The Bihari are a group of former Pakistani refugees that currently reside in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Fiji. The Bihari are primarily composed of two separate religions, Hindus and Muslims. Originally from Bihir (a state in Northern India), many of the Biharis migrated into East Pakistan when Pakistan was divided into 2 nations (West Pakistan and East Pakistan) in 1947. Biharis then lived in peace in East Pakistan, until 1971 when East and West Pakistan split into two nations (Pakistan and Bangladesh). Many of the Bihari people chose to move from Bangladesh to the new West Pakistan. Unfortunately, not all of the Bihari could afford to move, and were left behind in Bangladesh. In effort to help the Bihari people, the Bangladeshi government offered to give the Bihari citizenship with their country, but a majority refused in hopes that they may return to their homeland of Pakistan.
Most of the Biharis who remain in Bangladesh live in small houses and apartment buildings within camps built for them by the Bangladeshi government. Although the Bihari in general are relatively poor, the Bihari of Bangladesh are generally categorized into two separate economic classes, the rich and the poor. The poorer Bihari are forced to share one room apartments with up to two or three other families and cannot afford to have their children attend school. The richer Bihari families are sometimes able to live in their own single bedroom houses, and are able to send their children to school. Another reason a majority of the Biharan children do not attend school is because (in many cases) they may have to work in Bangladeshi factories in order to help support their families.
Overpopulation is a primary reason for multiple families sharing living space. Since 1971 the Biharan population has almost doubled within these camps, while the building of new dwellings has been almost non-existent. Nearly 75% of all the Bihari are involved in farming of some sort. Since most of the Bihari live in the cultivated plains, they are easily able to grow a many different kinds of plants and crops. These crops consist primarily of rice and are generally used to feed their own families. If they are able to acquire an extra surplus of crops, they then store and sell their crops at a “hat or weekly market”. The government also supplies a sparse amount of food and supplies to some Bihari families.
The Bihari leaders still maintain that they would still like to be relocated back to their homeland of Pakistan, while a new generation seems to disagree because most of the younger folk have never even set foot on Pakistan soil, so to them, Bangladesh is their home.
Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not claim expertise on the Bihari.
Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the URL.
If you are Bihari, your feedback is much appreciated.
Sources:
“The Unreached Peoples Prayer Profiles” The Bihari of South Asia http://www.bethany.com/profiles/clusters/8028.html 15 Oct. 2000
“Biharis in Bangladesh”(July 99) http://www.bsos.umd.edu/cidcm/mar/bangbiha.htm 15 Oct. 2000
“DESTINATION BANGLADESH” Lonely Planet http://www.lonelyplanet.com/dest/ind/ban.htm 15 Oct. 2000
“BANGLADESH” The Columbia Encyclopedia: Sixth Edition. 2000 http://www.bartleby.com/65/ba/Banglade.html 14 Oct. 2000
“State of Minorities in Bangladesh: From Secular to Islamic Hegemony” http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex/ssamad_Bangaldesh.html 14 Oct. 2000
Written by: Jason Root