About Bangamela:
In 1999, a few Bengalis of the Tri-state region formed MID AMERICA BENGALI ASSOCIATION (MABA) to cater the diverse cultural needs of Bengalis of mid America. Louis, Cincinnati and Dayton (Indiana) joined MABA. This cultural forum decided to sponsor an annual Bengali cultural festival, BANGAMELA®. In the same year Louisville hosted the first Bangamela. Since its inception, MABA h
as gained unquestionable reputation as a Bengali cultural forum in mid America.
1st Bangamela, 1999 - Louisville, Kentucky
Host: TreenaNeel of Kentucky
Highlights: Performances by Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Madhabi Mukherjee, Sikha Basu, Swapan Basu and Meghnad Bhattacharya's drama group, Sayak. Click here for more information.
2nd Bangamela, 2000 - Clarksville, Tennessee
Hosts: MABA & Bengali Association of Greater Nashville. Highlights: Performances by Prahlad Brahmachari, Shromona Guha Thakurta, Shrabona Bhattacharyya, Alakananda Roy and Dulal Lahiri's Nandan drama group.
3rd Bangamela, 2001 - St. Louis, Missouri
Host: Punascha
Highlights: Performances by Leena Taposi Khan, Swapan Basu, Banani Ghosh, Sajaad Khan, Arumoy and Swati Banerjee, Haimanti Shukla, Nivedita Bose and Meghnad Bhattacharya's drama group, Sayak.
4th Bangamela, 2002 - Kansas City, Missouri
Hosts: Sangam Midwest & The University of Missouri at Kansas City. Highlights: Performances by Indranil Sen, Sabina Yasmin, Kabir Suman, Budhadeb Guha, Amrita Lahiri and Madhabi Mukherjee.
5th Bangamela, 2003 - Nashville, Tennessee
Host: Bengali Association of Greater Nashville
Highlights: Performances by Haimanti Shukla, Srabani Sen, Sumitra Sen, Aloke Roy Choudhuri, Subrata Sengupta, Gautam Halder, Indrajit Banerjee, Ranajit Sengupta, Gouri Sankar and Rudra Prasad Sengupta's drama group Nandikar.
6th Bangamela, 2004 - Cincinnati, Ohio
Host: Agrani of Cincinnati
Highlights: Performances by Rezwana Banya Choudhury, Utpalendu Choudhry,Usha Uttap and a drama by Meghnad Bhattacharya, Ramaprasad Banik and Monoj Mitra.
7th Bangamela, 2005 - Chicago, Illinois
Host: Bengali Association of Greater Chicago
Highlights: Performances by Lopamudra Mitra, Raghav Chatterjee, Nachiketa Chakraborty and Rudra Prasad Sengupta's drama group Nandikar.
8th Bangamela, 2006 - Louisville, Kentucky
Host: Treenaneel of Kentucky
Highlights: Performances by Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty, JOJO. Farida Perveen, Nrityagram Dance Ensemble of Bangalore, Amit Ganguli and drama by Kheyali Dastidar, Arindam Ganguli and Aloka Ganguli. Click here for more information.
9th Bangamela, 2007 - Memphis, Tennessee
Host: Mid South Bengali Association
Highlights: Vocals performances by Rezwana Choudhury Banya, Saikat Mitra, Anup Ghoshal, Jayanta De and Sharmista Chatterjee; Sabyasachi and Amar Sen’s Hand Shadow Graphic play; Drama "Dampati" by Madhabi, Biswajit, Moushumi and Papiya.
10th Bangamela, 2008 - Columbus, Ohio
Host: Central Ohio Bengali Cultural Association
Highlights: Performances by Bhoomi, Chandra Chakraborty, Ferdous Ara, Hans Vermeersch, Ken Zuckerman, Lopamudra Mitra, Parnava Banerjee, Pather Panchali, Pramita Mallick, Ramesh Misra, Satinath Mukhopadyay, Shaoni Mitra, Sohini RoyChowdhury, Srikanto Acharya, Suklyan Bhattacharya and Entourage, Swapan Basu and Swapan Chaudhuri.
11th Bangamela, 2009 - Atlanta, Georgia
Host: Bengali Association of Greater Atlanta
Highlights: Performances by Aloke Roychoudhury, Bhoomi, Jojo , Pather Panchali , Pratik Choudhury, Shama Rahman, Subhomita Banerjee.
12th Bangamela 2010 - Nashville, TN
Host: MABA in collboration with "The Times of India" group
Highlights: Performances by Ustad Ashish Khan, Pdt. Ajoy Chakraborty, Chandrabindoo, Rupankar Bagchi & Gandhar.
