Phone/Fax: (718) 343-0189 probini@hotmail.com

Sponsor: Ms. Geeta Bhatt, Drs. Arvind Chandrakantan and Kripa Krishnan, Ajoy & Subhra

Nayak

Patron: Milita C Das, Sachi G & Shefali S Dastidar

Donor: Satya Vijoy Bhoumik, Prabhangsu Kumar & Sibani Ghoshal, Prof. Jill Hamberg, Prof.

Dr. Rachel McDermott, Korah T & Dr. Shobha Mani, Pia Owens, Esq.

Contributor: Lorne & Candida Birch, Prof. Sashi Shah, Shuvo G & Sumedha J Dastidar in

Honor of his Parents Anniversary, Donation in Honor of Ajoy & Subhra Nayak, Subir Ma-

zumdar (Bangladesh)

www.probini.info

The Probini Foundation 80-56 251st Street

Bellerose, NY 11426

Spr ing 2020

Chair of Trustees:

Dr. Sachi G Dastidar

Secretary:

Mr. Jay Hyman

Treasurer:

Mr. Dilip Chakravorti (NYC)

USA Dr. Shefali S. Dastidar Dr. Kusumita P. Pedersen Mr. Prabangshu Ghoshal

Executive Secretary:

Mr. Shuvo G. Dastidar

www.probini.org

www.ispad1947.org

Bangladesh

Bagerhat-Khulna Headmistress Madhabi Gharami Barisal Ramakrishna Mission School Chittagong Jagatpur Ashram Girls’ Dorm Comilla Ramakrishna Mission Boys’ dorm Dhaka Orphanage Girls’ Dorm Mr. Subir Mazumdar

Dinajpur Ramakrishna Mission

School Doihari Headmaster Nirmal C Dhali Gopalganj Mr. Arabinda Roy, Headmaster Mr. Krishno Mandol Madaripur Monk Jibon Maharaj Mahilara Monk Dayamoy Sadhu Mymansingh-Netrokona Mr. Tariq Ali

Monk Nayan Sadhu

Noakhali Secretary, Gandhi Ashram

Rajoir

Headmaster S. N. Mondal

SriRamKathi

Monk Sunil Maharaj

Uzirpur

Mr. Ranajit Kumar Roy

India Assam Monk Ven Karuna Shastri

Bankura Mr. Arindam Banerjee

Calcutta/Kolkata Prof. Dr. Sujata G. Dastidar

Mrs. Purna Chowdhury

Durgapur (10 Schools)

Mr. Nirmal Mondal

Mr. Chandranath Biswas

Mr. Jayanta Biswas

Mizoram

Headmaster Rajesh Chakma

Mr. Sudip Chakma

Nandigram, Purba Medinipur

Mrs. Yasmeen Sengupta

Nayagram, Paschim Medini-pur

Prof Dr R N Chattopadhyay

Prof. Dr. Tapati Dasgupta

OUR MOST RECENT BENEFACTORS: (October 15, 2019 — March 15, 2020)

The Probini Foundat ion Digest

***30 Years of Probini ***

15th Annual Kolkata Meeting of Probini Foundation Report by Arindam Banerjee

The 15th Annual Meet of Probini Foundation Inc. was held on January 19, 2020 at Hungerford

Street, Flat No.5, Kolkata-700017 beginning at 11.30 AM.

Members present were, Prof Dr. (Srimati) Sujata Ghosh Dastidar, Sri. Arindam Banerjee, Sri

Ratnapratim Sengupta, Sri Tirthankar Mukherjee, Sri Bikash Biswas, Sm. Sipra Sarkar and

Sm. Utpala Mukherjee. (Indian Probini-supported projects in Dibrugarh, Assam and Tuichwang,

Mizoram couldn’t join because of distance and cost. Nandigram and Kharagpur of West Bengal

couldn’t attend. Durgapur project supports dozen and a half schools and vocational centers,

whereas Bankura project supports 5 institutions.)

At the beginning of the session Prof. Ghosh Dastidar was unanimously elected as the Chair of

the 2020 Kolkata meeting. (continued in p 3)

Picture: January ‘20

Probini Kolkata

Meet at Hungerford

Street:

Chair Srimati Profes-

sor Sujata Ghosh

Dastidar, 3rd from

the left, and Sri Arin-

dam Banerjee, Sec-

retary of Bankuta

and 4 more centers,

2nd from right.

Assam Buddhist Vihar Orphanage, Dibrugarh, India - Probini is providing teachers’ salary.

Bagerhat-Khulna AndharManik Girls ’ High School: Probini has built a girls’ dormitory.

Bankura, India—Probini provides teachers salary at Purokonda Ashram school for the poor.

Barisal Poor Student Scholarship at Ramakrishna Mission, Bangladesh.

Calcutta Sishu Kalyan Parishad [Children’s Welfare] Orphanage, Inc. – Probini gives scholarships to girls.

Comilla Ramakrishna Orphange, Bangladesh – Probini is providing scholarships to several boys.

Dhaka Girls Orphange Society, 1908, Bangladesh – Probini is providing scores of scholarships to girls for school education.

Dinajpur Harijan Palli Sri RamaKrishna Free School at the Sweeper’s Colony Bangladesh – salaries for teachers.

Dhowa Danga Santhali Tribal Village School, Bardhamaan, India—providing teachers at school.

Doihari Sahid Smriti (Martyr’s Memorial) Girl’s High School, Swarupkathi, Bangladesh: Probini has rebuilt the cyclone-destroyed school and dorm.

Durgapur 8 Separate Schools - Probini is providing salaries for teachers.

Gandhi Ashram Trust, Noakhali, Bangladesh –

Probini is providing scholarships for school children.

Jagatpur Ashram Orphanage (1898), Chittagong, Bangladesh – supporting boys’ & girls’ education.

Madaripur Pranab Ashram, Bangladesh - Probini is providing salaries for teachers and has built a boys’ dormitory.

Mahilara Ashram School, Barisal, Bangladesh - Probini is providing teachers and built a school.

Mizoram State, Tuichawng Village, India— Probini has built a school at that poor, remote, isolated, picturesque place.

Nandigram, Medinipur, India— Probini is providing teachers at Kasturba Gandhi Memorial School.

Nayagram, Paschim Medinipur, India— Probini has provided books for the poor tribal school & library.

Netrokona Manab Kalyan Kami [Improvement of Mankind] Orphanage, Bangladesh – Probini is providing student

scholarships, has created agricultural projects for self-sufficiency in food and has built a girls’ dormitory.

Pirojpur SriRamKathi Pranav Shishu BidyaNiketan School, Bangladesh – Probini is providing salaries for teachers and has built a school building.

Uzirpur Surya Sen Anath Sishu Sadan [Orphanage], Bangladesh - Probini is supporting students at the Orphanage and has built a kitchen for the dorm.

REMEMBER!

Donations to Probini are fully tax de-ductible.

Page 2

P R O B I N I P R O J E C T S

Message from Pro-

bini Friends:

Dear Probini:

Here is a $1,000

(one thousand dol-

lar check) for your

life’s sadhana

(prayer).

Geeta Bhatt,

Queens,

New York

+++++++++++++

Dear Probini:

This ($200) is for

the girls’ dorm con-

struction as it is de-

scribed in the Fall

2019 newsletter.

We should meet

once-in-a-while with

our old fellows.

Sincerely,

Thattenkal

Pennsylvania

+++++++++++++

Dear Probini:

Happy New Year! I’d

like to make a con-

tribution to Probini.

Thank you for all

the good work. Sin-

cerely, and with all

good wishes.

Rachel

(Prof. Dr. R C

McDermott)

Manhattan,

New York

The Probini Foundat ion Digest Spr ing 2020

Bagerhat

Tuichwng Panchasheel Probini Chhatribash

Mizoram State, India

Update: After appeal in the Fall 2019 News-

letter, Probini was able to raise funds to com-

plete the girls’ hostel. Its name will be

Tuichwng (village name) Panchasheel

(Buddha’s 5 principles of inclusion) Probini

Chhatribash (girls’ dormitory). Thank you all.

*******************************

Probini Foundation’s Indirect Beneficiary;

A 500 Year Old Bishnu Temple, Bangladesh

The granite-built statue of the deity is in

good condition, yet the tin shed was leaking

and windows and doors, and parts of the

structure was in bad shape. During earlier

1950s pogrom the original temple structure

was damaged but the murti (statue of deity)

survived. (Adjacent to the temple, the 18th

Century Black Mother Kali Madir temple was

demolished during that pogrom.)

Mandir Under Repair

Update from Fall 2019 News:

As mentioned in the last newsletter sever-

al descendants came together to repair their

old heritage. When it is finished there will be

celebrations in Bangladesh, India, Singapore

and the U.S. However, a dark shadow has

also fallen! Some folks are trying to evict

poor Hindu minorities from there!

I’d like to help! Yes, I/We/Our organization would like to help Please make checks payable to The Probini Foundation

[ ] Sponsor $500 [ ] Patron $250 [ ] Donor $100 [ ] Contributor (any amount) $_ _ _ _ _ _

Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

E-mail _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Phone _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Proceedings of the meeting: All the members from different organizations present in meeting unanimously appreciate and acknowledge the continuous help and support from Probini Founda-tion Inc. without which the aim and goal of respective organiza-tions could not be achieved. At the same time the members dis-cuss about the difficulty in en-cashing the cheque of foreign money. Some organizations like OAR — Our Association for Remedy — has applied for registration un-der FCRA (federal approval for accepting foreign funds), some organizations like Children's Wel-fare Association has applied for renewal of FCRA registration for acceptance of foreign contribu-tion. Since it takes a very long time for final approval and since it is not permissible to accept for-eign money without FCRA, the members present in the meeting opined that Probini Foundation be requested to make donations to the respective organizations in Indian currency. Without the fi-nancial aid from Probini Founda-tion, the mission and aim of the organizations to serve humanity will suffer a lot. Organization present in the meeting briefed their activities that are given here:

1. Swami Vivekananda Vani Pra-char Samity (of Durgapur): The organization is running 17 education centers in nearby tribal, rural and slum areas where people of very low income groups live. Samity is getting financial aid from Probini every year since 2002-03. All the money is kept FD scheme in bank. 10 teachers are getting honorarium from the interest of fixed deposits. Samity carries out other activi-ties like running of vocational training courses for unemployed youth, medical and health care units for people living below pov-erty level, running of mobile dis-pensary in rural areas, etc. 2. Our Association of Remedy, Kolkata: The organization has received a sum of Rs.1000/= (Rupees One thousand only. In 2017 OAR re-ceived 15 copies of S G Dastidar & S S Dastidar books for fund-raising at Rs. 450 each.) from Pro-

bini Foundation. Sri. Bikash Biswas, Secretary of OAR reports that OAR has bought school bags for street children with the money. He also appealed to Probini Foun-dation to grant some more dona-tion which can be used to improve the way of living of the street chil-dren. (Probini Board in USA has-n’t approved any new grantee since 2008. As their resources are very limited, Probini hasn’t added new institutions for help.) 3. Children's Welfare Association (Sishu Kalyan Parishad), Kolkata: The sole objective of the organ-ization is to help destitute girls with food, shelter, education & healthcare and give them a road map to settle their lives with dig-nity. At present there are 105 des-titute girls. Their overall develop-ment is a huge task and requires a lot of expenditure which cannot be met without donation. Dr.(Smt.) Sujata Ghosh Dastidar, the President, reports that a cheque of $1,000 (one thousand dollars) in the previous year has been re-ceived by the organization from Probini Foundation but it couldn't be utilized as renewal of FCRA is in process. As final approval of FCRA is still not received by the organization, the President hereby appeals to make donation in Indi-an currency until FCRA renewal is approved.

p/ib>I Phuf@dshfnr t [ikthik Page 3 Spr ing 2020

The Probini Foundation 80-56 251st Street Bellerose, NY 11426 718-343-0189 probini@hotmail.com

The Probini Foundat ion Digest : Spr ing 2019 Page 4

You all are aware of our work. Purbachal Ananda Foundation runs Ananda Ashram (Barojora, Bankura), Gharey Fera (Haora), Vivekananda Bhavan (Habra), Aashroi (Jamuria, Asansol) and Abhoy Ashram (Durgapur). 150 residents are now able to dream of life because of your blessing.) Now we are trying to build as ashram in Durgapur for 100 helpless children. We’ve located a piece of property whose cost is 2,500,000 rupees, additionally we need 200,000 for registration. We’ve spoken to some organizations who are willing to con-struct rooms, kitchen, library, etc. Currently we have been able to raise 925,000. We’re hopeful that if we get sup-port from you, we’d be able to help 100 more kids. We’d be able to build more de-cent citizens.

(For donations from overseas) A/C Holder Name- Purbachal Ananda

Foundation FCRA Account A/C No-914010028958876 Bank- Axis Bank Limited Branch- Durgapur Swift Code- AXISINBB213 IFS CODE- UTIB0000213 You can also send checks to us. Our address: Purbachal Ananda Foundation

2/32 Purbachal, Durgapur 731 201, Paschim Bardhaman, PaschimBanga, India

Ph: 0091 9233303875, 9434085296 ******************************

Helping Partition Center through your Internet Search and Internet Shopping: Now you can help Indian Subcontinent Par-tition Documentation Project just by doing your routine Internet search. By using www.goodsearch. com (in place of Google, Bing, etc.) a Yahoo search engine, for your searches Yahoo will give Ispad 1c for each of your searches. It is a good way to help us in addition to writing a check. The first time when you go to www.Goodsearch. com please identify Indian Subcontinent Parti-tion Documentation Project, a non-profit tax-exempt organization in New York, as your cause to help. After that you don’t have to do anything. In goodshop.com, a part of Goodsearch, practically all businesses from A to Z are listed. If you buy through them then Yahoo will donate a small part of the cost to Ispad.

***************************

Books by Probini supporters:

(Proceeds go to Probini or Ispad)

Mukti: Free to be Born Again – Partitions of Indian Subcontinent, Islamism, Hindu-ism, Leftism and Liberation of the Faithful, Author House. Indiana; December 2015; ISBN 978-1-4969-4483-2 http://empireslastcasualty.blogspot.com/2015/ 12/mukti-free-to-be-born-again-partitions. Html. It is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Ispad: Partition Center Office

2020 ISPaD: Partition Center Journal; authors include Prof. Atanu Sarkar, Arijit Aditya, Prof. Mohindar Singh Seehra, Prof. Sachi G. Dastidar, Sudipto Das, Prof. Pervez Hoodbhoy and Dr. Youngsoo Kong.

Available at Ispad Office for $5 or $7 in-cluding postage. Call 917-524-0035 or email at ispad1947@gmail.com, or write to ISPaD, 85-60 Parsons Blvd, Jamaica, NY 11432.

4. Purbachal Ananda Foundation, Bankura and Durgapur: The organization is running 4 Homes where shelters are provided for urban homeless people who are poor, aged, infirm and vagabond. Each home can afford 50 shelter less people who are provided with food, shelter, medicine, education and entertainment. The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to the chair, followed by a sumptuous lunch and networking. **************************

Good News from Twichang Girls’

Hostel in Mizoram State, India

Since our Fall 2019 newsletter with an appeal from Twichang school, Pro-bini Foundation was able to raise funds to complete the girls’ dormitory. Hopefully, it will be completed before monsoon! Thanks to all supporters!

**************************** Appeal from

PURBACHAL ANANDA FOUNDATION

Dear Respected Sir (translated): On behalf of ashram residents, workers and committee members, we offer pronam to you.