Life is for giving!: GZA marked its 15th Foundation Day by donating a cheque of Rs 10,000 to the Goa Sikh Youth. In the picture are (l to r) Ranadhir Mukhopadhyay, Rajiv Malhotra, Sandeep Singh, Deep Singh, Bimalendu Dey and his daughter Moushami Dey Kamat

By Our Special Correspondent

MOTHER’S Day had just come and gone on May 9 and the president of the Bengali community’s Ganga Zuari Academy, Bimalendu Dey, decided it was time for his recently founded Ujjwala Kindness Foundation to step out and do something for girl child welfare, women empowerment, hunger alleviation in memory of his beloved wife the late Ujjwala Mita Dey. Covid-19 lockdowns and curfews had been a damper for the GZA’s cultural social activities so this year on Sunday, May 23, 2021 they decided to do celebrate its 15th Foundation day differently.
Together with the Panaji-based apolitical Ganga Zuari Academy it was decided to institute a “selfless service towards human welfare” award of Rs10,000 which will be presented every May 23 henceforth. A 4-member committee of Dr Rajiv Nigam, Dr Rita Dey, Pintu Sarovar and Ranadhir Mukhopadhyay was set up to review award beneficiaries and this year the committee decided that the award should go to the Goa Sikh Youth. They deserved to be acknowledged for its role in food distribution during covid lockdown/curfew times. The award is to primarily honor socially active groups or individuals engaged in meritorious work to ameliorate the suffering of people as those affected by covid-19 difficulties this year.
At a small function held at the International Centre a cheque was presented to the Betim gurudwara-affiliated Goa Sikh Youth, who’ve been supplying langar meal packets to covid patients and their families at the GMC on a daily basis. Speaking on the occasion Moushami Dey Kamat said that it was the only way to remember her wonderful mother whom the whole family misses after she passed away in 2005. For her she was a very special mom and also for her sister Rita Sorowar (Germany). A citation was read out in memory of her mother in the presence of GZA members including Bimalendu Dey, Ranadhir Mukopadhyaya, Rajiv Nigam, Sourav Roy and others, including members of the Goa Sikh Youth. The cheque was handed over and much appreciated.
Later in the day GZA 15th Foundation Day celebration posted a virtual evening with a U-tube ghazal musical presentation for members and friends to enjoy. The Ganga Zuari Academy was founded 15 years ago when members of the Bengali community in Goa realized they must broaden their base and identify with a Goa which they had adopted as their home.
Over the years they have had Bengali cultural evenings, conducted learn Konkani lessons, and opened up membership to anyone interested in things Bengali, non-Bengali and of universal application. The GZA has grown from strength to strength and now boasts of an invigorating blog of works as a reference point for its future initiatives.