Bengali language newspapers have been instrumental in shaping the socio-political landscape of Bengal and the Bengali-speaking diaspora since the early 19th century. The first Bengali newspaper, ''Bengal Gazetti'', was published in May 1818, edited by Ganga Kishore Bhattacharya.
Prominent editors like Robert Knight played a crucial role in advocating for Indian self-rule and often criticized the policies of the
British Raj
The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent,
*
* lasting from 1858 to 1947.
*
* It is also called Crown rule ...
. Their writings and editorial decisions influenced public opinion and contributed to the nationalist movement in India. The press became a vital tool for discussing social issues, promoting reform, and rallying support for independence. Currently, Bengali newspapers are published in India, Bangladesh, and various expatriate communities, catering to the cultural and political interests of Bengali speakers worldwide.
Bangladesh
India
Pakistan
''Daily Qaumi Bandhan'' (; lit. "national unity"
) was a
Bengali language
Bengali, also known by its endonym and exonym, endonym Bangla (, , ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language belonging to the Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. ...
newspaper published in
Karachi
Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
,
Sindh
Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
. It has the reputation of being the only main Bengali newspaper in the country that catered specifically to the large
Bengali community in Pakistan.
Founded in the 1940s, the newspaper was discontinued decades later due to financial reasons.
It was based in the
Chittagong Colony, a Bengali neighbourhood in Karachi.
United States
''
Akhon Samoy'' () is a
Bengali-language newspaper
A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...
published from New York, United States since 2000.
United Kingdom
''
Janomot
''Janomot'' () is a British Bengali-language weekly newspaper
Weekly newspaper is a general-news or Current affairs (news format), current affairs publication that is issued once or twice a week in a wide variety broadsheet, magazine, and el ...
'' was founded in London and established on 21 February 1969. It is the first Bengali newsweekly published outside Bangladesh.
''Potrika'' was established in 1997. It is published every Monday for £0.50 (or for annual subscription of £82.16). It is the only broadsheet Bengali newspaper published from the UK and follows issues relating to the
British Bangladeshi community, reflecting their concerns and interests.
The newspaper covers news concerning the British Bangladeshi community from the UK, Bangladesh and worldwide, including coverage of business news, sports, films, health, leisure, fashion, education and environment.
References
{{Bengali newspaper