* my time in adhunika
My first benefit concert with Adhunika was in October 2009. Ten minutes before show time, I was sitting in the entrance hall, right behind where the tickets were being collected, with Faisal Jalal (who had just driven in from Boston), practicing the song I was about to perform for the first time! I was introduced to Adhunika at 14 years of age by my aunt Shaila Zaman, she & her husband Sujan Bin Wadud had been a part of Adhunika when they lived in New York. After that, I got introduced to Bashma and Ditiya, and we went and formed the band Tin Konna coined by Shahnaz Yousuf – the founder of Adhunika.
Our first concert together was going to be the Bijoy Dibosh (Victory Day) celebration, and the aim was that it was meant to be for our generation of children in the US, who don’t really know much about the history of Bangladesh, and we were to try and present it in an interesting but informative way. Bashma, Ditiya, and I, because we are of similar ages, and similar experiences with our cultures, had a great time getting together and preparing for the shows. Both of them are extremely musically talented, and I had a great time working with them. We made fun of the little third culture kid quirks we all had, like how we had the habit of translating everything our parents said in Bangla to English so our friends could understand them, how the Bangladeshis in us worked out everything as last minute as possible.
Adhunika taught me a lot, not only about my culture and my language, but I met an amazing group of committed people, who volunteer and work extremely hard to make everything possible. Adhunika’s also a great way to get to know more places in New York – lobbies of hotels, public schools, meeting rooms, awesome cafes! The most important part of Adhunika is the fact that whatever is done in New York is actually helping a girl in Bangladesh. Adhunika has been a big part of my life in New York, it was not only a growing experience for me, but also a memorable part of my life. As I have now moved to the UK, I can only wish everyone the best, and hope to move back to New York as soon as possible so I can be part of the family again!
Proma Roy
Friend of Adhunika since 2009
Member of Adhunika’s house band Tin Konna