Namaskar, and welcome.
The word Sarbajanin means “for everyone,” and that single idea sits at the heart of everything we do at the Gulshan-Banani Sarbajanin Puja Foundation. Our Durga Puja has never belonged to a few. It belongs to every person who walks through our gates, whatever their background, to share in the light, the music, the prayer, and the joy of these days together.
Since 2008, this foundation has grown into one of Bangladesh’s most loved Puja celebrations. Yet a festival, however beautiful, lasts only a few days. What gives it lasting meaning is what we choose to do with the rest of the year. For us, devotion and service are not two separate things. They are the same impulse, expressed in different ways.
That belief shapes how we understand our purpose. We do not see ourselves as the custodians of a festival alone, but as members of a community with responsibilities to one another. Our commitment is simple and constant: to stand beside people in their moments of need, to share what we have with those who have less, and to make sure that no one within our reach feels forgotten. This is the promise we renew every year, and it is the promise on which this foundation was built.
Nothing reflects that commitment more clearly than our scholarship programme. We began it from a simple conviction, that to invest in a child is to invest in an entire community. Each year we support deserving students who have the talent and the determination to succeed, but who need a helping hand to continue their studies. In the years ahead, I hope we can widen the reach of this programme, so that promising young people from institutions across all of Bangladesh’s divisions have an equal opportunity to benefit. A scholarship that travels further carries our shared values further.
Alongside our scholarships, our service continues throughout the year in many quiet ways. When winter arrives, we distribute warm clothing to families who feel the cold most keenly. When disaster strikes, we extend relief to those who have lost their homes and their sense of security. And we stand with people affected by violence, offering a steady hand at the very moments they need it most. This work rarely makes headlines, but for the families it reaches, it makes all the difference.
As President, my hope for this term is simple. I want us to serve more people, more meaningfully, and to do it in a way that draws in the next generation as full partners rather than onlookers. The energy, ideas, and questions that our younger members bring are, to my mind, the surest sign that our best chapters are still ahead of us. Strengthening our programmes, widening who we reach, and deepening the trust of our community will be the measures by which I hope to be judged.
To everyone visiting this website, whether members, supporters, friends old and new, or those discovering us for the first time, thank you. This foundation was built by many hands, and it will grow through many more. You are warmly invited to celebrate with us, to lend your support, or simply to learn more about who we are and what we stand for. There is a place here for you.
May Ma Durga bless you and all those you hold dear.
With warm regards,
Sri Alak Saha
President
Gulshan-Banani Sarbajanin Puja Foundation