Penn State’s Bangladesh Student Association hosted Bangladesh Night 2022 on Saturday in the HUB-Robeson Center’s Alumni Hall to celebrate the country’s independence.
Red and green tables filled the room with water bottles and a menu as the centerpiece. Announced by the host, the theme of the event was red and green to match the colors on the Bangladesh flag.
Many in attendance wore cultural attire called salwar kameez in different colors.
During the event, there were several activities presented such as live musical performances, cultural dances, a quiz, a fashion show, food and henna drawing.
President of the BSA Md Fahim Faysal Khan said Bangladesh Night is the “flagship of [BSA]” as the “members miss [their] home.”
Khan (graduate-electrical engineering) said guests are invited from “every corner of the world” to watch them “perform [their] own songs, dances and performances” and “taste [their] food” so that everyone will be able to experience their culture.
For the past two years, Bangladesh Night has taken place virtually due to the coronavirus.
Khan said they weren’t sure if the event would be able to take place in person this year due to the mandates. He said “security comes first,” but they’ve wanted to host in-person events.
“It’s how we meet people, it’s how we see people,” Khan said.
The host of the night, Tanveer Ahmed said he was “a bit worried” about hosting the event of a large size and wondered if it “would be the right decision at this point.”
However, Ahmed (graduate-civil engineering) said the night was a “success,” and he’s excited to host more in-person events in the future. Ahmed also said seeing faces allowed the event to become “more lively” and having everyone in attendance creates “a sense of community.”
Chorus group performs the folk song “Age Ki Shundor Din Kataitam” during the Bangladesh Night 2022 celebration at the HUB-Robeson Center in University Park, Pa. on Saturday, Mar. 19, 2022. Bangladesh Night 2022 was held in Alumni Hall by The Bangladesh Student Association at Penn State to showcase Bangladeshi culture.
Rafia Nisat, who was invited to the event by her friend, said Bangladesh culture is important to her, and her favorite part of the night was the dance performances.
Camille Loscalzo of State College said she thought the event sounded “fun.”
Throughout the night, many performances had the audience cheering and clapping, especially during “Suraiya Bhai” as the boy group dance and “Komola Nritto Kore” that was performed together with “Rongboti” as the girl group dance.
Sheikh Atiya Islam (graduate-economics) said her favorite part was the poem performed at the beginning of the night.
The poem “Abaro Ashibo Phire” was about a famous poet, Jibanananda Das and his love for his homeland. It was performed in both Bengali and English.
Nushrat Hoque said she is a member of BSA and came to “support all the wonderful performances that are happening.”
Hoque (graduate-chemistry) said the culture is “really important” to her as a way to “connect” since she grew up in the U.S. but still has family members who live in Bangladesh. Hoque said her favorite part of the event was the fashion show.
Nafi Mohammad Ali is an international student from Bangladesh, and he said he came because he “missed his country” and wanted to have food from the “recipes used at home.”
Ali (graduate-anthropology) said his favorite part was being able to “listen to the songs in his own language” because Bangladesh culture is a “part of [his] identity” and how he “sees the world.”
“It’s where I belong.”
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