Not just the state’s rich cultural heritage, Banga Sammelan 2007, in Detroit, should also highlight the industrial progress in the state, finance minister Asim Dasgupta said on Wednesday.

He was speaking at the kick-off meeting of the 27th North American Bengali Conference (NABC) at Calcutta Club. The event, from June 29 to July 1, 2007, at the Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan, will showcase Bengali art, culture and tradition for the world.

Jayanta Hazra, NABC president, hoped the event would be as successful as the previous ones, which had drawn queries from potential investors in the state.

The theme for NABC 2007 is Progotir Pathe (road to progress). The preliminary selection list for the event includes Bangla band Chandrabindoo, Babul Supriyo, Shaan, Shreya Ghosal, Swagatalakshmi Dasgupta, Bikram Ghosh, Dona Ganguly, Srabani Sen, Nabanita Deb Sen, Konkona Sen Sharma. Members from the fields of business and sports will also participate.

The meeting at Calcutta Club was attended by Left Front chairman Biman Bose, industrialist Harsh Neotia, theatre personality Rudraprasad Sengupta and others.