-Jamal Hasan

By sheer luck I happened to be in the DC metropolitan area during the time when FOBANA- 2016 festival was being organized.

On one of the days, we decided to have a peek into the festivities. Like in many Bengali cultural functions FOBANA not only encompasses cultural soirees, it provides an ideal venue for socializing. After spending prolonged time outside the continental USA, my spirit was thirsty for traditional Bangali chitchat, I mean adda. As soon as we arrived at the Sheraton at the Pentagon, I met many familiar faces there.

It was nice to meet Asaduzzaman, my good old colleague from the Chittagong Radio, where I briefly served in the nineteen seventies. I met Roquia Haider, Dilara Hashem and Anis Ahmed from my Voice of America days. It was also fascinating to meet Shafi Delwar Kajol, Hiron Choudhury, Hares M. Sayed, Arifur Rahman Swapan, Akbar Haider Kiron, Naim Rahman, Shamim Chowdhury, Anwarul Karim , Harun Chowdhury, and Mohammad Jamil. It had been a pleasant surprise to meet Abdul Wahed Mahfuz, my close associate from Florida. I saw him after twenty plus years. The New York based publishing company Muktadhara opened up a stall on the hotel lobby. I bought a few books written by Dilara apa. In a short photo session, I got Roquia apa in the shot as well.

I wanted to get a fresh air from outside the crowded Sheraton. Two food vendors opened up their trucks for the hungry visitors. My wife and I spent quality time with total strangers. A significant aspect of the expatriate Bangladeshis is during conversation there is a chance to find common acquaintances. During my small talks with a couple from Boston, I found out the visitors from Massachusetts knew my cousin in Boston. We all uttered the words with excitement, “The world is really small”.

As the sun was gradually slipping through the horizon, I wanted to explore the area.  I noticed a bunch of Ethiopian business establishments within a few hundred yards from the hotel. For a few minutes I chatted with an Ethiopian gentleman who was standing in front of a store. I was looking for a good coffee shop. He pointed me to the Ethiopian bakery nearby. As I was sipping Starbucks like coffee at the Ethiopian bakery I noticed a group of FOBANA visitors stormed into the place. I realized such a watering hole is needed for coffee lovers.

Overall, I spent good time at an important congregation of Bangladeshis from all over America.