Partition Center’s (ISPaD) Baisakh New Year Luncheon, Award Presentation, and Electing a New Chair

 

Partition Center’s (ISPaD)

Baisakh New Year Luncheon, Award Presentation, and

Electing a New Chair

Partition Center Report

On Saturday, May 14, 2022, the Indian Subcontinent Partition Documentation Project (ISPaD) held its annual Baisakh New Year luncheon at a restaurant in Queens, New York City. This tradition was first organized by Probini Foundation in early 1990s which educates poor and the orphaned in the Subcontinent, but last year it was merged with ISPaD.

The meeting started with thhe introduction of the Board by Prof. Tom Lilly, which also includes Mr. Dilip Chakravorti, Dr. Shefali S. Dastidar, Dr. Alireza Ebrahimi, Mr. Shuvo Roy, and Dr. Sachi G. Dastidar, Chair. Following that ISPaD honored the following:

ISPaD’s honorees were Dr. Dilip Nath, Mr. Khurshidul Islam, and Dr. Becke Kalmans.

Dilip Nath

 

Khurshidul Islam

 Dilip Nath: Dr. Dilip Nath has been a pioneering member of Partition Project providing leadership from its inception. Nath developed a reputation as a community and labor activist, visionary, team player, compassionate, and dedicated leader. He gained the respect of his community as one who is honest and efficient due to his unwavering integrity. Nath’s involvements and concerns include a wide range of problems that affect his community. He worked on issues such as affordable health care, hate crimes, immigrant rights, domestic violence, environmental issues, improving elderly care, improving the public educational system, children’s day care and after school programs, affordable housing, and improving and making transportation efficient. Dilip led the fight to save local hospitals and local communities’ vital services. Most importantly he has been a relentless advocate here in the USA for the religious minorities in the U.S. and Bangladesh.

Dilip serves on many professional and nonprofit boards including ISPaD. He is president and founder of New American Voters Association (NAVA), he brought the organization’s success in emerging prominence of the Queens’ immigrant community. He brought together people of different cultures and ethnicities, adding to the fabric of the diverse tapestry that is our community, state and nation. He hold a top position at a State University of New York campus. Dilip is married to Dipa, and is father of two sons.

ISPaD’s Board elected Dr. Dilip Nath to the Chair of the non-profit.

 

His citation was given to him by, from left of the picture, Ms. Lois Marbach, Dr. Bhola Banik, Mrs. Swapna Mukherji, and Dr. Sachi G. Dastidar

Khurshidul Islam: Mr. Khorshidul Islam was born in British India, now Bangladesh. During Pakistani rule of Ayub Khan he was imprisoned for his liberal views. He Passed MA in Economics. Islam joined the war of Bangladesh Liberation in 1971 and took guerrilla training from the Indian Army in present day Meghalaya, India. After independence he joined the trade union movement and was elected a member of the Central Committee of the Bangladesh Trade Union Center. In 1983, he was elected a central member of the second Congress. In 1970 when Bangladesh Field Workers Association was formed, he was elected a member of its Central Committee.

He got married to Saleha Akhtar in 1970. As a lifelong non-communal democratic progressive activist. He has always been active and vocal against various communal violence in Chittagong, especially after the demolition of Babri Mosque in India during Ershad regime in Bangladesh. The fuel was used to vandalize Hindu houses and temples in different parts of the country. He took an enterprising role in maintaining peace in the society by taking initiative against it. In the U.S. he founded the Progressive Forum USA, a community organization. This is the first progressive forum in the Bengali community. 

 

His citation was handed over by, from left of the picture, Dr. Shefali S. Dastidar, Mrs. Aloka Sinha, Mrs. Nandita Bagchi, Dr. Alireza Ebrahimi, Dr. Sachi G. Dastidar, and Mr. Prabal Mukherji

Becke Kalmans: Professor Dr. Becke Kalmans has been a supporter of Partition Project from its inception. As soon as she learned of the non-profit, and realizing its necessity and potential, she invited Indian Subcontinent Partition Documentation Project to be located at an office space of Politics, Economics and Law Department of the State University of New York at Old Westbury, It flourished there for many years until it moved to its current space in Jamaica neighborhood of Queens in New York City.

Dr. Kalmans is an economist who graduated from New York University. She taught at SUNY Old Westbury for decades until she retired and moved to New Mexico state in mid 2010s. She is a world traveler visiting nations in Africa, Europe, Asia and South America. Her award was presented virtually. She gave a short speech via phone. ISPaD missed her presence.

 

From left, Dr. Shefali S. Dastidar, Mrs. Saleha Islam, Mr. Khurshidul Islam, Dr. Sachi G. Dastidar, Dr. Dilip Nath, Dr. Alireza Ebrahimi, and Dr. Tom Lilly.

Her citation was presented by Dr. Tom Lilly with Dr. Alireza Ebrahimi, Mr. Dilip Chakravorti, Ms. Malini Kumar, and Mr. Shuvo Dastidar.

 

New Chair: Dr. Sachi G. Dastidar, current chair, then announced Dr. Dilip Nath’s election as the new Chair of ISPaD Board. All the attendees congratulated Dilip for assuming the leadership position. Following that everybody was reminded of upcoming August meeting commemorating Partition of India and independence of India and Pakistan. It was also announced that there may be forums with visiting scholars from India and Pakistan. They are interested in visiting the Partition Center office. 

 

For information, please visit www.ispad1947.org, Partition Center’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube’s ispad1947 channel. Email ispad1947@gmail.com, Phone: 917-524-0035.