The middle class, the nearly poor and the very poor – Bangladeshis choose their migratory destination according to their class status and region of origin.
Historically, Bangal has been both migrant – recieving and sending zone. From the middle ages onwards, migrants of all races and types came to Bengal to work or rule, to this region of Ganga Brahmaputra delta. The place was under the sway of numerous South and North Indian warrior clans before the Central Asians took over.The first dynasty rulers of Bengal were the Buddist Palas, who were suceeded by Hindu Senas, who in turn were outsed by Muslim Turks, Pathans and Afgans.
Among these migrant rulers, it was Central Asians who had a profound impact on Bengal, and their considerable part of their culture and religious practices entered the social order. Later, the colonial British arrived as migrant rulers, establishing a model of governance which continues to dominate till date.
From the earliest era, the successive ´foreign´ rulers hired expatraits for the topmost jobs, which encouraged the marginalisation of Bengalis from power, and also discouraged the growth of a local commercial class. The local sought patronage and jobs as the safest route to the economic survival , and became professional clerks and teachers. British rule and education thus created a Bengali middle class, one which could not survive within Bengal alone. The Bengalis babus , the originals, fanned out to provide the colonial administration with manpower. The British created a new land man¬agement system, which created a demand for lawyers, which once again the Bangalis satisfied all over. It created an animosity with other members of the Indian society, which still resonates, though by now the Bangalis have become the new backward people.