Menendez for the Bangladeshi community in NJ.
Paterson, New Jersey is home to the second largest Bangladeshi American population, after New York City.
Festival celebrates Bangladeshi culture
Sunday, July 1, 2012 Last updated: Sunday July 1, 2012, 8:56 AM
The Bangladeshi population of North Jersey celebrated in summer festivals across the across the Metropolitan area on Saturday, braving 90-degree temperatures for a taste of traditional food, clothing and music.
In Paterson, children played with silly string, bubble guns and balloons while adults perused a collection of vendors for bright-colored jewelry, summer dresses and formalwear. During the evening, as temperatures cooled, popular Bangladeshi folk singer Fakir S. Uddin graced a stage before a crowd of some 300 people.
“We are festival-like people, especially in the summertime,” said Dewan A. Chowdhury, the festival’s organizer and secretary of the community group Probakas. “It’s the kind of cultural thing to be together, have fun.”
Paterson has the highest concentration of Bangladeshis in New Jersey. That city’s 2nd ward recently elected Mohammed Akhtaruzzaman, who would join only a handful of Bangladeshi-Americans to hold elected municipal office in the state if he survives a residency challenge this month.
U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., was among the attendees.
“I’m thrilled to be back from Washington to be with the Bangladeshi community here in Paterson,” Menendez said in a brief speech.
“We admire the contributions the community has made — in business, entrepreneurial spirit and in education, especially in the fields of math and science.”
The 6-month-old Bengal Sweets & Restaurant in Paterson dished up chicken, biryani and mango lassis at the event. The cuisine, very close to Indian but spicier, has been selling well in the city, said the restaurant’s manager, Mohammed K. Ahmed.