We are a group of people who believe in the richness of the Bengali Culture. This belief is not sentimental but is wrought by experiences of our lives. Many of us have seen our motherland for a long enough time to understand and inculcate in ourselves the values which transcended for centuries there. We have also had the opportunity to live in the UK and gain broader experience in the international scene over a long period of time. These two worlds of existence have provided us with the chance to analyse and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of our origins and heritage from an international perspective.

Many of us have witnessed our children growing up in the UK in a very different socio-economic background. We have been in continuous interaction with our children’s perceptions and interpretations of our original values and those of their own. This is a very complex metamorphosis into a new value system. Therefore, we would like to build on our unique experience and act as catalysts to promote the culture of our homeland as well as adopt what is good in the Western world to pass it on to the next generation.

We feel that there have been many misconceptions and misunderstandings about our culture, identity and heritage in the wider world. The media have persistently highlighted the problems and material poverty rather than the inherent strengths, richness of resources and spiritual prosperity. Often it is not appreciated that we have much to offer to the world on an equal footing. This leads to a communication gap between the two worlds. We feel that we can play an important role in bridging this gap as we believe that our understanding is well balanced and deep rooted due to our exposure to a wide range of experiences. This is not just a do-good wish, but we feel that this is a debt we owe to our posterity.

Against this backdrop, we formed our group, UDAYAN, which means in Sanskrit the “saga of emergence”. The purpose of this website is to present our viewpoints to you on wide ranging issues and also to publicise the various activities of our organisation which might be of some interest to you. We welcome your comments, views and opinions on similar issues.

OUR AIMS ARE TO: 

• Unite Bengali families and other interested groups or individuals irrespective race, religion and nationality to promote rich and vibrant identity of Bengali culture
• Raise awareness of various aspects of Bengali culture by preserving its heritage and promoting Bengali language, social values in a multicultural society in Oxfordshire.              
• Organise and celebrate various social, cultural and religious events for the whole cross section of the communities to enrich our lives amongst this ethnic diversity e.g. organising musical concerts, poetry reading, celebrating the Bengali New Year Day, the Saraswati Puja (paying homage to the goddess of learning) etc.   
• Promote understanding, harmony and bring in unity amongst various communities in Oxfordshire representing diversified racial, cultural, linguistic and religious backgrounds. We do this by organising literary events, seminars based on the songs, poetry, of the great, poet philosopher, Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
• Promote the numerous other powerful writers and cultural leaders whose work transcend the barriers of race, culture and religion to spread the message of peace and universality.
• Encourage members in the organization to take active role in community regeneration by engaging them in social and welfare activities e.g. assisting less deprived or less privileged members of the community to access mainstream services, translating, helping with reading and writing etc.