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MALAYSIAN BENGALEE ASSOCIATION
The Bengalis who migrated to Malaysia were mainly from the Calcutta, Dacca, Chittagong and Midnapore areas of Bengal. As Bangladesh was a part of India until 1947, East Bengal (Bangladesh) shares a border with West Bengal in India. The few North Indians among the English speaking professional class in Malaya at that time were principally Bengalis from Calcutta or Dhaka.
First Bengalis in Malaysia
The first Bengalis in Malaysia, because they were well educated, were also well positioned in Malaysia. Most took up jobs in plantations, either in supervisory positions, or as “estate dressers”. The estate dresser was the medical assistant, popularly known among the laborers as doctor.
The term “Bengalee”
As most of the North Indians had embarked for their voyage to Hong Kong or Malaya from the port of Calcutta, the term “Bengalee” became a misnomer in these two countries. This mistaken notion about the Bengalees originating from a wider area in North India rather than only from East and West Bengal, persists until today.
"Most members of the Bengali community try to meet everyone else in the community at least three times a year at the major Bengali festivals:
Durga Puja and Kali Puja (held between September-November)
and Poila Boishakh, or Bengali New Year (celebrated in April).
The Bengali community has its own property overlooking
the sea in picturesque Port Dickson, and this is where a Prayer Hall has been erected.
Bengalis congregate from all over Peninsular Malaysia as well as Singapore to celebrate Kali Puja and Poila Boishakh in Port Dickson.
This property carries a sense of the community spirit and ethnic pride, as it was bought by a group of the original Bengali immigrants who donated half a month's salary for the purpose. Thus their second and third generation descendants now see it as 'a shrine'."
- Dr. Dipika (Molly) Mukherjee
MALAYSIAN BENGALEE ASSOCIATION
Malaysian Bengalee Association (MBA) was established back in the 1920s by the bengalees
who came over to Malaysia for jobs.
It was then registered in 1952 under the name “Malayan Bengalee Association”.
This name was later changed to “Malaysian Bengalee Association”.
A number of prominent Malaysian Bengalees had been the President of MBA.
The full list is given below:
MBA COMMITTEE
2021 - 2022
1951-1956: Mr H.K. Choudhury
1956-1957: Dr J.B. Ray
1957-1958: Dr J.B. Ray & Mr B.B. Das Gupta
1958-1959: Mr S.C. Sen Gupta
1959-1960: Mr S.C. Sen Gupta & Mr B.B. Das Gupta
1960-1964: Mr B.B. Das Gupta
1965-1967: Mr H.K. Choudhury A.M.N.
1968: Dr A.K. Dutta Sharma
1969-1970: Dr A.M. Tarafder
1971-1972: Dr K.K. Mandal A.M.N.
1973-1974: Mr N.C. Das
1975-1976: Mr N.G. Chaudhury
1977-79: Mr S.K. Ghosh
1980-1983: Mr D.K. Bardhan P.M.C.
1984-85: Mr S.R. Sen Gupta
1986-1992: Mr D.K. Bardhan P.M.C.
1993: Ms Monjulee Das
1994: Dr K.K. Mandal A.M.N., J.P.
1995-1997: Mr Subal Choudhury
1998: Mr D.K. Bardhan P.M.C.
1999-2001: Mr Ajit Roy
2002-2003: Mr D.K. Bardhan P.M.C.
2004-2005: Dr Anish Kumar Roy
2006-2007: Mrs Nomita Paul Balasingam
2008-2012: Mr Prodeep Kumar Roy
2013-2016: Ms Nomita Choudhury
2017: Dr S. R. Sen Gupta J.P.
2018: Ms Nandita Ghosh (Acting President)
2019-2020: Mr Sujit Kumar Ghosh
President
Ms. Swapna Das
Vice President
Ms. Nomita Choudhury
Secretary
Mr. Eshan Nandan Roy
Asst. Secretary
Mr. Jayantha Kumar Sen Gupta
Treasurer
Mr. Prabir Kumar Mittra
Asst. Treasurer
Mr. Amit Sen Gupta
Committee Members
- Mr. Shukendu Choudhury
- Ms. Kieya Arshia Rajasegaran
- Mr. Pranoy Kumar Chowdhury
- Mr. Subhasis Roy Chowdhury
- Mr. Subhash Chandra Das
Auditors
- Mrs. Nomita Paul Balasingam
- Mr. Prodeep Kumar Roy
