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The Sylheti () are an Indo-Aryan ethnocultural group that are associated with the Sylhet region in South Asia, specifically in northeast of
Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
presently divided between the Sylhet Division of
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
, and the Barak Valley of
Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
, India. There are sizeable Sylheti populations in Hojai district of Assam, the Indian areas of
Meghalaya Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of As ...
,
North Tripura North Tripura is an administrative district in the state of Tripura in India. The district headquarters are located at Dharmanagar. The district occupies an area of 1422.19 km² and has a population of 693,947 (as of 2011). History The t ...
and
Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanm ...
's
Jiribam district Jiribam District ( Meitei pronunciation: /jee-ree-baam/) is a district in the state of Manipur, India. It was created in December 2016 from the Imphal East district. Administrative divisions The following are the sub-divisions in Jiribam distr ...
. They speak Sylheti, an Eastern Indo-Aryan language, which is ambiguously considered as an independent language, or as a dialect of
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
."Along the linguistic continuum of eastern Indic languages, Sylheti occupies an ambiguous position, where it is considered a distinct language by many and also as a dialect of Bengali or Bangla by some others." Sylheti identity is associated mainly with a cultural, linguistic and a strong regional identity, while accompanied with a national (of either
Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...
or
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n) and a
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
identity.


History

In September 1874, the
British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
made Sylhet district a part of the non-regulation Chief Commissioner's Province of Assam (Northeast Frontier Province) for commercial development. The transfer led to the natives of Sylhet protesting against the British viceroy
Lord Northbrook Baron Northbrook, of Stratton in the County of Southampton, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1866 for the Liberal politician and former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Francis Baring, 3rd Baronet. The holde ...
as they viewed themselves as a part of the
Bengali people Bengalis (singular Bengali bn, বাঙ্গালী/বাঙালি ), also rendered as Bangalee or the Bengali people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the Bengal region of S ...
, and distinct from the
Assamese Assamese may refer to: * Assamese people, a socio-ethnolinguistic identity of north-eastern India * People of Assam, multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic and multi-religious people of Assam * Assamese language, one of the easternmost Indo-Aryan language ...
. Leaders of both the Hindu and Muslim communities submitted a memorandum to Northbrook on 10 August 1874. Northbrook was eventually able to convince the people of Sylhet by assuring them that education and justice will still be administered under Bengal, and highlighting the economic opportunity for Sylhetis in Assam's tea industry. With the approach of the independence movement towards 1920, Sylhetis began forming organisations such as the ''Sylhet Peoples' Association'' and ''Sylhet-Bengal Reunion League'' which demanded Sylhet to be reincorporated to Bengal.


Culture

Sylheti folklore is influenced by
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
,
Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
, Turco-Persian and native ideas.
Chandra Kumar De Chandra Kumar De ( bn, চন্দ্রকুমার দে, Chôndrôkumar De; 1889–1946) was a writer and collector of medieval folklore and folk ballads of East Bengal villages, mostly in the Greater Mymensingh region which is now in Ban ...
of
Mymensingh Mymensingh ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ) is the capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center and educational hub of north ...
is known to be the first researcher of Sylheti folklore. Archives of old works are kept in
Kendriya Muslim Sahitya Sangsad Kendriya Muslim Sahitya Sangsad ( bn, কেন্দ্রীয় মুসলিম সাহিত্য সংসদ) (Sylhet Central Muslim Literary Society) is a literary organisation located in Sylhet, Bangladesh. It is the one of the oldes ...
in
Sylhet Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate an ...
(also known as the Sylhet Central Muslim Literary Society) – the oldest literary organisation in
Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
and one of the oldest in
the subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...
.


Literature

It has been argued that the first
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
translation of the ''Mahabharata'' was written by
Sri Sanjay Shri (; , ) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific. The word is widely used in languages of South Asia, South and classification schemes for Southeast Asian languages, Southeast Asian lan ...
of
Sylhet Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate an ...
in the 17th century. The 18th-century ''Hattanather Panchali'' (Hattanath chronicles) written by Ganesh Ram Shiromani was a Bengali ballad of 36,000 lines which detail the early history of Sylhet though its authenticity is questionable. When Sylhet was under the rule of the
Twipra Kingdom The Twipra Kingdom (Sanskrit: Tripura, Anglicisation, Anglicized: Tippera) was one of the largest historical kingdoms of the Tripuri people in North East India, Northeast India. Geography The present political areas which were part of the Twi ...
, medieval Sylheti writers using the Bengali script included the likes of Dwija Pashupati, the author of Chandravali – considered one of the earliest Sylheti works. Nasiruddin Haydar of
Sylhet town Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate a ...
wrote the Tawarikh-e-Jalali, the first Bengali biography of Shah Jalal. Gobind Gosai of Masulia wrote ''Nirbban Shongit'', Gopinath Dutta wrote ''Dronporbbo'', ''Dotto Bongshaboli'' and ''Nariporbbo'' and Nur Ali Khan of Syedpur wrote ''Marifoti Geet''. Songwriters and poets such as
Radharaman Dutta Radharaman Dutta ( bn, রাধারমণ দত্ত; 1834 – 1915), also spelt as Radha Raman Dutta, was an influential Bengali musician and poet. A prominent member of the Bauls, Dutta's body of work has led him to be considered as the "Fa ...
,
Hason Raja Dewan Hason Raja Chowdhury, or simply known as Hason Raja ( bn, হাসন রাজা; 21 December 1854 – 6 December 1922), was a Bengali mystic poet and songwriter from Sylhet, Bengal Presidency (now Bangladesh). His unique style of mu ...
and
Shah Abdul Karim Baul Shah Abdul Karim ( bn, শাহ আবদুল করিম; 15 February 1916 — 12 September 2009) was a Bangladeshi Baul musician. He was awarded the Ekushey Padak in 2001 by the Government of Bangladesh. Some of his notable songs inclu ...
, significantly contributed to
Bengali literature Bengali literature ( bn, বাংলা সাহিত্য, Bangla Sahityô) denotes the body of writings in the Bengali language and which covers Old Bengali, Middle- Bengali and Modern Bengali with the changes through the passage of time ...
and their works remain popular across
Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
in present-times. Numerous Bengali writers emerged in Ita, such as Kobi Muzaffar Khan, Gauri Shankar Bhatta and Golok Chand Ghosh. Muslim literature was based upon historical affairs and biographies of prominent
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
ic figures. Like the rest of Muslim
Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
, Bengali Muslim poetry was written in a colloquial dialect of Bengali which came to be known as Dobhashi, and has had a major influence on Sylheti. Dobhashi featured the use of Perso-
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
vocabulary in Bengali texts. A separate script was developed in Sylhet for this popular linguistic register. Known as the
Sylheti Nagri Sylheti Nagri or Sylheti Nagari ( syl, , ISO: , ), known in classical manuscripts as Sylhet Nagri (, ''Sileṭ Nagri'') amongst many other names (see below), was an Indic script used to write the Sylheti language and Eastern Bengali languages. ...
script, its most renowned writer was
Sadeq Ali Munshi Muhammad Sadeq Ali ( bn, মোহাম্মদ সাদেক আলী, Sylheti Nagri, Nagri: ), born as Sri Gaur Kishore Sen ( bn, শ্রী গৌর কিশোর সেন), was a prominent Dobhashi writer, poet and district ...
whose ''Halatunnabi'' was famed as household item amongst rural Muslim communities. Manuscripts have been found of works such as ''Rag Namah'' by Fazil Nasim Muhammad, ''Shonabhaner Puthi'' by Abdul Karim, and the earliest known work ''Talib Huson'' (1549) by Gholam Huson. Late Nagri writers include Muhammad Haidar Chaudhuri who wrote ''Ahwal-i-Zamana'' in 1907 and Muhammad Abdul Latif who wrote ''Pohela Kitab o Doikhurar Rag'' in 1930. In 2021, Shuvagoto Chowdhury was awarded the
Bangla Academy Literary Award The Bangla Academy Literary Award ( bn, বাংলা একাডেমি সাহিত্য পুরস্কার; ''Bangla Academy Shahitya Puroshkar''), is given by the Bangla Academy of Bangladesh in recognition of creative genius i ...
.


Other languages

Sylhetis have contributed to
Sanskrit literature Sanskrit literature broadly comprises all literature in the Sanskrit language. This includes texts composed in the earliest attested descendant of the Proto-Indo-Aryan language known as Vedic Sanskrit, texts in Classical Sanskrit as well as s ...
throughout history. In the 15th century,
Jagadish Tarkalankar P. V. Jagadish Kumar (born 12 June 1955) known mononymously as Jagadish, is an Indian actor, screenwriter, television presenter and former politician. He has starred in over 375 Malayalam films and 2 Hindi films. He is best known for his comi ...
wrote several Sanskrit books, many of which were made up of numerous volumes. Tarlankar's ''Shabdashaktiprakashika'' was a famous textbook for Sanskrit learners. His contemporary, Advaita Acharya of
Laur Laur, officially the Municipality of Laur ( tl, Bayan ng Laur), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Nueva Ecija in Central Luzon region of Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 38,263 people.. Laur is locat ...
, wrote two medieval Sanskrit books, ''Yogabashishta-Bhaishta'' and ''Geeta Bhaishya''. In the 16th century,
Murari Gupta Murari Gupta ( fl. 16th century) was born in a Baidya family in Sylhet. He was a physician and noted Bengali Vaishnava poet. He became a devotee of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and moved to Nabadwip. In 1513, he composed in Sanskrit the ''Shri Krishna C ...
wrote the first Sanskrit biography of
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; born Vishvambhar Mishra) was a 15th-century Indian saint who is considered to be the combined avatar of Radha and Krishna by his disciples and various scriptures. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna ...
and Raghunath Shiromani wrote 40 books in Sanskrit. Some works written by Sylhetis have also been translated into other languages. For example, Ashraf Hussain's ''Manipurer Ladai'' was translated into English by
Dinesh Chandra Sen Rai Bahadur Dinesh Chandra Sen ( bn, দীনেশ চন্দ্র সেন) (3 November 1866 – 20 November 1939)Sengupta, Subodh Chandra (ed.) (1988) ''Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan'' (in Bengali), Kolkata: Sahitya Sansad, p.208 was a ...
and included in the ''Eastern Bengal Ballads''. Sylhet, in particular the
Taraf ''Taraf'' ("Side" in Turkish) was a liberal newspaper in Turkey. It had distinguished itself by opposing interference by the Turkish military in the country's social and political affairs. It was distributed nationwide, and had been in circulati ...
, was also an esteemed centre for the study of
Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
, an official language up until the
British period British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
, due to the high population of foreign missionaries from Central Asia and
Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
following the
Conquest of Sylhet The Conquest of Sylhet ( bn, শ্রীহট্টের বিজয়, Srīhôtter Bijôy, Conquest of Srihatta) predominantly refers to an Islamic conquest of Srihatta (present-day Sylhet, Bangladesh) led by Sikandar Khan Ghazi, the milit ...
. ''Ma'dan al-Fawaid'' was written in 1534 by
Syed Shah Israil Syed Shah Isra'il ( bn, সৈয়দ শাহ ইসরাইল, fa, ), also known as Shah Bondegi ( bn, শাহ বন্দেগী, fa, ; lit. ''King of Worship''), was a 16th-century Persian language writer from Bengal. He is celeb ...
who is considered to be Sylhet's first author. Other prominent writers include Muhammad Arshad,
Syed Rayhan ad-Din Syed Rayhān ad-Dīn ( bn, সৈয়দ রায়হান উদ্দিন, fa, ) was a medieval Sufi author of Bengal. His work gained recognition at the imperial court of Delhi, where he gained the nickname Bulbul-e-Bangālah ( fa, ب ...
and
Syed Pir Badshah Syed Pīr Bādshāh ( bn, সৈয়দ পীর বাদশাহ, fa, سید پیر بادشاه), was a late medieval Bengalis, Bengali Sufi saint and author of Taraf Kingdom, Taraf. He is best known for writing ''Ganj-e-Taraz'' in the Pe ...
. Reyazuddin of Taraf wrote a Persian book on "Dream Fruit". Ala Bakhsh Mazumdar Hamed was known to have written Tuhfatul Muhsineen and Diwan-i-Hamed. Collectively, the works of these two people belonging to the Mazumdar family of Sylhet, are regarded amongst the most creative literary works in the Sylhet region. Majid Bakht Mazumdar wrote an English book on the family history. In the 19th century,
Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''
Nawabs of Longla and the
Mazumdars of Sylhet The Mazumders of Sylhet ( bn, সিলেটের মজুমদার বংশ), or more specifically, the Mazumders of Gorduar/Barshala, are a notable aristocratic family who have played important roles throughout the history of the Sylhet ...
. Moulvi Hamid Bakht Mazumdar, who was also fluent in Persian, wrote the Urdu prose ''Ain-i-Hind'', a history of the
Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
. Literature written in this period included Nazir Muhammad Abdullah Ashufta's ''Tanbeeh al-Ghafileen'', written in 1894, and the poems of Moulvi Farzam Ali Bekhud of
Baniachong Baniachong ( bn, বানিয়াচং) is an upazila of Habiganj District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh. Village Baniyachong is the biggest and the most populous village in Asia. History Baniachong constituted the grand estate (zami ...
. Hakim Ashraf Ali Mast and Fida Sylheti were prominent Urdu poets of Sylhet in the 19th century, the latter being a disciple of
Agha Ahmad Ali Maulawi Āghā Aḥmad ʿAlī ( fa, آغا احمد علي, bn, আগা আহমদ আলী) was a 19th-century Bengali academic, historian and scholar of the Persian language. In addition to Persian, he also composed poetry in Urdu. He i ...
. In 1946, the Anjuman-i Taraqqi-i Urdu performed a mushaira in Sylhet attracting the likes of
Hafeez Jalandhari Abu Al-Asar Hafeez Jalandhari ( ur, ) (born 14 January 1900 – 21 December 1982) was a Pakistani Urdu-language poet who wrote the lyrics for the National Anthem of Pakistan
, the lyricist of the
National Anthem of Pakistan The "" ( ur, , ; "National Anthem"), also known as "" ( ur, , ; "Thy Sacred Land"), is the national anthem of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and formerly the Dominion of Pakistan. It was written by Hafeez Jalandhari in 1952 and the music ...
. File:Halot-un-nabi-page1.gif, Front page of a Sylheti Nagari book titled Halat-un-Nabi, written in the mid-19th century by
Sadeq Ali Munshi Muhammad Sadeq Ali ( bn, মোহাম্মদ সাদেক আলী, Sylheti Nagri, Nagri: ), born as Sri Gaur Kishore Sen ( bn, শ্রী গৌর কিশোর সেন), was a prominent Dobhashi writer, poet and district ...
of Daulatpur, Longla, Moulvibazar File:Bipin-Chandra-Pal.jpg,
Bipin Chandra Pal Bipin Chandra Pal ( bn, বিপিন চন্দ্র পাল ; 7 November 1858 – 20 May 1932) was an Indian nationalist, writer, orator, social reformer and Indian independence movement freedom fighter. He was one third of the “L ...
was one of the main architects of the Swadeshi movement and played a crucial role in the
Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...
. File:Rowshan Ara Bachchu 02.jpg,
Rawshan Ara Bachchu Rawshan Ara Bachchu (17 December 1932 – 3 December 2019) was a Bangladeshi activist. She took part in Bengali Language Movement in 1952. She was awarded Anannya Top Ten Awards in 2009. Early life Bachchu's family originated from Kulaura in Mo ...
is a Sylheti activist best known for her role in the Bengali language movement of 1952. File:Boys at Primary School - Srimangal - Sylhet Division - Bangladesh (12906116925).jpg, Muslim primary school students in Srimangal, Sylhet division.


Distribution


Barak Valley

The Barak Valley consists of three districts in the Indian state of
Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
, which are home to a Bengali-speaking majority population as opposed to Assamese. Geographically the region is surrounded by hills from all three sides except its western plain boundary with Bangladesh.Though not a part of Sylhet in present times, the Barak Valley hosts the presence of the same Sylheti dialect.
Niharranjan Ray Niharranjan Ray (1903–1981) was an Indian Bengali historian, well known for his works on the history of art and Indian history. Early life and education He was born on 14 January 1903 at Kayetgram village of Mymensingh District in Bengal provi ...
, author of ''Bangalir Itihash'', claims that "South Assam / Northeastern Bengal or Barak Valley is the extension of the Greater Surma/Meghna Valley of
Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
in every aspect from culture to geography". A movement emerged in the 1960s in this Sylheti-majority area of India. Referred to as the Bengali Language Movement of the Barak Valley, Sylhetis protested against the decision of the
Government of Assam The Government of Assam is the subnational government of Assam, a state of India. It consists of the Governor appointed by the President of India as the head of the state, currently Jagdish Mukhi. The head of government is the Chief Minister, ...
to make Assamese the only sole official language of the state knowing full well that 80% of the Barak Valley people are Bengalis. The main incident took place on 19 May 1961 at
Silchar railway station Silchar railway station is a railway station situated at Tarapur, Silchar in Assam. The railway station falls under the jurisdiction of the Northeast Frontier Railway zone of the Indian Railways. The railway gauge functioned here is broad gaug ...
in which 11 Sylheti-Bengalis were killed by the Assamese police.
Sachindra Chandra Pal Sachindra Chandra Pal (1942 - 19 May 1961) was an Indian student who took part in the Bengali Language Movement in Silchar and was martyred on 19 May 1961. Sachindra Paul Road in Silchar is named in his memory. Early life Sachindra Chandra bo ...
and
Kamala Bhattacharya Kamala Bhattacharya was an Indian student who was martyred in the Bengali Language Movement in Silchar in 1961. Early life Kamala was born to Ramraman Bhattacharya and Suprabasini Devi, the fifth of seven children in the year 1945 in the erstw ...
were two notable Sylheti students murdered by the Assam Rifles during the movement.


Diaspora

Lord Cornwallis introduced the Permanent Settlement Act of Bengal in 1793 and it altered the social, political and economic landscape of the Sylhet region; socioeconomic ramification for former landlords was severe as the land changed hands. On juxtapose, colonial administration opened new windows of opportunities for young men, who sought employment merchant ship companies. Young men from Sylhet boarded ships primarily at
Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
,
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
and Singapore. Many
Sylheti people The Sylheti () are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethnocultural group that are associated with the Sylhet region in South Asia, specifically in northeast of Bengal presently divided between the Sylhet Division of Bangladesh, and the Barak Va ...
believed that seafaring was a historical and cultural inheritance due to a large proportion of Sylheti Muslims being descended from foreign traders, lascars and businessman from the Middle East and Central Asia who migrated to the Sylhet region before and after the
Conquest of Sylhet The Conquest of Sylhet ( bn, শ্রীহট্টের বিজয়, Srīhôtter Bijôy, Conquest of Srihatta) predominantly refers to an Islamic conquest of Srihatta (present-day Sylhet, Bangladesh) led by Sikandar Khan Ghazi, the milit ...
. Kasa Miah, who was a Sylheti migrant, claimed this was a very encouraging factor for Sylhetis to travel to
Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
aiming to eventually reach the United States and United Kingdom. By virtue of
Magna Carta (Medieval Latin for "Great Charter of Freedoms"), commonly called (also ''Magna Charta''; "Great Charter"), is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the ...
''Libertatum'', Sylhetis could enter and settle Britain freely (while a declaration of intent was required to enter the US). Diaspora patterns indicate a strong connection between Sylheti diaspora and the movement of Sylheti seamen. The Sylheti diaspora population grew in response to a need for an economic sustenance during the British Raj, when many Sylheti men left the region in search of employment. During this period, young men from Sylhet often worked as lascars in the British merchant marine. Some abandoned their ships in London in search of economic opportunity, while others found alternative routes to enter the country. Chain migration led to the eventual settlement of large numbers of Sylhetis in working-class neighbourhoods in London's East End and other industrial towns and cities such as Luton, Birmingham, Sheffield, Blackburn, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, and Oldham. Today, the Sylheti diaspora numbers around one million, mainly concentrated in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Australia,
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, Spain, Sweden,
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
and the Middle East and other European countries. However, a 2008 study showed that 95% of Sylheti diaspora live in the UK. In the United States, most Sylhetis live in New York City, though sizeable populations also live in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
,
Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, Los Angeles, Miami, and Detroit. Some argue that remittances sent from Sylheti diaspora around the world back to Bangladesh have negatively affected development in Bangladesh, where a lack of government initiatives has caused economic inertia. According to neo-classical theory, the poorest would move to the richest countries and those from densely populated areas would move to more sparsely populated regions. This has clearly not been the case. The brain drain was a movement from core to core, purely on economic maximisation, while it was young Sylheti pioneers with access to financial resources that migrated from a severely overpopulated Bangladesh to the overcrowded streets of Spitalfields, poorest from all parts of Bangladesh migrated to Sylhet for a better life, causing a severe overcrowding and scarcity of resources in Sylhet.


Religion

Sunni Islam Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagre ...
is the largest denomination with majority following the
Hanafi The Hanafi school ( ar, حَنَفِية, translit=Ḥanafiyah; also called Hanafite in English), Hanafism, or the Hanafi fiqh, is the oldest and one of the four traditional major Sunni schools ( maddhab) of Islamic Law (Fiqh). It is named aft ...
school of law. There are significant numbers of people who follow
Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
ideals, although the revivalist
Deobandi Deobandi is a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam, adhering to the Hanafi school of law, formed in the late 19th century around the Darul Uloom Madrassa in Deoband, India, from which the name derives, by Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi, R ...
movement is also popular with many being a part of the Tablighi Jamaat. During the British colonial period,
Wahhabism Wahhabism ( ar, ٱلْوَهَّابِيَةُ, translit=al-Wahhābiyyah) is a Sunni Islamic revivalist and fundamentalist movement associated with the reformist doctrines of the 18th-century Arabian Islamic scholar, theologian, preacher, an ...
was adopted by some upper-class families in Sylhet. There is a very small minority of
Shia Muslims Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most n ...
who gather every year during
Ashura Ashura (, , ) is a day of commemoration in Islam. It occurs annually on the 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. Among Shia Muslims, Ashura is observed through large demonstrations of high-scale mourning as it marks the ...
for the Mourning of Muharram processions. Places of procession include the Prithimpasha Nawab Bari in Kulaura, home to a Shia family, as well as
Balaganj Balaganj ( bn, বালাগঞ্জ) is an upazila of Sylhet District in Sylhet Division, Bangladesh. Etymology The name Balaganj is derived from the Bengali word ''bala'' meaning 'strength' and the Persian/Bengali word ''ganj'' that means ...
,
Osmani Nagar Osmani Nagar ( bn, ওসমানীনগর) is an upazila of Sylhet District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh. Etymology “Osmani Nagar” is a compound of two words, ''Osmani'' and ''nagar'' (city), which literally means “the city of ...
and Rajtila.
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
is the second largest religion amongst Sylhetis. Other minority religions include Christianity and there was a presence of
Sikhism Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...
after Guru Nanak's visit to Sylhet in 1508 to spread the religion and build a ''
gurdwara A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...
'' there. This Gurdwara was visited twice by
Tegh Bahadur Tegh ( hy, Տեղ) is a village and the center of the Tegh Municipality of the Syunik Province in Armenia. Tegh is the last village on the Goris-Stepanakert Highway before passing the border with the Republic of Artsakh. Of significance in the vi ...
and many hukamnamas were issued to this temple in Sylhet by
Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708), born Gobind Das or Gobind Rai the tenth Sikh Guru, a spiritual master, warrior, poet and philosopher. When his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was executed by Aurangzeb, Guru Gobind Sing ...
. In 1897, the gurdwara collapsed after the
earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...
.


Notables

Popular modern writers and poets from the region include
Abdur Rouf Choudhury Abdur Rouf Choudhury (1 March 1929 – 1996) was a Bengali writer. Early life Choudhury was born on 1 March 1929, in Mukimpur, Nabiganj, Habiganj District, Bangladesh (then part of Assam) where his father Azhar Choudhury, a land owner, and hi ...
,
Dilwar Khan Dilwar Khan (1 January 1937 – 10 October 2013) was a Bangladeshi poet. Known as ''Gono Manusher Kobi'' (poet of the mass people), he was awarded Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1980 and Ekushey Padak in 2008 by the Government of Bangladesh. ...
and
Chowdhury Gulam Akbar Chowdhury Gulam Akbar ( bn, চৌধুরী গোলাম আকবর; 16 September 1921 – 29 December 1988) was a Bangladeshi writer. He served in the Bangla Academy of Bangladesh as the collector of Bengali folk literature. Early life ...
.
Muhammad Mojlum Khan Muhammad Mojlum Khan (born 6 December 1973) is a Bangladeshi-born British non-fiction writer. Early life Khan was born in Habiganj District, Bangladesh, and was brought up and educated in England. Khan studied classical Arabic and traditional ...
is a non-fiction writer best known for writing the English biographical dictionary, The Muslim 100. Prominent
Bengali language Bengali ( ), generally known by its endonym Bangla (, ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language native to the Bengal region of South Asia. It is the official, national, and most widely spoken language of Bangladesh and the second m ...
non-fiction writers include Syed Murtaza Ali,
Syed Mujtaba Ali Syed Mujtaba Ali ( bn, সৈয়দ মুজতবা আলী; 13 September 1904 – 11 February 1974) was a Bengali writer, journalist, travel enthusiast, academic, scholar and linguist. He lived in Bangladesh, India, Germany, Afghanistan ...
,
Dewan Mohammad Azraf Dewan Mohammad Azraf ( bn, দেওয়ান মোহাম্মদ আজরফ; 1908–1999) was a Bengali philosopher, teacher, author, politician, journalist and activist. In 1993, he was honoured as a National Professor in Bangladesh. H ...
,
Abed Chaudhury Abed Chaudhury (born February 1956) is an Australian-Bangladeshi scientist, author, and poet living in Australia. Early life and education He was born into a Bengali Muslim family known as the Zamindars of Kanihati in Hajipur Union, Kulaura ...
,
Achyut Charan Choudhury Achyut Charan Choudhury ( bn, অচ্যুৎচরণ চৌধুরী; 5 February 1866 – 25 September 1953) was a Bengali writer and historian. Though he wrote several books regarding Vaishnav Hinduism, Choudhury is most well known for h ...
, Arun Kumar Chanda,
Asaddor Ali Mohammad Asaddor Ali ( bn, মুহম্মদ আসাদ্দর আলী), was a Bangladeshi writer, researcher and historian. His research primarily focused on the history of Sylhet. Due to his achievements, he was awarded the Bangla Aca ...
, Ashraf Hussain and Dwijen Sharma.
Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
and
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
are the most popular sports amongst Sylhetis. Many Sylheti cricketers have played for the
Bangladesh national cricket team The Bangladesh men's national cricket team ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয় ক্রিকেট দল), popularly known as The Tigers, is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). It is a Full Member of the Inte ...
such as Alok Kapali, Enamul Haque Jr,
Nazmul Hossain Mohammad Nazmul Hossain (born 5 October 1987) is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He was born in Habiganj, Bangladesh. Hossain was part of the 13-man Bangladesh squad that played in the 2010 Asian Games in late November. They played against Afghanist ...
,
Rajin Saleh Khondokar Mohammad Rajin Saleh Alam ( bn, খন্দকার মোহাম্মদ রাজিন সালেহ আলম) (born November 20, 1983) is a Bangladeshi former cricketer, who played Tests and ODIs. He was recognised for his ou ...
and
Tapash Baisya Tapash Baisya ( bn, তাপস বৈশ্য) (born 25 December 1982) is a former Bangladeshi international cricketer. Tapash Baisya took 36 Test wickets, although they came at a bowling average of nearly 60. Nevertheless, he has taken the ...
.
Beanibazar SC Beanibazar Sporting Club is a Bangladeshi football club from Beanibazar, Sylhet. History Beanibazar Sporting Club was formed in 2009 as a professional football club to take part in the Bangladesh Premier League. In 2009–10 season, however, ...
is the only Sylheti club which as qualified for the
Bangladesh League Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
and Alfaz Ahmed was a Sylheti who played for the
Bangladesh national football team The Bangladesh national football team ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয় ফুটবল দল) is the national recognised football team of Bangladesh and is controlled by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF). It is a membe ...
.
Hamza Choudhury Hamza Dewan Choudhury (born 1 October 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for EFL Championship side Watford, on loan from Leicester City. He has made over 80 appearances for Leicester since 2017, and ...
is the first
Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...
to play in the
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
and is predicted to be the first British Asian to play for the
England national football team The England national football team has represented England in international Association football, football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by The Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in Engl ...
.
Bulbul Hussain Bulbul Hussain ( bn, বুল্বুল হুসেইন; born 3 January 1972) is a British wheelchair rugby player who plays for Kent Crusaders and the Great Britain Paralympic team. He plays mostly in a defensive role. Early life Hussain ...
was the first breakthrough Sylheti professional wheelchair rugby player.
Rani Hamid Rani Hamid (born 14 July 1944) is a Bangladeshi chess player who became the country's first Woman International Master in 1985. She has become the national champion a total of 20 times. She is the current national champion crowned on the 38th Wo ...
is one of the most successful chess players in the world, winning championships in Asia and Europe multiple times.
Ramnath Biswas Ramnath Biswas ( bn, রামনাথ বিশ্বাস, Ramnath Bishshash; 13 January 1894 – 1 November 1955) was an Indian revolutionary, soldier, globetrotter and travelogue writer. He is known for circumnavigating the globe by bicyc ...
was a revolutionary soldier who embarked on three world tours on a bicycle in the 19th century. File:Dr.Sundarimohan Das.jpg,
Sundari Mohan Das Sundari Mohan Das was the founder principal of the Calcutta National Medical College. He was born in Sylhet on 17 December 1857. He took his M.D. degree from Calcutta Medical College. Formerly he was Principle Emeritus of the National Medical In ...
was a veteran of the Swadeshi movement and founder of Calcutta National Medical College File:Abul Maal Abdul Muhith.jpg, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, an economist, diplomat, and Bengali Language Movement veteran who served as Bangladesh's second Finance Minister. File:Gurusaday Dutt photo.png,
Gurusaday Dutt Gurusaday Dutt (1882–1941) was a civil servant, folklorist, and writer. He was the founder of the ''Bratachari'' Movement in the 1930s. Early life and education Gurusaday was the son of the Ramkrishna Dutta Chaudhuri and Anandamayee Debi. ...
was the founder of the
Bratachari movement The Bratachari movement (from ''vrata'' in Bengali meaning vow bn, ব্রতচারী আন্দোলন) was a movement for spiritual and social improvement in India initiated by Gurusaday Dutt in 1932. The movement aimed to raise the se ...
which advocated for spiritual and social development File:Nurul Islam Nahid in New Delhi on September 09, 2011.jpg,
Nurul Islam Nahid Nurul Islam Nahid ( bn, নুরুল ইসলাম নাহিদ; born 5 July 1945) is a Bangladeshi politician and author. He served a member of the Bangladeshi parliament from the Sylhet-6 constituency from 15 years, being elected in ...
was the former Education Minister of Bangladesh, responsible for secondary, vocational and tertiary education in Bangladesh. File:Achyut Charan Choudhury.jpg,
Achyut Charan Choudhury Achyut Charan Choudhury ( bn, অচ্যুৎচরণ চৌধুরী; 5 February 1866 – 25 September 1953) was a Bengali writer and historian. Though he wrote several books regarding Vaishnav Hinduism, Choudhury is most well known for h ...
is most well-known for his monumental work on the history of the Sylhet


See also

* History of Sylhet * ''Lascar'' (novel) * World Sylhet Convention


Citations


General and cited references

* * {{Ethnic groups in Bangladesh Indo-Aryan peoples Asian diasporas Bangladeshi diaspora Sylhet Division Ethnic groups in Bangladesh Ethnic groups in India