The Association of Bangladeshi Students and Scholars at WSU is an organization that hosts a variety of events to create a sense of community for Bangladeshi students.
One of the events ABSS hosts is Bangladeshi night, the most recent one having been held 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Oct. 29 in the CUB senior ballroom.
“The goal of ABSS is to create a warm environment for our Bangladeshi community here,” ABSS vice president Tazin Rehman said. “As a part of that, every year we organize Bangladeshi night, which is to showcase our rich culture, traditions and heritage.”
Rehman said the Bangladeshi night event was started in 2014 and has been hosted annually every year since.
ABSS cultural secretary Saraf Promi said the club typically sees around 250 people in attendance at the event.
The event will feature both cultural performances and authentic Bangladeshi cuisine, Promi said.
“We start from 5 o’clock in the evening and go until 8, and we have a 40 minute break for dinner,” she said. “Besides that, all the time is dedicated to cultural performances.”
A majority of the performances are centered around Bangladeshi song and dance, as well as recitations and showcases of Bangladeshi fashion, Promi said.
ABSS has received internal funding from ASWSU, the International Student Council, the GPSA and the Residence Hall Association for Bangladeshi night, as well as external funding from GESA and US Bank, Rehman said.
“Those sources are our funding sources, and the rest of our budget is coming from ticket sales, membership fees and donations,” she said.
Other than Bangladeshi night, ABSS also holds an event for International Mother Language Day in February every year. The International Mother Language Day event is held on a similar scale and honors Bangla, the language most commonly spoken in Bangladesh. The event also celebrates multiculturalism and includes involvement from other multicultural RSOs on campus, Rehman said.
The Bangladeshi community in Pullman is quite large and tight-knit, Promi said. Including alumni, current students, families and children there are about 100 people from the Bangladeshi community that currently live in Pullman.
There are many alumni who have graduated and moved away from Pullman, but who come back to attend Bangladeshi night and show their support for ABSS, she said. Many of these people also make donations or provide other technical support to ABSS.
“We share all events of our life with each other, and that actually helps us to organize an event this big, because everyone helps,” Promi said
While there are nine members on the board for ABSS, it would be nearly impossible to host a large event with just the members of the club, Promi said.
“We actually take help from the whole community,” she said. “They are very eager and very supportive. We couldn’t do it alone.”
