Our Legacy
History & Legacy
A glorious journey of over four decades, bringing together the Bengali diaspora in Pune to celebrate our shared heritage.
From Belonging to a Shared Dream
Bengalis have a curious habit of turning up everywhere in the world. Pune was no exception.
In the 1970s, Pune was already home to a small but growing Bengali community. People had arrived from different parts of Bengal, drawn by work and new opportunities, and were slowly making a life for themselves in a city away from home.
They worked across Pune, in companies and institutions such as TELCO, Bajaj Auto, Vanaz, Hindustan Antibiotics, ARDE, Vulcan Laval Limited (now Alfa Laval), Finolex Pipes, Bajaj Tempo, Rajabahadur, Western India Erectors, Elpro International, Chloride India, NCL, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Bharat Forge, CWPRS, Rajabahadur Mills, Trinity Forge and many others.
Some were entrepreneurs and Managing Directors. Some were in middle management. Some worked in factories.
Different companies. Different professions. Different positions.
What connected them was Bengal. They wanted to keep their culture, traditions and celebrations alive, and they wanted to meet others who shared the same connection.
As the Bengali community grew, conversations began about bringing people together. There were already different groups and associations, and there were different views about how a new association should take shape. There was no ready blueprint. The discussions simply continued.
By 1980, one thought was becoming clearer: perhaps it was time to create something new.
The early discussions were informal. There was no office or committee room. People simply met wherever they could, talked, exchanged ideas and tried to work out what they wanted to build.
Some of the early discussions took place informally at Hotel Ajit,
where people could speak openly and discuss what a new Bengali association in Pune could be.
As the idea began to take shape, the discussions moved from informal conversations to a more organized meeting. One such meeting, to discuss the formation of the association, was held in a classroom at Bharat English School, near the Police Ground in Shivaji Nagar.
And on Poila Boishakh — 14 April 1981 — around 30 people came together, and Bengalee Association Pune, or BAP, was formally established.
There was little time to sit back and admire what they had started. The new association had work to do.
The arrival of a new association was not easy for everyone to accept. There were differences of opinion within the Bengali community, and at times, those differences extended into families as well. Brothers and relatives could find themselves supporting different associations, creating tensions that went beyond the association itself.
But none of this dampened the enthusiasm of the founding members. They were determined to make the new association work, and they got down to it almost immediately.
Within just 45 days of its formation, Bengalee Association Pune organized its first major cultural programme at Tilak Smarak, featuring two well-known Bengali artists, Suchitra Mitra and Dijen Mukhopadhyay.
There was little time to pause. Preparations were already underway for BAP's first Durga Puja.
The first planning meeting for the Puja was held at a member's home at Renuka Apartment, 123/2, Erandwane. Responsibilities were divided and preparations began.
The first BAP Durga Puja was held on the ground next to Rahul Talkies, Pune.
There were no professional event managers or large teams. Members did the work themselves. The people planning the Puja were often the same people raising funds, arranging the venue, looking after food and staying back to clean up.
The young engineers and bachelor members, including a few IITians, often stayed in lodges around the city. Prakash Lodge at Deccan Gymkhana, Kismat Lodge near Sambhaji Park and Badshahi Lodge on Fergusson College Road became regular meeting points for the association. Their rooms became places where plans were discussed and work was organized.
Puja plans, fundraising, artists, food and other arrangements were discussed late into the night. Sometimes the discussions and work continued until four in the morning.
Bhog Ranna was done by the members themselves, over a wood fire. They did not have the privilege of hiring professional caterers.
One founder remembers another detail with a smile: the people who had spent hours doing the hard work were not always the ones who turned up when the Bhog was served!
The first Durga Puja was over. The following year, more young Bengalis began joining BAP. Among them were young engineers from Ranchi who had joined Bharat Forge, along with people from other professional backgrounds. Their arrival brought fresh energy and, most importantly, extra hands to help with the growing work of the association.
The association was already looking ahead. For the next Durga Puja, BAP invited the well-known Bengali novelist “Shankar” — Mani Shankar Mukherjee — to inaugurate the festival.
The association was growing quickly. Its programmes were attracting people, membership was increasing, and the need for a permanent place of its own was becoming clear. In 1982, just a year after its formation, the association purchased its first premises at Vishnu Darshan, 1132/3, Fergusson College Road, Pune.
The association's cultural activities continued to grow. In later years Lopamudra Mitra and Indrani Sen performed at Bal Gangadhar Tilak Rangmanch, and much later Anup Jalota was also part of BAP's cultural programmes.
Every year, BAP members and their families spent hours rehearsing for the Durga Puja cultural programme. There were dance, drama and singing performances, and members themselves took an active part in putting the programmes together.
One founder remembers a particularly amusing episode. A group of members once performed “Sajano Bagaan”, the well-known play by Bengali theatre legend Manoj Mitra. According to the founder, their performance actually outdid the original!
That may have been a founder's generous assessment, but the story has survived for a reason.
A fondly remembered episode shared by a founder member reflects how, in 1982–83, the association was already building cultural bridges between the Bengali and Marathi communities. Leading Marathi theatre personalities, including Satish Alekar, Jabbar Patel, Mohan Agashe and members of the legendary Ghashiram Kotwal group, attended Bahurupi’s Mricchakatik and Galileo performances arranged by the association at Bal Gandharva, and later joined the symposium at the Film Institute.
These programmes gave BAP members an opportunity to perform, but they also brought people together outside the usual Puja preparations.
People were not just coming to watch. They were part of the programme.
The effort to stay connected with Bengal also went beyond Durga Puja and stage performances.
A few members took the initiative to bring Bangla films from Kolkata to Pune. They spoke to distributors in Kolkata and arranged to get the films here. In those days, the large cinema reels had to be physically carried by train from Kolkata to Pune and brought to the Bengalee Association clubhouse for screening.
As BAP's programmes grew, so did the need for funds. Advertising in the Durga Puja souvenir became one of the major ways of raising money. Members approached businesses, friends and well-wishers for advertisements and contributions.
Not everyone could contribute money. Some gave their time, some offered contacts, some helped find sponsors, and others simply stepped in wherever help was needed.
Over time, the association became a place where people met throughout the year, not just during Durga Puja. Friendships grew, families became involved, and children grew up taking part in the celebrations and cultural programmes.
A few enthusiastic members also took the initiative to start an in-house library. Books were brought in from Kolkata, not with the intention of turning the library into a fundraising activity, but to keep Bengali literature and culture alive in a city far from Bengal. The idea was simple: the younger generation growing up in Pune should have access to Bengali books, see Bengali films, participate in cultural activities and have an opportunity to discover the literature and culture of their roots. These efforts quietly shaped the core values of Bengalee Association Pune — keeping a connection with Bengal alive and passing it on to the next generation.
What had begun with a group of people trying to create an association was gradually becoming a community that people could return to, year after year. And perhaps the simplest way to understand how far BAP has come is to look at where it began and where it is today.
We began in a classroom at Bharat English School. Today, we conduct our Annual General Meetings in our own premises.
Between those two places lie more than four decades of work by people who gave their time, ideas, energy, contacts and resources to the association.
This was never the work of one person or one generation. The founding members laid the foundation, and many others joined them at different stages and helped build Bengalee Association Pune into what it is today.
To the founders, and to every member who has contributed along the way, we owe our sincere gratitude.
BAP is what it is today because of the people who built it before us.
What they started is now our responsibility — to preserve it, build on it and pass it on to the generations that follow.
The dream was theirs. The legacy is ours. And the story continues.
Bengalee Association Pune - Early Members and Contributors
Committees & Wings
Our community functions seamlessly through dedicated committees. Each committee comprises enthusiastic members volunteering their time and expertise.
Late Shri. Jagadish Chandra Basu
1st President
Late Shri. Milan Dey
1st Finance Secretary
Late Shri. Satyen Majumdar
1st General Secretary
Late Shri. Ajit Dutta
Late Shri. Ramendu Mukherjee
Late Shri. Pradip Pal
Late Shri. Pinaki Chakroborty
Late Shri. Pratip Kumar Chatterjee
Late Shri. Madan Chatterjee
Late Shri. K C Acharya
Late Shri. Haripada Biswas
Late Smt. Geeta Basu
Late Shri. Dilip Nandy
Late Shri. Bodhisotto Sarkar
Late Shri. Tapan Mukherjee
Late Shri. Manas Sen
Late Shri. Aditi Gangopadhay
Late Shri. Ramkrishna Bramachari
Late Shri. Monindranath Banerjee
Late Shri. Amitabh Dasgupta
Late Shri. Biswanath Das
Late Shri. Sukhdev Ganguli
Late Shri. Hirendranath Ramesh Roychoudhury
Late Shri. Rathin Bose
Late Diptinarayan Roy
Late Dr Smt. Anjali Morris
Late Smt. Gauri Sarkar
Late Wg. Cdr. (Retd) Arun Kumar Pal
Late Shri. Robin Paul
Shri. Manatosh Acharya
1st Asst. General Secretary
Shri. Sanat Choudhury
1st Vice President
Shri. Kamal Sengupta
1st Puja Secretary
Shri. Asish Kumar Sen
Shri. Anu Talapatra
Shri. Ashok Das
Shri. Dipankar Datta
Shri. Dipak Majumdar
Shri. Gautam Basu
Shri. Gurudas Haldar
Shri. Snehanshu Shekhar (Swapan) Dasgupta
Shri. Ranjan Banerjee
Shri. Arun das
Shri. Samir Haldar
Shri. Radhapada Singha Thakur
Shri. Tapan Banerjee
Shri. B K Ghosh
Shri. Bidyut Saha
Shri. Debashish Chakraborty
Shri. PK Sengupta
Shri. Pradosh Pal
Kanchan Choudhury
Who Led the Way
Over the decades, dedicated office bearers have contributed their leadership, time and vision to shape the journey of Bengalee Association Pune.
Shri. Jagadish C. Basu
President
1981-82
Shri. Sanat Choudhury
Vice President
1981-82
Shri. Satyen Majumdar
General Secretary
1981-82
Shri. Manatosh Acharya
Asst. General Secretary
1981-82
Shri. Milan P. De
Finance Secretary
1981-82
Shri. Jagadish C. Basu
President
1982-83
Shri. Sanat Choudhury
Vice President
1982-83
Shri. Manatosh Acharya
General Secretary
1982-83
Shri. Pradeep K. Pal
Asst. General Secretary
1982-83
Shri. Milan P. De
Finance Secretary
1982-83
Shri. Protip K. Chatterjee
President
1983-84
Shri. Ranjan Banerjee
Vice President
1983-84
Shri. Dilip K. Nandy
General Secretary
1983-84
Shri. Snehanshu S. Dasgupta
Asst. General Secretary
1983-84
Shri. Milan P. De
Finance Secretary
1983-84
Shri. Protip K. Chatterjee
President
1984-85
Shri. Sanat Choudhury
Vice President
1984-85
Shri. Snehanshu S. Dasgupta
General Secretary
1984-85
Shri. A. K. Mukherjee
Asst. General Secretary
1984-85
Shri. Milan P. De
Finance Secretary
1984-85
Shri. Ajit K. Dutta
President
1985-86
Shri. Asish K. Sen
Vice President
1985-86
Shri. Satyen Majumdar
General Secretary
1985-86
Shri. Partha K. Panja
Asst. General Secretary
1985-86
Shri. Milan P. De
Finance Secretary
1985-86
Shri. Ranjan Banerjee
President
1986-87
Shri. Dilip K. Nandy
Vice President
1986-87
Shri. Satyen Majumdar
General Secretary
1986-87
Shri. Partha K. Panja
Asst. General Secretary
1986-87
Shri. Milan P. De
Finance Secretary
1986-87
Shri. Ashok K. Das
President
1987-88
Shri. Satyen Majumdar
Vice President
1987-88
Shri. Dipak K. Chatterjee
General Secretary
1987-88
Shri. Provat K. Koley
Asst. General Secretary
1987-88
Shri. Milan P. De
Finance Secretary
1987-88
Shri. Satyen Majumdar
President
1988-89
Shri. Manatosh Acharya
Vice President
1988-89
Shri. Provat K. Koley
General Secretary
1988-89
Shri. Pradosh K. Pal
Asst. General Secretary
1988-89
Shri. Gurudas Haldar
Finance Secretary
1988-89
Shri. Protip K. Chatterjee
President
1989-90
Shri. Asish K. Sen
Vice President
1989-90
Shri. Pradeep K. Pal
General Secretary
1989-90
Shri. Pinaki R. Chakraborty
Asst. General Secretary
1989-90
Shri. Gurudas Haldar
Finance Secretary
1989-90
Shri. Asish K. Sen
President
1990-91
Shri. Anu S. Talapatra
Vice President
1990-91
Shri. Soumen Bhattacharya
General Secretary
1990-91
Shri. Kanai Bandyopadhyay
Asst. General Secretary
1990-91
Shri. Gurudas Haldar
Finance Secretary
1990-91
Shri. Manatosh Acharya
President
1991-92
Shri. Anu S. Talapatra
Vice President
1991-92
Shri. Kanai Bandyopadhyay
General Secretary
1991-92
Shri. Krishnendu Paladhi
Asst. General Secretary
1991-92
Shri. Gurudas Haldar
Finance Secretary
1991-92
Shri. Asish K. Sen
President
1992-93
Shri. Anu S. Talapatra
Vice President
1992-93
Shri. Kanai Bandyopadhyay
General Secretary
1992-93
Shri. Partha Pratim Dey
Asst. General Secretary
1992-93
Shri. Gurudas Haldar
Finance Secretary
1992-93
Shri. Satyen Majumdar
President
1993-94
Shri. Anu S. Talapatra
Vice President
1993-94
Shri. Kanai Bandyopadhyay
General Secretary
1993-94
Shri. Soumitra Bhowmik
Asst. General Secretary
1993-94
Shri. Gurudas Haldar
Finance Secretary
1993-94
Shri. Ajit K. Dutta
President
1994-95
Shri. Anu S. Talapatra
Vice President
1994-95
Shri. Kanai Bandyopadhyay
General Secretary
1994-95
Shri. Malayjit Acharya
Asst. General Secretary
1994-95
Shri. Gurudas Haldar
Finance Secretary
1994-95
Shri. Asish K. Sen
President
1995-96
Shri. Subrata Kar
Vice President
1995-96
Shri. Debashish Chakraborty
General Secretary
1995-96
Shri. Malayjit Acharya
Asst. General Secretary
1995-96
Shri. Gurudas Haldar
Finance Secretary
1995-96
Shri. Jagadish C. Basu
President
1996-97
Shri. P. K. Sengupta
Vice President
1996-97
Shri. Soumitra Bhowmik
General Secretary
1996-97
Shri. Amitabha Dasgupta
Asst. General Secretary
1996-97
Shri. Gurudas Haldar
Finance Secretary
1996-97
Shri. Gurudas Haldar
President
1997-98
Smt. Gouri Sarkar
Vice President
1997-98
Shri. Kanchan Choudhuri
General Secretary
1997-98
Shri. Debashkar Basu
Asst. General Secretary
1997-98
Smt. Dipti Banerjee
Finance Secretary
1997-98
Shri. Asish K. Sen
President
1998-99
Smt. Gouri Sarkar
Vice President
1998-99
Shri. Bishwanath Das
General Secretary
1998-99
Shri. Anshuman Sarkar
Asst. General Secretary
1998-99
Smt. Dipti Banerjee
Finance Secretary
1998-99
Shri. Asish K. Sen
President
1999-2000
Smt. Gouri Sarkar
Vice President
1999-2000
Shri. Bishwanath Das
General Secretary
1999-2000
Shri. Anshuman Sarkar
Asst. General Secretary
1999-2000
Smt. Dipti Banerjee
Finance Secretary
1999-2000
Shri. Asish K. Sen
President
2000-01
Smt. Gouri Sarkar
Vice President
2000-01
Shri. Biswajeet Paul
General Secretary
2000-01
Shri. Soumendu Mukherjee
Asst. General Secretary
2000-01
Smt. Dipti Banerjee
Finance Secretary
2000-01
Shri. Asish K. Sen
President
2001-02
Smt. Gouri Sarkar
Vice President
2001-02
Shri. Deepankar Basu
General Secretary
2001-02
Shri. N. Nilanjan Mukherjee
Asst. General Secretary
2001-02
Smt. Dipti Banerjee
Finance Secretary
2001-02
Shri. Asish K. Sen
President
2002-03
Smt. Gouri Sarkar
Vice President
2002-03
Shri. Soumendu Mukherjee
General Secretary
2002-03
Shri. Nilay Kr. Dutta
Asst. General Secretary
2002-03
Smt. Dipti Banerjee
Finance Secretary
2002-03
Shri. Asish K. Sen
President
2003-04
Smt. Gouri Sarkar
Vice President
2003-04
Shri. Nilay Kr. Dutta
General Secretary
2003-04
Shri. Uttam Kr. Pal
Asst. General Secretary
2003-04
Smt.Dipti Banerjee
Finance Secretary
2003-04
Shri Asish Kumar Sen
President
2004-05
Smt. Gauri Sarkar
Vice President
2004-05
Shri Mihir Kumar Dutta
General Secretary
2004-05
Shri Uttam Kumar Pal
Asst. General Secretary
2004-05
Smt. Deepti Banerjee
Finance Secretary
2004-05
Shri Asish Kumar Sen
President
2005-06
Smt. Gauri Sarkar
Vice President
2005-06
Shri Mihir Kumar Dutta
General Secretary
2005-06
Shri Uttam Kumar Pal
Asst. General Secretary
2005-06
Smt. Deepti Banerjee
Finance Secretary
2005-06
Shri Asish Kumar Sen
President
2006-07
Smt. Gauri Sarkar
Vice President
2006-07
Shri Mihir Kumar Dutta
General Secretary
2006-07
Shri Uttam Kumar Pal
Asst. General Secretary
2006-07
Smt. Deepti Banerjee
Finance Secretary
2006-07
Shri Asish Kumar Sen
President
2007-08
Smt. Gauri Sarkar; Shri Dipankar Basu
Vice President
2007-08
Shri Mihir Kumar Dutta
General Secretary
2007-08
Shri Subrata Chatterjee; Shri Sushant Chakraborty
Asst. General Secretary
2007-08
Smt. Dipti Banerjee
Finance Secretary
2007-08
Shri Asish Kumar Sen
President
2008-09
Smt. Gauri Sarkar; Shri Dipankar Basu
Vice President
2008-09
Shri Mihir Kumar Dutta
General Secretary
2008-09
Shri Subrata Chatterjee; Shri Sushant Chakraborty
Asst. General Secretary
2008-09
Smt. Dipti Banerjee
Finance Secretary
2008-09
Shri Asish Kumar Sen
President
2009-10
Shri Pradosh Pal; Shri Soumen Bhattacharya
Vice President
2009-10
Shri Mihir Kumar Dutta
General Secretary
2009-10
Shri Subrata Chatterjee; Shri Sushanta Chakraborty
Asst. General Secretary
2009-10
Smt. Dipti Banerjee
Finance Secretary
2009-10
Shri Prabir Kumar Biswas
President
2010-11
Shri Deepankar Basu
Vice President
2010-11
Shri Biswajeet Paul
General Secretary
2010-11
Shri Raghav Chakrabarty
Asst. General Secretary
2010-11
Shri Subrata Chatterjee
Finance Secretary
2010-11
Shri Prabir Kumar Biswas
President
2011-12
Shri Deepankar Basu
Vice President
2011-12
Shri Biswajeet Paul
General Secretary
2011-12
Shri Prabir Sarkar
Asst. General Secretary
2011-12
Lt. Col. (retd.) Shri Achintya Dass
Finance Secretary
2011-12
Shri Prabir Kumar Biswas
President
2012-13
Shri Pradosh Pal
Vice President
2012-13
Shri Mihir Kumar Dutta
General Secretary
2012-13
Shri Prabir Sarkar
Asst. General Secretary
2012-13
Shri Amitabha Dasgupta
Finance Secretary
2012-13
Shri Mihir Kumar Dutta
President
2013-14
Shri Deepankar Basu
Vice President
2013-14
Shri Prabir Sarkar
General Secretary
2013-14
Shri Satyaranjan Giri
Asst. General Secretary
2013-14
Shri Sushanta Chakrabarty
Finance Secretary
2013-14
Shri Mihir Kumar Dutta
President
2014-15
Shri Deepankar Basu
Vice President
2014-15
Shri Prabir Sarkar
General Secretary
2014-15
Shri Satyaranjan Giri
Asst. General Secretary
2014-15
Shri Sushanta Chakrabarty
Finance Secretary
2014-15
Shri Deepankar Basu
President
2015-16
Shri Prabir Sarkar
Vice President
2015-16
Shri Satyaranjan Giri
General Secretary
2015-16
Shri Sushanta Chakrabarty
Asst. General Secretary
2015-16
Shri Ratul Banerjee
Finance Secretary
2015-16
Shri Deepankar Basu
President
2016-17
Shri Arvind Mitra
Vice President
2016-17
Shri Kaushik Saha
General Secretary
2016-17
Shri Abhishek Chatterjee
Asst. General Secretary
2016-17
Shri Satyaranjan Giri
Finance Secretary
2016-17
Shri Mihir Kumar Dutta
President
2017-18
Shri Arvind Mitra
Vice President
2017-18
Shri Kaushik Saha
General Secretary
2017-18
Shri Abhishek Chatterjee
Asst. General Secretary
2017-18
Shri Satyaranjan Giri
Finance Secretary
2017-18
Shri Mihir Kumar Dutta
President
2018-19
Shri Arvind Mitra
Vice President
2018-19
Shri Kaushik Saha
General Secretary
2018-19
Shri Abhishek Chatterjee
Asst. General Secretary
2018-19
Shri Satyaranjan Giri
Finance Secretary
2018-19
Shri Mihir Kumar Dutta
President
2019-20
Shri Arvind Mitra
Vice President
2019-20
Shri Kaushik Saha
General Secretary
2019-20
Shri Abhishek Chatterjee
Asst. General Secretary
2019-20
Shri Satyaranjan Giri
Finance Secretary
2019-20
Shri Mihir Kumar Dutta
President
2020-21
Shri Arvind Mitra
Vice President
2020-21
Shri Kaushik Saha
General Secretary
2020-21
Shri Abhishek Chatterjee
Asst. General Secretary
2020-21
Shri Satyaranjan Giri
Finance Secretary
2020-21
CORE Committee
President
2021-22
CORE Committee
Vice President
2021-22
CORE Committee
General Secretary
2021-22
CORE Committee
Asst. General Secretary
2021-22
CORE Committee
Finance Secretary
2021-22
CORE Committee
President
2022-23
CORE Committee
Vice President
2022-23
CORE Committee
General Secretary
2022-23
CORE Committee
Asst. General Secretary
2022-23
CORE Committee
Finance Secretary
2022-23
CORE Committee
President
2023-24
CORE Committee
Vice President
2023-24
CORE Committee
General Secretary
2023-24
CORE Committee
Asst. General Secretary
2023-24
CORE Committee
Finance Secretary
2023-24
Shri Subrata Chatterjee
President
2024-25
Shri Pradosh Pal
Vice President
2024-25
Shri Arvind Mitra
Vice President
2024-25
Shri Anupam Mitra
General Secretary
2024-25
Shri Somesh Biswas
Asst. General Secretary
2024-25
Mrs. Debarati basu
Finance Secretary
2024-25
Shri Subrata Chatterjee
President
2025-26
Shri Pradosh Pal
Vice President
2025-26
Shri Arvind Mitra
Vice President
2025-26
Shri Anupam Mitra
General Secretary
2025-26
Shri Somesh Biswas
Asst. General Secretary
2025-26
Smt. Debarati basu
Finance Secretary
2025-26
Shri Subrata Chatterjee
President
2026-27
Shri Pradosh Pal, Mrs. Debarati basu
Vice President
2026-27
Shri Sushanta Chakraborty, Mrs. Debarati basu
Joint Vice President
2026-27
Shri Anupam Mitra
General Secretary
2026-27
Shri Somesh Biswas
Asst. General Secretary
2026-27
Shri Arvind Mitra
Finance Secretary
2026-27