Jakarta Bengali Association (JABA), representing Indian expatriates primarily from Bengal, is essentially a platform for upholding and nurturing the rich Bengali tradition, custom and culture amongst its members and families as well as to spread the same in a multi-lingual, multi-cultural environment in Indonesia. Started 34 years ago by few enthusiastic families, the organization today, is a vibrant one with an active calendar of events ranging from social, religious and cultural ones to charitable and sporting events.
The rich heritage of Bengal encompasses a wide canvas all the way back from Neel Darpan, the first modern Indian drama written in the backdrop of Indigo cultivation oppression by British Raj, to the quintessential great Rabindranath Tagore and the ubiquitous Amitava Ghosh, from great stalwarts like Bimal Roy and Satyajit Ray in movies, from Ustad Alauddin Khan to the current rage Arijit Singh in music and last but not the least from vegetarian dishes like Banana Blossom Curry to lip-smacking Hilsa Custard.
Β Being away from home and our relatives, the Indian community in Indonesia is a closely knit one primarily due to the size of itβs critical mass which is not too big. It is like one large family, celebrating all festivals together in one hand and being next to each other in times of need, on the other hand rendering the much needed support.
Β JABA is a non-profit organization with approximately 75 families as members. Our forthcoming events for this year include Durga Pujo, Lakshmi Pujo & Saraswati Pujo celebrations, Bengali Film Festival, Annual Picnic, Rabindra Jayanti celebrations etc.
JABA also actively contributes to the Indonesian society by way of charitable donations to organizations like International Hope Foundation who work for improvement of education among the masses. Present JABA president is Mr Abhijit Das.
We also have a website that you might like to visit to know more about JABA which is http://www.jakartabengaliassociation.com
