Bengali Hindu Community in Birmingham

Where they come from

Bengali Hindus come from West Bengal in India, including Kolkata, and from Bangladesh. Kolkata is famous as a city of culture, home to the poet Rabindranath Tagore and the filmmaker Satyajit Ray. Bengali Hindus in Birmingham include doctors, engineers, academics, students and families.

The community in numbers

At the 2021 Census, out of a city population of 1,144,919, 321 residents whose main language is Bengali gave their religion as Hindu; and 209 residents of Bangladeshi heritage gave their religion as Hindu. Many Bengali Hindus from West Bengal record their ethnic group as Indian, so they appear in neither figure.

Working for Birmingham

Bengali Hindu doctors, engineers, researchers, teachers and IT professionals work across Birmingham, and the community has a strong tradition of education and scholarship. Many have come through the NHS or postgraduate study.

Much of the work that keeps Birmingham moving happens out of sight: the night shift on a hospital ward, the early start on a building site, the plumber who fixes a boiler on a winter evening, the teaching assistant who helps a child learn to read. People from every community in the city do these jobs, and Bengali Hindu residents are part of that everyday effort to make Birmingham a better place to live.

Culture and community life

Durga Puja, the great autumn festival in honour of the goddess Durga, is the highlight of the year, with prayers, music, food and cultural performances. Rabindra Sangeet, the songs of Tagore, are loved by all generations, and Bengali sweets such as rasgulla and sandesh are shared with friends.

The story of the Bengali Hindu community in Birmingham is still being written, by students, workers, parents and pensioners who call the city home. It is a story of hard work, friendship and quiet pride, and Birmingham is richer for it.