Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it important to support Bengali books?

People of colour in publishing are underrepresented overall, but especially when we get into the specifics of people’s identities. Within South Asian literature, authors of various South Asian cultures still have few, if any, books published. Growing up as a Bengali person, the dearth of books by and about Bengalis is noticeable, especially when literature is so paramount to our culture. I hope that Bengali books being supported and uplifted, will help out culture be more appreciated and understood, and will ultimately help Bengali books and authors find the success that they deserve!

Why create a distinction between Bangladeshi and Indian Bengali books?

One of the challenges I frequently faced as a debut author (and still come up against) is being mistaken for being an Indian author, writing Indian books. While a lot of this comes from ignorance, it’s an example of how publishing often flattens the experiences and identities of people of colour. I hope that creating this distinction encourages people to recognise the diversity of Bengali people.

You might be wondering, what is the difference between a Bangladeshi person and a Bengali person?

Bengal is a region which stretches across parts of India and all of Bangladesh. The Bengals have a complicated and unique history, with different parts of it united and separated during various eras of history. But most people from the Bengal region identify as Bengali. We share cultures, traditions, the Bengali language, among many other things.

We often refer to the Bengal region as two parts: West Bengal, which resides in India, and the country of Bangladesh.

So that means that Bangladesh is an entire country in the Bengal region. People from Bangladesh are of the Bangladeshi nationality, but most of us also identify as Bengali!

Are Bangladeshi people Indian?

No. Bangladesh and India are separate countries. Bangladesh became independent from Pakistan in 1971, and Pakistan (of which Bangladesh was a part of) partitioned from India in 1947 after gaining independence from Britain. It is incredibly disrespectful to assume that Bangladeshi people are Indian or Pakistani. We are Bangladeshi, and we fought for the right to be Bangladeshi.

Are Bengali people Indian?

Some Bengali people, yes! The Bengal region is divided into two parts. The west, often referred to as “West Bengal” is a part of India. The east is the country of Bangladesh. So some Bengali people are Indian, and some Bengali people are Bangladeshi.

Both Bengali and Bangladeshi books are thankfully on the rise, and it makes me incredibly happy to see more and more Bengali authors publishing books!