''Desh'' () is a Bengali magazine featuring short stories, novels, commentary, criticism, poetry, essays, and book reviews. Launched on November 24, 1933, first as a weekly and later as a biweekly, it is one of India's oldest magazines. Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the magazine published works of prominent Bengali writers including

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...

, Jibanananda Das,

Sunil Gangopadhyay Sunil Gangopadhyay or Sunil Ganguly (September 7, 1934 – October 23, 2012) was an Indian poet, novelist, short story writer, and critic. He played a key role in modernizing Bengali poetry and co-founded the 1953 Avant-garde, avant-gra ...

Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligraphy, calligrapher, and composer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influ ...

Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay (; born 2 November 1935) is a Bengali author from India. He has written stories for both adults and children. He is known for creating the relatively new fictional sleuths Barodacharan and Shabor Dasgupta. Life Shi ...

, and Joy Goswami. A 2008 study by Dr. Chaitali Dutta in the

Kolkata metropolitan area The Kolkata Metropolitan Area (abbreviated KMA; formerly Calcutta Metropolitan Area), also known as Greater Kolkata, is the urban agglomeration of the city of Kolkata (Calcutta) in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the third most populous ...

found that ''Desh'' was more popular among female readers, while males favored '' Saptahik Bartaman''.

History

The first editor of ''Desh'' was Satyendranath Majumdar (1891–1954), followed by Bankimchandra Sen. Sagarmoy Ghosh joined the magazine in 1939 and became its editor in 1976. Under his leadership, ''Desh'' emerged as India’s foremost literary magazine in a regional language. His first major achievement was securing a poem and short story—''Sheth Katha (The Last Story)''—from

. Ghosh made ''Desh'' a hub for Bengal’s top writers while also making room for new talents. He stood firm against political pressure, notably when

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

temporarily banned the magazine after Nirad C. Chaudhuri referred to it as "so-called Bangladesh" in an article. In 1997, he stepped down as editor due to health issues related to old age. Journalist and

Ramon Magsaysay award The Ramon Magsaysay Award (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Gawad Ramon Magsaysay'') is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, ...

winner Amitabha Chowdhury took over for a year. During this period'','' ''Desh'' transitioned from a purely literary magazine to one that also featured non-fiction essays on current affairs, history, and culture. In 1998, Harsha Dutta succeeded him. The magazine is currently edited by Suman Sengupta.

Sister-publication

''Desh'' also publishes ''Boier Desh'', a quarterly supplement launched in 2003. It features book reviews in Bengali and English by renowned critics and includes interviews with prominent literary figures from Bengal and beyond.

Publication

''Desh'' is published by the media conglomerate ABP Group on the 2nd and 17th of each month from 6 Prafulla Sarkar Street,

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

700001. Its official website, www.desh.co.in, was launched on April 25, 2015. In 2024, it was moved to a subfolder under Aaro Ananda.

Legacy

''Desh'' is widely regarded as the leading literary magazine among Bengali-speaking intellectuals. Dubbed as "''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' of Bengal," it has featured works by nearly every major figure in Bengali literature. Its annual Puja issue remains a major literary event. ''Desh'' celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2023.

In popular culture

In Jhumpa Lahiri’s 2003 novel '' The Namesake'', Ashima Ganguli, newly immigrated from Kolkata to

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

, rereads a worn-out copy of ''Desh'' she has read many times before. She can't bring herself to throw it away because its Bengali print gives her "perpetual comfort."

Controversies

''Desh'' has faced multiple controversies. In 1994, its Durga Puja issue featured a cover by Arpita Singh depicting the goddess Durga in a white saree, brandishing a revolver over a prostrate politician. The image provoked immediate outrage among local politicians, who demanded the magazine be withdrawn and all copies destroyed.

Notable contributors

* Jibanananda Das * Adwaita Mallabarman * Syed Mujtaba Ali * Jasimuddin *

* Alokeranjan Dasgupta * Joy Goswami *

* Sankarlal Bhattacharya * Sanjib Chattopadhyay *

Shakti Chattopadhyay Shakti Chattopadhyay (25 November 1933 – 23 March 1995) was an Indian poet and writer who wrote in Bengali. He is known for his realistic depictions of rural life. He was a green poet, many of his poems raised the issue of nature in crisis. ...

* Subhash Mukhopadhyay (poet) * Shankha Ghosh * Nabaneeta Dev Sen * Harsha Dutta * Samaresh Majumdar * Anita Agnihotri * Bani Basu * Dibyendu Palit

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Desh Magazine Magazines established in 1933 Literary magazines published in India Mass media in Kolkata ABP Group Bengali-language magazines 1933 establishments in India