Muktadhara
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Muktadhara () is an international organization,
publishing house Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...
and
bookstore Bookselling is the commercial trading of books, which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, book people, bookmen, or bookwomen. History The found ...
dedicated to the promotion of
Bengali literature Bengali literature () 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 dynastic patronization or non-patronization. Bengali h ...
and culture. It was started in the
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
n state of
West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
by the late Chittaranjan Saha, who in his work as head of the publishing house pioneered the Ekushey Book Fair. In addition to its early involvement with The Ekushey Book Fair, the organization is connected to other cultural Bengali events, like International Language Day and the International Bengali Festival. It also participates in the spread of literature and culture by taking part in such events as the National Poetry Festival. The Muktadhara book sellers & Publishers chain, founded by Saha's younger brother Bishawjit Saha who is the Founder of Muktadhara Foundation Inc and current president of the Muktadhara Inc. has four stores in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. Datta, Jyotirmoy. (9 September 2005
'10 greatest Bengalis' recognized by bookstore chain Muktadhara
desitalk.com. Retrieved 10 April 2008.
Its
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
store is the largest Bengali-language bookstore in the city.


History

In a 2008 interview, Muktadhara's director Jawhar Lal Shaha explained that Muktadhara, which takes its name from the Bengali words for "free-flowing stream", was founded in the late 1960s and grew from Chittaranjan Saha's gatherings with writers exiled in
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 ...
from
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 ...
during the
Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...
of 1971. Saha, who promoted the publication of writings for their country, published 32 books during the war, founding Muktadhara in Kolkata. After the war, Saha relocated to Bangladesh and began publishing creative works as well. In 2004, poet Mohammad Nurul Huda retrospectively described Muktadhara publishing house as "the most notable of its kind in the post-independence literary world of the country", indicating that "any book coming out of Muktadhara was deemed as up-to-the-mark".Huda, Mohammad Nurul. (2004
Abid Azad's making as a poet
. ''New Age''. Retrieved 10 April 2008.
The poet attributed this to the custom of the publishing house to subject manuscripts to review by a panel of readers, adding that "no manuscript saw the light of day if it was not duly recommended by the reviewers and concerned editor". In 1972, Saha began selling publications from Muktadhara on the grounds of the
Bangla Academy The Bangla Academy (, ) is the official regulatory body of the Bengali language in Bangladesh. It is an autonomous institution funded by the Government of Bangladesh that fosters the Bengali language, literature and culture, works to develop an ...
during the weeklong celebration of Language Day. Gradually, Muktadhara was joined by other publishers, and in 1978 the Bangla Academy formalized the collection of sellers as the Ekushey Book Fair. Bishwajit Saha founded The New York branch of Muktadhara in 1990 as a bookstore operating out of his apartment in
Jackson Heights Jackson Heights is a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the borough of Queens in New York City. Jackson Heights is neighbored by North Corona to the east, Elmhurst to the south, Woodside to the west, and today northern Astoria ( Ditm ...
. Subsequently, on 21 February 1992, Muktadhara and a number of other organizations joined together to place a temporary monument honoring the student martyrs killed forty years before protesting the exclusion of Bengali from the official language list of Pakistan, a tradition which has become annual. The New York Branch has also launched community writing workshops, reading series in conjunction with various school and community projects, and, since 1992, the International Bengali Book Fair in New York and other cities in North America. In 2008, publishing houses from multiple countries are expected to participate, with confirmed participation by a number of international guest, including Foreign Adviser
Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury is a former Bangladesh Advisor (Minister) of Foreign Affairs (2007-2009), a position he held after a long career in diplomacy and the Civil Service, starting in Pakistan in 1969, thereafter transferring to Banglade ...
and poet Sunil Ganguly. The New York branch has also honored the "10 Greatest Bengalis Alive", a list garnered by online survey commenced in December 2004 and concluded on 31 May 2005, promoted with international outreach. The list was announced at New York's
Manhattan Center The Manhattan Center is a building in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1906 and located at 311 West 34th Street, it houses Manhattan Center Studios, the location of two recording studios; its Grand Ballroom; and the Hammerstein Ballro ...
on 28 August 2005, with guests of honor Carolyne Wright and Clinton B. Seely also celebrating the 15th anniversary of the New York branch. On 25 April 2008 Muktadhara hosted
Muhammad Yunus Muhammad Yunus (born 28 June 1940) is a Bangladeshi economist, entrepreneur, and civil society leader who has been serving as the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh, Chief Adviser of the Interim government of Muhammad Yunus, interim Yunus ministry, g ...
, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner. The Nobel laureate revealed his new book, ''Creating a World without Poverty''. Rashidul Bari, the author of ''Grameen Social Business Model: A Manifesto for Proletariat Revolution'', and the producer of the film ''The Killing of Muhammad Yunus Biographer'', welcomed the Nobel laureate at Muktadhara.


References

{{Reflist, 2 18. http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/J469-2015, Memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim 21 February 2015 as Mother Language Day in the State of New York 19. http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/J4982-2011, Memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim the week of 24–30 June 2012 as International Bangla Festival Week in the State of New York


External links

* http://www.muktadhara.com/ Muktadhara publishing house website * https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/resolutions/2015/j3690 * http://www.nyboimela.org// New York Bangla Book Fair Website Publishing companies established in 1971 Book publishing companies of India 1971 establishments in West Bengal Companies based in Kolkata Organisations based in Kolkata