• banglaobiswa@gmail.com
  • Boston, Massachusetts
Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the annual membership fee for being a Bangla-O-Biswa member?

Bangla-O-Biswa offers annual membership. Being a non-profit organization, our aim is to balance our income with our expenditures.

Thus, the membership fee is adjusted every year depending on our expenditures. Membership rates are different for individuals and families.

The current rates may be obtained from our membership page.

  • How do I become a Bangla-O-Biswa member?

To become a member, you have different options to choose from that best fit your requirements. Payments can either be made by check to “Bangla-O-Biswa” or by cash at the Picnic or Durga Puja event. It can also be bought online.

Checks are to be made payable to Bangla-O-Biswa and endorsed as “deposit only” on the back.

Please note that Bangla-O-Biswa does not have a pro-rated membership system. Our membership is for one year and starts on July 1st and ends on June 30th of the following year.

  •     Are Amit Kumar tickets included within the Annual Membership?

Amit Kumar Concert is a special event on October 20, 2023. The concert tickets are available at a discounted price for our annual members for the membership year 2023-2024. Please see the following table for these discounted tickets (last row in green is for Amit Kumar concert tickets for annual members). You can get them when you buy our Annual membership at https://banglabiswa.org/amit_kumar/ by selecting “Annual Family / Individual membership tickets with Amit Kumar Concert”

  •      Are Joy-Lopa and Bhoomi concert tickets included in Annual Membership?

Yes, Annual members get free tickets for Joy-Lopa and Bhoomi concerts on October 22nd and October 21st respectively. Tickets for 2 adults and up to 2 kids in the General category are included for Family members for each of these events. Tickets for 1 Adult in the General category will be provided for Individual members for each of these events.

The Annual membership price is discounted till July 31st, 2023. Please get your Annual membership at either of the below links to get free Joy-Lopa and Bhoomi concert tickets for your family.

https://banglabiswa.org/lopa_joy_tickets/

https://banglabiswa.org/bhoomi_tickets/

Select Annual Family/Individual membership in the Ticket Type dropdown.

  • What events are included in Family or Individual annual membership?

Four Annual events in the membership year between July 2023 and June 2024 is included in the Family or Individual Annual membership

1.     Members Appreciation Day (Annual Picnic) 2023

2.     Durga Puja 2023

3.     Saraswati Puja 2024

4.     Basanta Utsav (Spring Festival) 2024

Annual members get free access to all these four events along with General Tickets to the Durga Puja concerts on October 21 and October 22, 2023

Please note that the Amit Kumar concert on October 20, 2023, is a special event. Discounted tickets are available for our annual members for this special event.

  • What about tickets for kids? Do I need to buy them separately? Are they included in membership?

Yes, up to Two Kids tickets (less than 18 years) for the Joy-Lopa and Bhoomi concerts on October 22 and October 21, 2023 are included in the Annual Family membership.

  • I want to attend Durga Puja along with Amit Kumar concert. What do I buy?

You have the option to buy any Durga Puja package along with Amit Kumar concert tickets. Along with  that you also have a 3Day package option which will have 2 Amit Kumar Bronze Tier tickets + 2 Day Durga Puja package.

  •    I want to only attend Puja but not watch any concerts? What do I buy?

 All our Durga Puja packages will include the concerts on October 21 (Bhoomi) or/and October 22 (Joy-Lopa). Please walk-in to our Puja on these dates and the front desk will have Donation tickets for you to attend Puja without watching any of these concerts.

  •     Will you have baby sitting arrangements?

Yes, we will be planning to have baby-sitting arrangements during the concerts on October 20th , 21st  and 22nd. Once you have purchased the tickets, please send an email to banglaobiswa@gmail.com for registering your child for Baby-sitting with the Concert date, Name, Age, Parent’ Name and Parent’s Phone number.

  •    I have got  Amit Kumar tickets in Bronze category? How do I upgrade?

If you have got tickets for Amit Kumar and want to upgrade to the next level, please send an email to banglaobiswa@gmail.com and someone will contact you to process your upgrade request.

  •    I have got individual Amit Kumar tickets? How do I get annual membership now?

Please send an email to banglaobiswa@gmail.com with the request and someone will contact you to process your annual membership after adjusting the discount to the Amit Kumar tickets.

  •  I have got Annual membership but did not buy the Amit Kumar concert tickets? How do I get them now?

Please send an email to banglaobiswa@gmail.com with the request and someone will contact you to process your Amit Kumar concert tickets which are discounted for our Annual members.

  • Do I have to volunteer if I buy Annual membership?

Volunteering is optional. We welcome our annual members to volunteer and participate in all our events. But we understand their priorities and that volunteering might not be possible for some of our members.

  • What is included in Patron and Grand Patron membership?

Please visit https://banglabiswa.org/membership/ to understand benefits for our Patron and Grand Patron members.

  •  Is the upcoming picnic a paid event?

The upcoming Picnic on August 12, 2023 is free for our Annual members. Non-members will need to pay a nominal per person fee.

  • I want to come and just offer Anjali for Durga Puja. Do I need to buy any tickets?

Currently, we are not selling Anjali-only online tickets. Please walk-in to our Puja on and the front desk will have Donation tickets for you to attend Anjali.

  • I have not received any tickets but have a PayPal confirmation. Where do I get tickets after I buy them?

You will collect your physical tickets at the Registration desk. Please bring and show your PayPal confirmation to an associate at our registration desk.

  •  Is food included in the concert ticket price?

Food is not included for the Amit Kumar Individual show tickets. You will have the option to buy food at the event.

Food is included for the VIP tickets in the Bhoomi and Joy-Lopa concerts.

Food is not included for the General tickets in the Bhoomi and Joy-Lopa concerts. You will have the option to buy food at the event.

Food is included in all our Annual membership and Puja packages for both Saturday and Sunday.

  •  I have already subscribed to Bangla O Biswa newsletters but I keep getting the pop-up message to subscribe. Do I need to subscribe again?

No, your subscription is recorded once you enter your information for the first time. Please ignore any subsequent pop-ups.

  • What discounts are available for Annual membership? How long are they available?

The general price for:

Annual Membership tickets: Family/Individual: $350/$210.

o   Bhoomi Show General Tickets are free with the Membership for 2 adults and up to 2 kids; to upgrade to VIP tickets: please pay $20/ticket additional.

o   Joy-Lopa Show General Tickets are free with the Membership for 2 adults and up to 2 kids; to upgrade to VIP tickets: please pay $25/ticket additional.

o   Amit Kumar Special Event Concert tickets with Annual membership is discounted by $20): $105/$80/$55/$30.

  • What discounts are available for concert tickets? How long are they available?

The general price for the concert tickets are:

o   Amit Kumar Concert on October 20, 2023 –

VVIP/Gold/Silver/Bronze

$125/$100/$75/$50

o   Bhoomi Concert on October 21, 2023 –

VIP/General

$65/$45

o   Joy-Lopa Concert on October 22, 2023 –

VIP/General

$75/$50

 The early-bird discounted price till August 15th for the concert tickets are:

o   Amit Kumar Concert on October 20, 2023 –

VVIP/Gold/Silver/Bronze

$100/$80/$60/$40

o   Bhoomi Concert on October 21, 2023 –

VIP/General

$50/$35

o   Joy-Lopa Concert on October 22, 2023 –

VIP/General

$60/$40

  •  I don’t see any Puja packages? How do I buy just puja packages? Will Amit Kumar concert be included in this year’s Puja packages?

Our Durga puja packages are released at https://banglabiswa.org/durgapuja-2023/. You have the option to buy the Durga Puja package along with Amit Kumar concert tickets. All our Durga Puja packages includes two concert tickets on October 21 (Bhoomi) or/and October 22 (Joy-Lopa). Amit Kumar concert tickets will have to be bought separately. Concert tickets for kids and grandparents will need to be bought separately. You can also get 3 Day Package which will have all the facilities of 2Day Durga Puja package + 1/2 Bronze Tier ticket for Amit Kumar Concert.

  • Can I participate in Bangla-O-Biswa’s annual events without being a member?

Yes. In order to participate in Bangla-O-Biswa’s events you have to make a contribution to cover our costs by paying the Non-Member fees.

  •  When does Bangla-O-Biswa’s financial year begin?

For tax-filing purposes, Bangla-O-Biswa follows the January to December financial year but the membership year is from July 1st to June 30th of the following year.

  • When are my membership fees due?

You will have to renew your membership each year. Membership fees for one-time payments are due by Durga Puja of that year.

If you choose to become a Member by event you will have to pay the membership fees during the event plus the fees for those events. Membership fees will have to be paid only once during the membership year.

  • What are Bangla-O-Biswa events and special events?

Bangla-O-Biswa organizes four regular events during each year:

    • Saraswati Puja
    • Basanta Utsav (Spring Festival)
    • Members Appreciation day (Annual Picnic)
    • Durga Puja

It may also organize special fund-raising events for the relief of distress and other charitable causes involving Bengali and other Indian traditional and contemporary music, drama, and dance performances.