During the early to mid-1990s, a small number of migrants from Bangladesh arrived in Australia. Most of them were young and single men and a few young families. For practical reasons they settled around the close proximity of Sydney CBD. For obvious reasons, no synonymous community existed that time in Australia for them, let alone the Bengali Hindus, to be integrated with socially and culturally. Combined with professional and cultural aloofness, they were very nostalgic and decided to congregate towards building a community of their own.
Following that realisation, these enthusiastic and energetic young individuals took the initiative to arrange a Puja Punormilony (puja reunion) in November 1994 and thus to test the strengths and potentials of this young community. With immense success in the Punormilony, this youth brigade didn’t waste much time to form the BPA, formalise it with the statutory authorities and make it fully operational as a incorporated community organisation.
Thus the journey of BPA formally started in 1995, through hosting an opportune event of Saraswati Puja in February. With a significant turnout and spontaneous contributions, the fledgling community again reassured its commitments and enthusiasms to make BPA a stronger community organisation. They appropriately reflected on their commitments by successfully organising the Durga Puja in October 1995 for the first time in Australia. Since then it has been the organiser and host of so many pujas (worships) and events for this consistently increasing community.
As the name indicates, the key objective of the association is to organise the Pujas, mainly the Durga Puja and Saraswati Puja that are commonly observed by the Bengali Hindu communities around the world. These two events are significant both in religious and cultural respects, especially to the families living in overseas who strive to encourage their children to understand, appreciate and follow their religion and culture with the objective to retain, uphold and promote their own religious and cultural identity.
In its early days the member families lived mainly in the eastern and western suburbs of Sydney. Over time, along with the arrival of more migrant families, BPA has grown bigger and the families have dispersed across New South Wales and other states. BPA has continued to serve its members, with the best of its capacity in full spirit, enthusiasm and increased participation to cater for the social and spiritual needs of its growing community.
In addition to the Pujas, BPA also intended to conduct social and charitable activities, within its capacity, either independently or in association with other community organisations, both locally and in Bangladesh. Needless to say, performing such activities is immensely important to the believers of Hinduism.
Since its formation, BPA has helped many distressed families in Bangladesh financially and contributed towards many humanitarian causes both locally and in Australia. During political and social crisis in Bangladesh in the past, BPA held discussion forums to build consensus on various issues and expressed its concerns and undertook protest against oppressions and killings of the Hindu and other minority groups. Thus BPA plays its due part being driven by its social and moral obligations.
Australia has a diverse and tolerant multiculturalism where communities can freely practice and enjoy their religious and cultural life. However to enable people of a particular ethnic group to do so, they need a hosting community that can create the necessary social ground, infrastructure, patronage and capability. That’s where BPA comes into existence and plays an effective but challenging role to unite the community and facilitate the religious, cultural and social initiatives. For the younger generations growing up in Australia, its role has been instrumental in aligning their religious and socio-cultural values with the tradition, belief system and practice of their parent culture.
Bangladesh Puja Association Inc.
43 Amos Street, Westmead NSW 2145
www.bpai.org.au; bpai.australia@gmail.com
