Renowned Bengali actress Rituparna Sengupta, was felicitated by select members of the Indian-American community and elected state officials on July 15, 2022, at the residence of Drs. Reena and Dipak Nandi in Old Westbury, New York. Organized on the sprawling grounds of the Nandi residence, the event was attended by about 150 distinguished guests. Among them was Congressman Thomas Suozzi, U.S. representative for New York’s 3rd district, who, along with Jenifer Rajkumar, member of the New York State Assembly, presented a proclamation to Sengupta from the Empire State, recognizing her accomplishments in the field of arts and culture. Besides being an immensely popular artiste of the Silver Screen and a successful producer, Rituparna is also an accomplished danseuse, having being trained in the Manipuri and Odissi dance forms of India. She regularly performs dance dramas penned by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, with her dance troupe called “Bhabna Aaj O Kaal” (Contemporary Thoughts). Rituparna is best known for her performance in more than 200 films, comprising Bengali, Hindi, English, Malayalam, Kannada and Oriya cinema. She is the recipient of many awards, including National Film Award for Best Actress in 1998 for the Bengali film “Dahan”, Anandalok Puraskar, Bengal Film Journalists’ Association Awards (BFJA), Kalakar Award, and Filmfare Critics Award.
The event was attended by leaders from various community organizations representing different regions of India such as Bengal, Punjab, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh etc., as well as organizations such as the Federation of Indian Associations and the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, and Dr. Sudhir Parikh, chairman of Parikh Worldwide Media and ITV Gold. Padma Shri recipient Dr. Parikh praised the accomplishments of Rituparna and wished her more success for the future. Film makers Mukesh Modi and Tirlok Malik were also present at the felicitation.
Rituparna thanked everyone profusely for honoring her and her husband Sanjay Chakrabarty, a techpreneur and businessman, calling it an unforgettable event and voicing her heartfelt emotions over how honored she felt at receiving the proclamation. The occasion was enlivened by live performances of Indian classical music, played on the sitar and the sarod.
Dr. Dipak Nandi, at whose residence in Old Westbury the event was organized, said in an interview afterwards, “Although we were celebrating the success of a superstar like Rituparna Sengupta, it was an evening that showed the unity of our community, every region of India, various organizations – all together celebrating an evening of music and dinner as well as the felicitation.” Dr. Nandi also delivered a brief note of thanks to Rajkumar and Suozzi for attending, and described Rajkumar, the only Indian-American woman ever to be elected to the New York State Legislature, as a “rising star” of the community. Dr. Dipak Nandi was accompanied by his wife, Dr. Reena Nandi, the graceful hostess for the evening, in welcoming the guests and thanking them for coming.