| ABAC is the acronym for the Academy of
Bangla Arts and Culture. ABAC, pronounced
'awe-BAAK,' is a Bangla (or Bengali)
word that connotes wonder or awe.
Bangla is a language, an ethnicity, and for about
a fifth of a billion people of this planet, a
critical component of their identity. According to
the Summer Institute for Linguistics’ Ethnologue
Survey, almost 200 million people consider Bangla
their native language, making it the fourth-most
widely spoken language in the world. (Other influential
surveys rank it at the fifth or sixth positions.)
Bangla, also referred to as Bengali, is the modern
Indo-Aryan Language of Bengal, which is a geographical
region in the East Indian subcontinent, comprising
the country of Bangladesh and the Indian state
of West Bengal.
ABAC, the Academy of Bangla Arts and Culture,
is a 501(C)(3) non-profit, cultural organization,
serving the Dallas-Forth Worth Metroplex since
1989, with the generous support of the Irving
Arts Center, your tax-deductible donations,
and the selfless dedication and hard work of countless
individuals.
The mission of ABAC includes participation
and encouraging participation of individuals and
groups in cultural, artistic, and academic events,
to foster exchange of ideas, and create environments,
experiences and events conducive to learning and
intellectual growth.
Specific activities of ABAC include -
- study circles, seminars, conferences, semiformal
discussion sessions, invited lectures, and readings;
- stage performances, including theatrical
productions, dance, vocal and instrumental music,
and recitations;
- a bangla language, music and dance school
for children in Irving, Texas.
The vision of ABAC is to have a far reaching
impact on the thoughts, ideologies and activities
of people affiliated with the language, arts,
culture, philosophies, mores, and mythologies
of the people of, or with roots in, Bangladesh
and West Bengal, India. The Academy endeavors
to foster an awareness and appreciation of the
highest levels of creative work of the Bengali-loving
intelligentsia among the intellectually curious
in Irving, the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, and
strives to reach out to the citizens of a global
community encompassing Bangladesh, West Bengal,
and any other geographical area attainable.
ABAC's Board of Directors |
