Bongal (original) (raw)

Bongal is a term used in Assam to refer to outsiders. The people of East Bengal, which is to the immediate southwest of historical Assam, self-identify as Bangal; whereas the Bengali people from the west are called Ghoti. Assam has been settled by colonial officials (amlahs) from Bengal pre-Independence and Hindu Bengali refugees in the post-Independence periods. The Muslims peasants from East Bengal settled in Assam are now referred to as Miya. The term lent the name to the Bongal Kheda movement of the 1950s and 1960s which sought to drive out non-Assamese competitors and to secure jobs for the natives.