Bengali Diaspora Authors Unite at Kolkata Book Fair to Preserve Endangered Cultural Heritage

The 49th International Kolkata Book Fair became a crucial gathering space for Bengali diaspora authors from across India, unified in their mission to preserve their cultural and linguistic heritage facing extinction outside West Bengal.

Led by the Bengalee Association, Bihar - established in 1938 by a relative of freedom fighter Chittaranjan Das - the initiative showcased works from Bengali communities spanning from Andaman Islands to Meghalaya. Publications like *Bakpratima*, *Madhyabalay*, and *Unmukta Uchchas* represented distant Bengali voices.

The association has focused on this preservation effort since 2022, responding to what they describe as a language crisis. With younger generations outside West Bengal increasingly unable to read Bengali due to educational limitations, these writers are working to connect older Bengali associations across India.

Their collaborative approach includes academic discussions on challenges facing linguistic minorities and strategies to attract younger generations to engage with their mother tongue, recognizing that limited resources and parental guidance contribute to the language's decline in diaspora communities.