Never in history, how much mankind could achieve, was ever limited by our means, but was determined by how far our dreams could stretch. The dramatic developments that the global economy has experienced in the second half of the last century in art and music, science and technology, and medicine and materials, are indeed profound. Together, they provide us with a sharper set of tools for solving even more difficult and complex problems.

Bengal with its rich cultural, spiritual, intellectual, and economic heritage, and multitude of success stories in different fields of human endeavor worldwide, today collectively presents a gloomy picture; a picture which is continually fading, a picture which is difficult to preserve, a picture which is painful for its people residing within and abroad to decipher. It is indeed a Great Enigma?

In concert with the leaders within the region, close to one million Bengalis living abroad in “surplus” economic environments, must now, through innovative cultural and economic linkages effect fundamental changes in the lives of our grass roots suffering from “multi-dimensional deficits”. We collectively must consider refreshing our past, cleansing our minds, and rekindling our spirit to create the new vibrancy. A towering role for Bengalis on the global stage is overdue and it is my hope through the series of seminars organized under the auspices of Banga Sammelan in Boston, we will put in place a process, which will trigger a Renaissance in Bengal and the entire subcontinent.

The Renaissance must draw each individual in the region into a process of “all-round” bottom-up development. Through in depth discussions on different aspects of socio-economic advancement, during this conference on July 6 through 8th we expect to draw up a blue print, which will trigger and guide thousands of initiatives in the Delta of Padma-Ganga-Brahmaputra, and in turn the sub-continent. After all “Only when thousand flowers bloom, the garden looks beautiful”.

Partha S Ghosh