President's Message

It is a common saying that Bengalees love to form Associations, Kali
Mandirs or Durgabaris to the extent that if three Bengalis meet on the South
Pole they will first form either an Association or a Kali Bari. So it is not a
wonder that there are innumerable Associations or Kalibaris in our country.
Some of them in Bengali dominated areas; some are in places where Bengalis
are real minorities, or even at places where they are countable in fingers. The
aims of these Associations are divergent and varied, may be religious, political,
cultural, linguistic, social or any aspect of life which needs three persons to
think together.
Bengalee Association, Bihar is completely different from them.
Bengalee Association, Bihar is a by product of India's freedom struggle.
Bengals division followed by reunion and then scooping out Bihar and Orissa
from Bengal in 1912, created a historical paradox for Bengalees living in Bihar.
All of a sudden the 'sons of the soil' became minorities and unwanted. British
administration too left no stone unturned to create a disharmony between a
Bengali speaking and Non-Bengali speaking person of Bihar. In this unfriendly
situation, Bengalee Association, Bihar was formed basing on the principle of
Harmony and Solidarity (Sananway o Sanghati) that is in an inclusive
environment to retrieve the basic rights of Bengali speaking population of
Bihar'. This Association was established by the famous Legal luminary of Patna
High Court, Barrister Prafulla Ranjan Das (P. R. Das) and was registered as per
Societies Registration Act on 7th April 1938

Dr. (Capt.) D. K. Sinha President

In this last 81 years Bengalee Association, Bihar has seen many ups and
down. In the year 2000 Jharkhand state was carved out of Bihar and taking out
70% Bengali speaking population along with it. Now we constitute 3% of voting
population.
Today Bengalee Association, Bihar is the central organization
representing 14 lakh Bengali speaking population of Bihar. It maintains to be a
non-political, non-religious organization and deals with only those aspects of
Bengali Speaking population where their Constitutional rights e.g. Article 29,
Article 350 or Rights given by the State (the status of Linguistic Minority) or the
basic social rights, intersect with the policy of the Government.
In the Parliamentary Election of 2009, we dared to call for "Vote
Boycott" for Bengali teachers, rights of displaced persons from erstwhile East
Pakistan, and compel the Government to sit on negotiation table.
In 2015, we can send more than 100 Bengalees to Gram Sabhas and Gram
Panchayets. We have our representative as Vice Chairman of Minority
Commission. Though Association does not do any Puja or regular cultural
function as such, but remain vigilant at all these places. We sit down with SCRT
officials and help to create Bengali Books for Govt schools. When Govt fails, to
print books, Association make photocopy of books and send to Bengali reading
boys at distant villages. Today any Bengali student passing Matriculation in
First Division gets Rs 10,000 as Incentive from Govt of Bihar.

Instead of Prabashi Bengalee (Non resident Bengalee) we prefer to identify
ourselves as Banglashashis of Bihar and have completely unified with the sociopolitical
fabric of Bihar.
Our activity is not bounded by socio religious or geo political boundaries.
Bengalee Association, Bihar pledges its voice and whole hearted unconditional
support to any struggle done in any state of our country for regaining the
constitutional rights of Banglabhashis and Bangla Language. We will cherish a
Pan Indian Bengali Brotherhood.