2014 Summer Picnic – Lunch and Party

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Deshantari organized a summer picnic at the Ottawa Municipal Campground, 411 Corkstown Road,
Nepean on Sunday, July 21, 2013. The menu for the picnic was as follows:

Opening Act (adults)
• Jhal muri, BBQ Corn, Tea

Opening Act (Kids):
• Popcorn/chips/BBQ corn

Main Event – Hakka Chinese Feast
• Fried Rice, Boneless Chicken/Fish/Paneer in Hot Garlic sauce, Veg Spring Roll, Sweets (Gulab
jamun)

The picnic was a great success. The weather was great, the turn-out was very decent and members had a
wonderful time socializing, enjoying the good “Hakka” chinese food, BBQ and the various games played.

Parkinson’s Super Walk – Charity Walk

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Deshantari was one of the proud sponsors of Parkinson’s Superwalk 2013 held on 7th September 2013 at Ron Kolbus Center, 102 Greenview Avenue, Ottawa.

The community joined 14,000 other Canadians who took part in the annual Parkinson SuperWalk in
support of over 100,000 Canadians with Parkinson’s. Parkinson SuperWalk was Parkinson Society
Canada’s national, once a year event to raise funds for research into the causes of Parkinson’s, better

treatments and one day, a cure. Together we raised funds for education and support services, not only for people with Parkinson’s, but for their caregivers and family members too.

2014 Open House – Bengali Movie Show

Sunday, Sept 29, 2013

Deshantari organized an Open House at the Baxter Hall (1101 Baxter Road, Ottawa) on Sunday 29 Sep,
2013.

In this event Deshantari presented “Hirer Angti” a feature film by the late Rituparno Ghosh. The
executive committee had chosen this film to pay tribute to the great director/artist Rituparno Ghosh
ensuring that the movie could be enjoyed by all age groups. The film starts and ends with the festive
mood of Durga pujo and has excerpts from famous songs of Mahalaya.

The open house was a great success with a large number of people attending to watch the movie and
socialize in some nice “adda” over tea, “alu tikka” and “golub jamun”.

2014 Durga Puja

Fri Oct 11 to Sun Oct 13, 2013

Deshantari’s main event the Durga Puja was organized at the Heron Gate Community Centre from 11 – 13 Oct, 2013. The Puja Chairperson welcomed the members with the following note:

“The countdown for the much awaited Deshantari event of the year is over. It is time for Durga Puja.
With festive alacrity we have made all the arrangements so that you have a wonderful time and enjoy a grand celebration of our culture and traditions. A large team of dedicated volunteers have been working very hard over the past couple of months in preparation for the ceremonial worship, rehearsing for the cultural programs, fund-raising and even researching on the latest culinary trends.

I know men are eagerly looking forward to their long “adda” sessions with friends over a cup of tea just as ladies have started checking out their latest sari and jewellery collection bought on their recent visits to India. Children can hardly wait for a few days of no homework but pure fun with their friends!

Without further ado, I on behalf of the Deshantari Executive Committee welcome you, your family and
friends to the 32nd Durga Puja in Ottawa. This year we have organized a variety of cultural programs
from Bengali Natak to children’s Talent show. There will be a diverse mix of garment and jewellery stalls for those of you who love to shop. A large group of volunteers have meticulously planned an exquisite selection of food and misti that you will find truly irresistible. During these three days we have also set-up a booth to collect food donations that would go towards the “Ottawa Food Bank”.

Finally I would like to thank my committee and all volunteers for their selfless dedication and hard work in making the arrangements for this year’s Durga Puja. Last but not least, a note of thanks goes to all our advertisers, sponsors and donors for their generous financial support.

I look forward to seeing you all and I am certain you will find this year’s Durga Puja as enjoyable as it
has always been! Once again, welcome to Durga Puja 2013.”

The program details and menu were as follows:

The Durga Puja and Lakshmi festivities were attended by a record number of people. The Puja hall and
stall layout was completely changed this year to make room for a large number of people. The Executive
Committee received an overwhelming response and deep appreciation for a well organized event.

Members were particularly appreciative of the Bengali Nathak, the cultural program (Jalsa) on Lakshmi
Puja and the food selection and arrangements outstanding on all days. This was made possible by the
tireless work of a very large number of dedicated volunteers.

This year the committee also took initiative to collect items for the Ottawa Food Bank throughout the
festivities and also gave away boxes of Bengali books to anyone interested in reading Bengali books.

2014 Lakshmi Puja

Saturday Oct 19, 2013

Program:

The Durga Puja and Lakshmi Puja festivities were attended by a record number of people. The Puja hall and stall layout was completely changed this year to make room for a large number of people. The Executive Committee received an overwhelming response and deep appreciation for a well organized event.

Members were particularly appreciative of the Bengali Nathak, the cultural program (Jalsa) on Lakshmi
Puja and the food selection and arrangements outstanding on all days. This was made possible by the
tireless work of a very large number of dedicated volunteers.

This year the committee also took initiative to collect items for the Ottawa Food Bank throughout the
festivities and also gave away boxes of Bengali books to anyone interested in reading Bengali books.

2013 Children’s Christmas Party and Open House

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Saraswati Puja

Sunday, February 09, 2014

Deshantari celebrated Saraswati Puja on Sunday February 9th at the Ron Kolbus Center. The schedule of activities was as follows:

• Puja and Pushpanjali: 10 am-11.30 am (Hathekhori will be after puja)
• Children’s drawing competition: 11.30-12:00 pm
• Children’s talent show: 12:00-12:20
• Kobitar Asor: 12:25-1:00 pm
• Lunch: 1-2 pm

Among the other cultural programs Deshantari organized a “Kobitar Asor” performed by Mabhin Ghosh
Datta from Kalavatee Dance Centre and Saumita Banerjea, an invited elocutionist from Toronto. This
event received excellent response from all sections of the Community