Feriwala's trans-Atlantic peddling begins!

Today, I went to the Amra Kojon rehearsals.

It reminded me of the intense 9 month long rehearsals we once went
through for the 2003 AK show. It reminded me of all the ups and downs,
all the excitement, the work, the fun, the failures, and the laughter
and the tears that make up an AK experience.

It reminded me just how impossibly difficult it will be to uproot
myself from among this family of friends and move to the west coast.

After almost a year and a half of going back and forth and trying to
iron out logistical hurdles, the troupe is finally making their first
trans-Atlantic trip.

This Friday, May 4, there's going to be a 25 strong troupe at Logan
Airport, sporting the Amra Kojon t-shirts, proudly taking the bold
step towards taking Bangla gaan from door to international door.

While the trials and tribulations of the past year and a half have
perhaps kept the more grand multi-destination plans on temporary hold
as we grow the group's internal capacity and strengths - the first
step of the dream is about to be realized this coming weekend.

Amra Kojon will be performing at a London concert on Sunday May 6 -
celebrating Pohela Boishakh with both local and international Bangla
music enthusiasts. They will be our "feriwala"s of Bangla music -
peddling door to door the vibrance and life of our folk music. Be
prepared to feast on nostalgia, a strong sense of connection with our
roots, and a memorable musical extravaganza presented with Amra
Kojon's trademark professionalism and spirit of unity.

While some of us may not be able to join the international trip - we
can share in on the adventure in spirit. Please invite your friends
who will be in the London area to stop by at this free event and join
in our celebrations to usher in the Bengali New Year.

Event details:
Date: Sunday, May 6, 2007
Venue: Walthamstow Assembly Hall, Forest Road, E17 4JD, London, UK
for details, please email: amrakojon@gmail.com

-Naina, on behalf of Amra Kojon

For historical details regarding the troupe, please visit www.amrakojon.org.

On February 9, 2003, Amra Kojon showcased 1000 years of Bangla musical
tradition, performed by more than 100 music-lovers singing in unison
on a filled-to-capacity Kresge auditorium at MIT, Cambridge, MA. The
unique endeavor was endearingly termed "A Festival of Friends" and
became the first ever successful attempt at putting aside all
individual differences of nationality, political ideologies, ethnicity
or religion, and coming together to present our language, our culture,
our heritage, from one common platform, united by our passion - a love
of Bangla music.

Representative of other press coverage, The Boston Globe cited the
Amra Kojon concert as their first opportunity to present Bengal in a
positive context that did not involve floods, poverty, or suffering.
In essence, that is exactly what we had set forth to do: to share OUR
Bangla, our traditions, culture and heritage in all its splendor and
glory.