Our History
S-A-N-G-A-M
SANGAM is a non-profit organization founded in 1995 in Kansas City for the purpose of promoting cultural, educational, literary, and religious traditions of Bengal primarily within the Bengali-speaking communities residing within the mid-western states of America. SANGAM also promotes charitable activities for the benefit of deserving persons or institutions in USA or in India. Through its various activities SANGAM tries to develop mutual understanding and respect of American and Bengali cultures and traditions. SANGAM, as the name implies, is a symbol of confluence of ideas and a symbol of cooperation between different communities of Bengali-speaking people within mid-western states who share the same aims and objectives as stated above.
Since its inception in 1995, SANGAM has organized many cultural functions and religious services in accordance with Bengali traditions. SANGAM publishes a literary magazine, “Desh-Bidesh”, several times a year. Since 1996 SANGAM has been organizing Bengali cultural convention in Kansas City in collaboration with UMKC Conservatory of Music. Top class artists from India are invited to perform in these annual cultural assemblies.
Effective November 2001 SANGAM has been granted 501(c) (3) tax-exempt status by Internal Revenue Service.
Vice-President Ranjana Mitra
Secretary Debabrata Bhaduri
Joint Secretary Debashis Chanda
Treasurer Ajoy Pal
Joint Treasurer Subrata Chaudhuri
Program Chair Sushanta Banerjee
Social Chair Debjani Roychowdhury
Publicity Chair Animesh Dhar
Since 1991, Bengali speaking families of Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Nebraska are getting together during Durga Puja festival in Wichita. A need for an association has been felt as a vehicle for promoting Bengali cultural activities in the midwestern states. During 1995 Durga Puja festival in Wichita, a consensus was formed to organize an association. An association by the name Sangam was formally formed at a meeting held on November 18, 1995, at Dr. Ashim Mitra’s residence in Overland Park.
