Adhunika's Annual Fundraising Event

Date: Saturday, May 9, 2026 Time: 5:00 - 9:00 PM (Doors Open at 5:00 PM)

Venue: Art House Productions, 345 Marin Blvd, Jersey City, NJ 07302

LIMITED SEATING – GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY!

General Admission: $90 ($100 at the door)

Children (15 & under) & Students (with ID): $20 ($30 at the door)

Dear Friends,

You are cordially invited to Adhunika’s Annual Fundraising Event as we celebrate 24 years of empowering women & children in Bangladesh!

We are deeply honored to have BABNA KARIM of the legendary rock band Warfaze join us, one of Bangladesh’s heavy metal pioneers! Warfaze is a recipient of the 2026 Ekushey Padak award, marking a historic first for the Bangladeshi rock band. Babna will be accompanied by RICHARD BOSE, WASI NAYEEM, RAJIB RAHMAN, AND MITHUN. Prepare for an evening of powerhouse performances in Jersey City’s vibrant arts district!

Your support through ticket purchases and donations will help sustain our mission and support impactful causes through the following organizations.

Our partnerships:

• Cartoon People's 'Girls Do Comics Project’ – a comics anthology initiative, mentoring women in publishing comics that tell stories of women by women.

• Dhaka DocLab – Providing grants and training for Bangladeshi women documentary filmmakers.

• Sajida Foundation – Connecting marginalized Dalit communities with women entrepreneurs and offering skills, training, and health services to Dalit women.

• Samhati – A U.S.-based non-profit supporting schoolchildren in Bangladesh through scholarships and providing bicycles for girls commuting to school

• UPL's Adopt-A-Library Project – Honoring Adhunika's supporters' loved ones by expanding access to knowledge, delivering books to thousands of children and young readers across Bangladesh.

Network with fellow supporters, hear from donors and volunteers, and enjoy a night of celebration. Refreshments will be available for purchase.

We look forward to celebrating with you and making a difference together! Please invite friends and family to join this meaningful cause.

With gratitude,

Adhunika Foundation

DATE: Saturday, May 9, 2026

VENUE: Art House Productions, 345 Marin Blvd, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302

TIME: 5 - 9pm EST

LIMITED SEATING – GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY!

General Admission: $90 ($100 at the door)

Children (15 & under) & Students (with ID): $20 ($30 at the door)

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Art House Productions is easily accessible via two PATH Stations:

• Grove Street Station (1-min walk, 371 feet away) – located at the corner of Grove Street and Christopher Columbus Drive, served by Newark-World Trade Center and Journal Square-33rd Street lines.

• Exchange Place (0.5 miles away) – located at 68 Christopher Columbus Drive, served by Newark-World Trade Center and Hoboken-World Trade Center lines.

PARKING

Limited free and paid street parking is available throughout Jersey City. Metered street parking can be paid via exact change or the ParkMobile App. For full details, visit:

DRAMA:

LADYLAND is a bold, contemporary musical adaptation of Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain's 1905 seminal feminist utopian story, Sultana's Dream. Set in 2026 in Jackson Heights, Queens, NYC, the play reimagines the original "Ladyland" as a vibrant, modern battlefield for identity, freedom, and generational change. It explores the clash between traditional expectations and progressive dreams through the eyes of Sultana, a young Bangladeshi-American woman navigating the pressures of family, culture, and her own burgeoning vision of a world where women truly rule.

This is an ensemble piece, with a wonderful cast of characters who collectively embody the struggle for peace, justice, and liberation in a world transformed by women's power. The story unfolds through dynamic scenes that move from the suffocating chorus of societal judgments to a heated domestic conflict, and finally into a dreamscape where gender roles are radically reversed. With original movement and a powerful ensemble, the piece interrogates the weight of the "male gaze" and champions a future built on equality, safety, and sisterhood.

Written and Directed by Ruponti Wazid, a Bangladeshi-American Actress from Queens. A graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts with a B.F.A in Drama, minor in Film and minor in Business of Entertainment, Media and Technology. Ruponti brings her personal lens and professional craft to this urgent, imaginative revival of a classic feminist text to display how much have things really changed?

PERFORMER BIOs:

Babna Karim is a celebrated Bangladeshi musician, composer, and former bassist/vocalist of the legendary rock band Warfaze, one of the country’s earliest heavy metal pioneers. He joined the band in 1986, contributing to its foundational sound and writing several of its most iconic songs, including “Ekti Chele,” “Boshe Achi,” “Bicchinno Abeg,” and the timeless classic “Obak Bhalobasha.”

His composition “Obak Bhalobasha” remains one of Bangladesh’s most beloved rock tracks and continues to resonate across generations, recently reimagined in Coke Studio Bangla (2024) with Babna himself appearing in the rendition. Now residing in the U.S., Babna Karim’s influence on Bangladeshi rock music endures as a defining creative force behind Warfaze’s early legacy.

Richard Argha Bose is a dynamic and passionate musician known for his exceptional guitar work, rhythmic precision, and remarkable talent for vocal harmonization. Trained from an early age by his father, accomplished music director Dipok Bose, Richard developed a deep musical foundation that continues to shape his distinctive sound and collaborative spirit.

His performance experience spans multiple states and diverse musical communities. While in California, Richard played with the band Swaraj, where he honed his live performance skills and expanded his stylistic range. He is currently an active member of the Virginia-based musical group Komolapur Express, contributing his signature harmonies and rhythmic expertise to the ensemble’s vibrant sound. Blending technical skill with heartfelt expression, Richard brings both professionalism and infectious energy to every performance—making him not only a skilled musician, but also a joy to hear and collaborate with.

Wasi Nayeem is a highly esteemed musician within the Bengali community in North America who strives earnestly to en-hance his musical prowess. His ambition encompasses not only his personal growth but also the facilitation of knowledge dissemination in the realm of music. He has had the privilege of showcasing his talents on stage alongside numerous renowned Bangladeshi vocal-ists, as well as local artists.

Rajib Rahman worked on more than 70 different albums, either as a Singer, Song Writer, Music Composer, Musician, Sound Engineer & as a Producer & most of those albums were released from Bangladesh. Along with lots of other of his top chart hit songs, "Nitol Paye" was one of them, which was written & sung by him. As a Music Composer, he worked on the background score (Music) on an award-winning tele-film, called "Monpura". Rajib Rahman is the Producer of the very 1st officially released full Hip-Hop album in Bangladesh, called "Stoic Bliss". Since 2002, Rajib Rahman has been touring USA as a session musician with many celebrity artists/ legends from Bangladesh & from 2005, he has been running his own Recording Studio called "Warfare" Recording Studio or "Rajib Rahman Production" or "Double "R" Production".

In year 2010, as a assistant Sound Engineer, Rajib Rahman worked in "Institute of Audio Research" with Grammy Nominated Studio Engineer "Steven Eigner", who was a Sound Engineer, Musician & Composer of "The Bee Gees", "Jay Z", "Justin Timberlake", "Nelly", "Mary J", "Tupac Shakur" & many others in Hollywood.

Mithun is a creative, accomplished and self-directed drummer with over 20 years of experience with touring live performance and recording session talents. He has performed in more than 600 TV live shows and 2,000+ concerts and corporate musical events in Bangladesh and abroad. He has performed a broad range of musical styles, including Alternative Rock, Folk, Americana, Celtic, Jamband, Funk, R&B, Zydeco, and The Blues. He received the Dhaka University Best Drummer Award in 2022, Gaan Bangla Drummer Award in 2019, and OIC Golden Jubilee 50 years Performance Award in 2019.

ABOUT ADHUNIKA FOUNDATION: Adhunika is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable volunteer based organization dedicated to promoting and empowering Bangladeshi women worldwide. Since its founding in March 2002 in New York, USA, we have worked to create positive social change and advance gender equality in Bangladesh.

www.adhunika.org

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