Most previous studies on Bangladeshi villages treated Hindus and Muslims separately based on the research framework that divides society by religion and analyzes individual social structures. Contrary to such previous studies, this study examines Hindus and Muslims in Bangladesh as constituents of a village society. In addition, the construction of their relations since the early 20th century is explored based on a case study of a village in the Tangail district. Therefore, the focus is on social activities in the samaj (i.e., an informal social organization that is formed based on a locality and religious distinction) and youth club. The people and ways in which activities are conducted are scrutinized as well. Along with the emigration of Hindus to India and expansion of Muslims’ residential space—resulting from political and social changes linked to the foundation of Pakistan and the liberation war of Bangladesh-physical and social distance between the two religious groups has lessened. However, the characterization of Hindus as minorities has strengthened, and Muslims have increasingly intervened in settling disputes and recognizing religious ceremonies in the Hindu samaj. Although Hindus and Muslims have participated together in mainly recreational social activities (e.g., sports activities and drama performances) through the village’s youth club for more than 60 years, such initiatives were directed only toward Muslims of late. Hindus were merely formally included in the club. However, the youth club had a role in emphasizing that Hindus belonged to the village’s samaj.

The paper argues that British ‘Indian’ Trading Houses in Yokohama established a unique ‘niche’ trade during the Treaty Port Trade or Kyoryuchi trade during the late nineteenth century, different from ‘British’ Trading Houses that dealt with the export of primary products and import of manufactured goods. Until 1880s British ‘Indian’ Trading Houses traded in the import of medicinal herbs and export of curios to and from Hong Kong and India, but soon entered the export of newly manufactured light industrial goods such as matches and silk textiles to India, which helped them to capture a sizable share of the Japan-India Trade in subsequent decades. Being small in organizational size and capital investment, British ‘Indian’ Trading Houses took advantage of their commercial networks, spread across major trading ports of Asia, with their main offices in Bombay and Hyderabad, to compete successfully with Anglo-American, Chinese and Japanese Trading Houses. The British ‘Indian’ Trading Houses in Yokohama, comprising of Muslim, Parsi and Sindhi traders, initially came to Japan in the 1870s as part of the East India Company conglomerate, but after mid-1880s, they opened branches in Yokohama to expand their businesses in Far East Asia. This led other Indian traders, especially Sindhis, to establish small businesses in Yokohama, during the Treaty Port Trade. The tightly-knit commercial networks of British ‘Indian’ Trading Houses prevented non-Indian traders from dealing directly with their foreign branches thus aiding in their success.