“To help those affected by the floods is the responsibility of every human being, and more so the responsibility to those of us who are Bengali - let us lead by example.” - Fatema Khatun, Executive Director of Network Bangla.

The current floods in Bangladesh and South Asia have been the worst in recent history. The whole world has been awakened to the suffering and struggles faced by the survivors. It is with this in mind that Network Bangla held its Eid event - 'Network:Eid' - in association with Muslim Aid.

Network Bangla is the most vibrant and fastest growing Bengali organisation of it's kind in the United Kingdom. It aims to connect all of the Bengalis in the UK so that they can share skills, contacts and help one another to obtain the success its members aspire to achieve.

On Saturday 20th October 2007, Network Bangla held their third, sold out event, 'Network:Eid', in Sonargaon Restaurant, Osborne St. This youthful, energetic and dynamic organisation held true to its aims, and delivered its unique brand of networking, celebrating and charity fundraising.

Just as in past events, Network Bangla brought together individuals from all over the country and different sectors of employment. The members present included those who had travelled from Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester, and Birmingham. The sectors represented were just as varied, as the venue was packed with doctors, solicitors, finance officials, chiefs, manual labourers, singers, models and students. It is this ability that makes Network Bangla exceptional.

The show was hosted by Network Bangla’s Fatema Khatun. The evening started with an introduction to the aims of Network Bangla, presented by the other Executive Directors, Dr Koyes Ahmed and Ms Sulthana Begum, explaining more about their motto, “success through networking”.

This was then followed by a highly emotional speech by Yahyah from Muslim Aid, sharing with the audience the extent of how much support is needed in Bangladesh and the degree to how adversely the floods have affected the country.

Yahyah encouraged people to help not just in donation but in person. To return to the homeland and lend our skills and resources, to experience first hand just how much difference a single person can make, and how every single penny raised will help those that are vastly in need.

The significance of Eid ul Fitr, the celebration of the end of Ramazan, and fasting, was explained in a separate speech by Dr Jabed Rahman, a key member the Network Bangla Committee.

The first half of the show concluded with traditional and contemporary singing from up-and-coming British Bengali sensation, Haroun. This made for an awe-inspiring experience to watch third and fourth generation Bengalis in a packed out venue listening to and embracing traditional Baul and Folk songs.

A quiz then followed, acting as a brilliant ice breaker, as people had to work in teams and put aside any nerves. The questions ranged from important dates in the Bangladeshi calendar to solving riddles. Network Bangla thus illustrated how it is succeeding in breaking the barrier by redressing and presenting traditional Bangladesh in a fresh and vibrant manner, from history to music. It is the subtlety in which this organisation works that makes it unique; it is patriotic without the patrons, it teaches without the lessons.

However, as with previous events, it was the second half of the show - the networking session - that proved to be the real star of the night. With a skilful team of network facilitators introducing individuals to individuals, cards were being exchanged and conversation flowed. The professional Photography (thanks to Verve Studios) and Mendhi sessions (thanks to Sultry Reflections) provided a fantastic way to capture the evening and also raise money for the Flood Appeal. The evening lasted longer than anticipated as members were so engrossed, they didn’t want to leave! Put simply, the event was an outstanding success.

The evening raised a fantastic £720 for the Flood Appeal, which is equivalent to over 100,000 takas in Bangladesh, at the currency exchange rate at the time the money was given to Muslim Aid. This fund would cover costs of things such as water and sanitation and shelter needs, installing tube wells and sanitary latrines, as well as distributing food packs and medicines. So a special thank you goes to every single person who attended and helped raise this money, and to everyone who helped organise it.

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