Bengal’s Namasudra community has been a very strong and united tribe the original Anaryan oppressed class. They had their own priests, own barbers and other necessary helpers. They never practiced the evil Sati system of Hindu society nor they had any dowry problem. (Religious revolution of a Bengali community’, DV May 1, 1991 p.20).
Namasudras never believed in polygamy as practiced in Bengal by the upper castes/Hindus. Marriages were simple and inexpensive.
But unfortunately after the partition of India, the Hindu evil culture penetrated the Namasudras.
I request the educated younger generation to stop inviting Brahmin priests as well as accepting their advice in any matter of their daily life.
Life in Bangladesh: A large section of this community is still living in Bangladesh. Most of them are well- educated. Some after getting highest degrees are working as farmers. Some students are studying in the Jagannath Hall of Dacca University
Namasudras are unfortunately called Hindus in Bangladesh. All these students are influenced by the brahminical culture though they hate the Brahmins. Namasudra students are there in the four other universities of Bangladesh. It is a great satisfaction that a large number of women students are also studying in these universities. In some places like Sasigarh in the district of Faridpur, Barisal, Khulna, and Jessore only 2 to 3% students are from other non- Namasudra communities.
But the community is not politically conscious. Most of the community leaders are promoting brahminism and working for Brahimin-dominated parties like the Awami League which is nothing but the twice-bom of Congress Party in India.
When the Congress changed its economic policy in India, the Awami League followed it. Only ane man in the ministry of former President Zeaur Rahman was from a minority community and he was Sunil Gupta, a Baidya by caste, a most cunning jati in Bengal.
Muslims love Dalits: When compared to the Hindu University of Varanasi and other university hostels in India, the Namasudra students of Dacca University enjoy greater freedom and loved by the Muslim students. If a Namasudra student is willing to stay in any other hall among the 14 halls, except ladies’ hostel, in the university campus they are free to do it. Regarding food, all students are welcomed with honour to all halls. There is no racial discrimination against them as we find in West Bengal of firebrand “marxist” Jyoti Basu.
In East Bengal, Hindus keep their distance. In West Bengal, also interdining is a taboo. Hindus are caste and race-concious.
Buddhism in Bengal: The brahminic revolution by Pushyamitra took place in 185 BC. Manusmriti was promulgated by Pushyamitra to destroy the Buddhist state of the Mauryas. He set a price of 100 gold pieces on the head of every Buddhist monk.
Prof. Surendra Nath Sen said that “Buddhists of Sindh suffered all sorts of indignities and humiliations under their Brahman rulers. Prof. Sen’s research reveals that the Bengali Buddhists preferred to convert to Islam in a large scale. Before the Muslim invasion of Bengal there was a fight between Buddhists and Brahmins. Some Buddhits took shelter in remote areas in East Bengal.
Namasudras in Bengal were a strong Buddhist community. They had the strength to fight brahminism as well as the Muslims. But due to the betrayal by the Brahmins some of Namasudras got converted to Islam. Some tried to compromise with the Brahmins.
Change of name from Chandal: Brahmins used the Muslims against the Namasudras. Namasudras were originally called Chandals by the Hindus up to 1901, says the census report in Bengal. In the 1911 census in Bengal, the name of “Chandal” was replaced by “Namasudra” with the help of Dr. C.S. Mead (Austrian missionary) in 1908 and all the credit for this should go to Gurucharan Thakur and C.S. Mead. All the Aryan upper castes were against the change of this name by the then Census Commissioner, Gait.
In 1910, and some time later lots of Namasudras got converted to Christianity influenced by the Christian missionaries. Even some prominent personalities like Rev. Krishna Mohan Bondopadhyaya, Michael Madhusudan Datta, W.C. Bonnerjee and others also embraced Christianity after disowning Hinduism.
The Namasudra community leaders like Gurucharan Thakur, although despised and segregated by the Hindus, tolerated the injustices heaped upon them by Brahmins. But many embraced Islam and Christianity.
Harichand Thakur united them under the banner of Matua religion. Due to the partition of India, the Namasudra community got divided and weakened. Today, this community is despised by both Hindus and Muslims,
