Philanthropy

 

Along with heritage and cultural activities with roots in the Indian sub continent, Calcutta Club USA members, being responsible and capable citizens, take a deep interest in the welfare of the community we live in. The club members are themselves part of a number of charitable organizations and donate time and funds generously towards multiple social causes.

 

Calcutta Club USA partners with several registered non-profit, 501(c)(3) organizations, helping to fund-raise and enhance visibility of their causes. Some of these organizations and our affiliation with them is listed below:

 

(a) The Boston Pledge, which aims to promote grass roots enterprise and job creation in developing regions, from Dorchester to India to Azerbaijan. During the Calcutta Club Book Fair event in April, 2016, some authors donated all sales of their books towards helping the causes of The Boston Pledge. 

(b) Sabitri, whose mission is to educate physically and mentally challenged children in Kolkata, India. Club founders visited Sabitri in 2016 and planned several ways of collaborating together long term to help the Sabitri children.

(c) Acton Boxboro High School ASHA team - The club performed art auctions at CuisinArt 2017 and CuisinArt 2018, at which several artists donated their live art for helping ASHA. The proceeds of the auction and other donations totaling over $1000 were sent through AB ASHA to the Prerna Girls School in Lucknow to support multiple girls with one year of education.

(d) Art Divine - This Florida based non profit seeks to showcase the artistic and cultural richness of India in the west. They are a partner of Calcutta Club USA, which has a similar mission.

(e) Acton Boxboro United Way - The Calcutta Club partners with The ABUW at multiple levels, both as a donor and also individually at a member level. At the 3rd Sanskriti Lit Fest, Calcutta Club donated $500 to ABUW, Calcutta Club founders also routinely donate directly, hold fundraisers and perform charitable auction services to ABUW, especially for fostering elder care and teen mental health programs.

(f) Somen Debnath World Bicyclist 2020 fund - The Calcutta Club held a dinner in Boston to honor Indian biker Somen Debnath, who had been traveling on his cycle since 2004 to raise awareness of HIV AIDS and has pedaled through 150 countries. The club contributed $300 to help Somen be successful in this quest to complete covering the remaining 41 countries of the world by year 2020.

(g) Independent Filmmakers - The Calcutta Club has designed new awards and monetary benefits as part of its Caleidoscope Film Festival program that seeks to provide both recognition as well as cash rewards to talented new filmmakers of South Asian origin.

(h) Indian Arts Boston Inc - Starting in 2019, Calcutta Club key public events like Caleidoscope Indian Film Festival of Boston and Sanskriti Lit Fest will be organized by Indian Arts Boston, a non profit MA organization dedicated to the promotion of Indian diaspora literary, theatrical and performing arts. Calcutta Club USA will serve as an adviser and partner to Indian Arts Boston for successful growth and execution of these events.

 

There will be more such initiatives launched within the club in the months ahead that directly enable giving back to the society around Boston and other regions in the USA.