18 Oct
A small group of Indian-Canadians from the state of Bengal come together each year to celebrate their cultural heritage and to introduce their children to this important part of their roots. I went to this event a couple years ago and felt welcome as members explained their traditions and answered questions for me, an outsider.
Amar Pujo Toronto Durgotsav 2015 will be celebrated on October 23rd (Friday) till October 25th (Sunday). Bramalea Lions Hall, 45 Avondale Boulevard, Brampton, ON L6T 1H1. For more information: http://amarpujo.amarpujotoronto.org/index.php/pujo-2015; for background about this event. http://amarpujo.amarpujotoronto.org/index.php/who-we-are. This is especially good for those who you live in the Brampton area. And they have allowed pictures.
This is only one of many cultural events in Toronto. Subscribe to this website above to learn more about your neighbours. Let us know about other free or almost free events that welcome outsiders. Send posters to ruthlormalloy@gmail.com.
Copyright ©2015 Ruth Lor Malloy
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From another reader: “It was Saturday 25 october 8.50 pm.
We, which includes me, my husband and a lady friend with her 10 yr old daughter reached the venue in Brampton at 7.15 pm. We were sitting and the cultural program started then. The performers were mostly members of AMAR pujo. The main attraction of the evening was Mr Kinjal a reputed singer coming from India. His prog was supposed to start at 9.30 pm. At around 8.45 pm they announced that people without yellow wrist band have to leave the venue immediately. On further enquiry we learned that those having the yellow wrist band are members of the organization. Due to fire code the rest of the guests were asked to quit.
I fully understand that safety is first. However instead of stopping the newcommers or taking a headcount prior to letting the guests in they made it very clear that our, which includes many many more families like us, presence was not appreciated.They announced very disrespectfully that we must leave immediately. It was raining…an evening of Saturday at 9pm where would we all go in Indian outfit? We had to return back. This is so much against Bengali Culture and Tradition. That night there were many people posting their feelings on internet/face book. Thank you for looking into it.”
Re: amar pujo
Amarpujo Toronto (amarpujo@gmail.com)
To: Ruth Malloy Cc: info@amarpujotoronto.org
amarpujo@gmail.com
Good Morning Ruth,
Thank you for reaching out to us to get some clarification on the issue.
Two days after the event we issued the following apology message on our website and Facebook page.
“A big thank you to all of our members and well-wishers for your continued love and support!
This year we had a large turnout despite the uncooperative weather.
At Amar Pujo, the safety of every member and visitor is our utmost priority. On the evening of Saturday Oct 24th, our venue had reached maximum capacity as per the city’s public safety guidelines.
The situation called for a higher priority to public safety over our hospitality. Therefore we sincerely apologize for being unable to accommodate everyone into our venue and for any inconvenience caused.
We appreciate your constructive feedback and look forward to providing you with enjoyable events in the coming days.
Thank you for your understanding. If you have any further questions please contact us at info@amarpujotoronto.org”
In addition we would like to take this opportunity to clarify that the statement that “‘yellow bands were issued to Amar Pujo members only” was incorrect. Yellow bands were issued to members and all visitors who came to the information booth at the front. Everyone who checked in with our front desk was informed of this and provided with the yellow band. We had this system in place to make sure we were able to account for everyone who was at the venue and prevent the place from overcrowding as per public safety guidelines.
We would also like to reiterate that we at Amar Pujo make public safety our primary concern.
If you have any further questions about this please feel free to email us back at info@amarpujotoronto.org
Thank you for promoting our event on your blog. Sincerely, Team Amar Pujo