC to Baruch and BMCC to CCNY, showcased each dance, dazzling with fluid motions, and confidence blaring through the saris and dresses. The crowd joined the chants of the childhood songs as each lyric rolled off the tongue with joy.
“The dancing was amazing. BSA, they always have the best choreography, and they choose the best songs, like all the songs they chose was to bring out the festivities, to bring out the love, the compassion, for the people and the culture. Anything to commemorate the event,” stated Chewy.
The presidents of each BSA gathered around the front, preparing for the performances, as students took up all of the chairs. The night also consisted of a comedy skit performed by BC students, which brought laughter and joy to viewers with its reliability and comedy.
The skit revolved around a maternal figure who was not pleased with her daughter wanting to dress a certain way. “A lot of the skits that were showcased were skits that we watched when we were younger on TVs in Bollywood. It’s the same thing that we’ve seen in India and Bangladesh,” stated Chewy.
Overall, attendees came together to celebrate various ideals: tradition, culture, and representation for those that take pride in their South Asian heritage. It shone a spotlight on love in their communities and delivered a sense of pride to their culture.
To learn more about events from the BSA, visit their official Instagram account, @bsa_bc.