About TABP

TABP, The Association of Bengalis in Poland (Stowarzyszenie Bengalczyków w Polsce), is based in Warsaw. It brings together Bengalis from India and Bangladesh who live in Poland, and everyone who wants to share in Bengali culture. We have celebrated Durgotsav in Warsaw every year since 2017.

Our statute speaks of building bridges between cultures and creating a space for cooperation, mutual understanding and support, regardless of nationality, faith or beliefs.

Our aims

• Bringing together the Bengali and Hindu community living in Poland.
• Preserving, developing and promoting the culture, language, art and traditions of Bengal and Hindu culture.
• Organising cultural, educational, social, recreational and sports events.
• Working for intercultural dialogue.
• Social, information, professional and legal support for members of the community.
• Training, education, publishing and information.
• Helping people in difficult situations.
• Promoting a healthy lifestyle and organising community actions, including blood drives.
• Language, art and education classes.
• Supporting the development of children and young people.
• Charitable work.
• Organising the annual Durga Puja celebrations.

What we do

• Festivals, concerts, celebrations, workshops, conferences and meetings, such as Poila Boishakh and evenings of Rabindrasangeet and Nazrul geeti.
• Mahamaya, our autumn magazine, and practical information such as our guide for people new in Poland.
• Education and support programmes, and help for people in need.
• Cooperation with public institutions, local government, NGOs and businesses, including our partner foundation, Fundacja MMEI.

Durgotsav and the Durga Puja Committee

Durga Puja is one of the most important events of the Association. Each year a separate Durga Puja Organising Committee plans and runs the celebrations. Everything about the puja, from the programme to photos and videos, is on durgapuja.org.pl.

Bengal and Poland: a long story

1935. Hiranmoy Ghoshal, a young graduate from Calcutta, came to Warsaw at the invitation of Professor Stanisław Schayer. He became one of the first teachers at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the University of Warsaw, and Bengali studies in Poland began with him. He translated Polish literature into Bengali, and died in Warsaw in 1969. Bengali is still taught at the University of Warsaw today.

18 July 1942. In the Warsaw Ghetto, the children of Janusz Korczak’s orphanage performed Rabindranath Tagore’s play Dakghar (The Post Office) in Polish, as Poczta. It was the last play staged in the ghetto. Every Bengali child knows Amal, and every Pole knows Korczak.

Today. Bengal was divided in 1947, but no border has divided our songs, our food or our language. In Warsaw, families from Kolkata and Dhaka sing Rabindrasangeet and Nazrul geeti together on the same evening, and the Ambassadors of India and Bangladesh have joined Durgotsav year after year.

From „Bengal on the Vistula”, the editorial of Mahamaya, Autumn 2026.

Members

• Ordinary members: adults who share our aims, with the right to vote and stand for election.
• Supporting members: people or organisations who support our work, with an advisory voice.
• Honorary members: people of special merit, with an advisory voice and no fees.

How to become a member →

How TABP is run

• General Meeting of Members: the highest authority. It sets the direction of our work, elects the Board and the Audit Committee, approves reports and can change the statute.
• Board: three members elected for four years. It runs the Association day to day and represents it.
• Audit Committee: three members elected for four years. It checks the work of the Board and the finances.

TABP is entered in the register of associations (ewidencja stowarzyszeń) supervised by the President of the Capital City of Warsaw, and is preparing to register in the National Court Register (KRS). Until then, membership fees are paid to our partner foundation, Fundacja MMEI, as a donation for TABP’s activities.