Keen on giving back to Bengal, NRBs talk business

Kolkata: A WhatsApp group of diaspora puja committee members, established during Covid, organised their first in-person meet on Sunday, and vowed to take the congregation forward through business collaborations. About 70 non-resident Bengalis from 18 countries met, engaged in adda about Pele, and discussed business prospects. Rajesh Chatterjee, a dairy trader from Hamilton, New Zealand, said: "It's time to give back. I received much from Bengal — free education in govt school and college." He was a panellist at the Bengal Global Connect Meet 2024, orchestrated by Bengal Global Connect, the network of puja organizers from 50 countries. London-based cost accountant Anirban Mukhopadhyay, who spearheaded the initiative, said, "We are trying to transform the virtual camaraderie into a tangible one." Fellow Londoner and IT entrepreneur Tushar Das Ghose said, "Bengal possesses potential for collaborations." Atri Bhattacharya, additional chief secretary, Sundarban affairs department, said: "Bengalis must overcome their inherent inhibition in promoting their own products." Restaurateur and entrepreneur Debaditya Chowdhury said: "It's time to alter the notion that ‘Bengalis aren't cut out for business'."Bengal Olympic Association president Chandan Roy Choudhury, who hosted the event at Calcutta Rowing Club, said, "The state requires initiatives like these." Others at the meet included Mukesh Kumar and Subrata Mukhopadhyay from Indonesia, Amit Chakraborty from Germany's Stuttgart, Kaushik Ray from Australia, businessmen Partha Nandi and Meghdoot Roychowdhury, Atin Dutta, director, George Telegraph Group, and Arnab Basu, CEO, Yancha.
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