Geoff Hooper

A Fascinating History of Bengali Journalism in Britain

They say that everyone has at least one book in them but the reason of us never take up our pens and write is because we say we have not got time. We have to earn a living and when we arrive home, there are umpteen things to do let alone attend to the kids and parents' evenings at school, etc.

If that's the way you think, take Faruque Ahmed as a role model. On most evenings of the week until midnight you'll find him adroitly answering to the needs of customers in Bengal Bertie's, the tasty Indian-Bangladeshi restaurant in Highgate's Archway Road, London N6. But during the afternoon he is salving away over a hot keyboard just as he has been doing for more than 20 years. That is how long he has been involved in the Bengali literary and cultural activity in both Britain and Bangladesh.

His hard work has come to fruition; he has just produced his latest book. Bengali Journals and Journalism in Britain (1916-2007) is published in the United States by Lulu, March 2009.

The book is what will appeal to the students of history both British and Bengali. It is fascinating - and surprising - for example, to read that the first Bengali Newspaper - a fortnightly - was published nearly 100 years ago at the behest of the British Government not only to celebrate Britain's success in World War I but to win Indian support for it. It was sent to India and Bengal to be sold for an anna.

The book also adds to the glory of the Bangladeshi curry industry in Britain. Restaurant owners have been associated with the publication of many of the journals Faruque Ahmed has taken for discussion. They were owners, directors or promoters or even writers. A politically conscious class, these restaurateurs have actively participated in different political movements in Bangladesh; they have also created a social momentum for Bengali people in Britain by employing fellow countrymen in their businesses and directly contributing to publishing occasional periodicals and weeklies. While Bengali journals worked as social media to bring them together, they also conveyed their ideas to all the members of the community, thus enhancing their business enterprises and social achievements. This book is a tribute to the achievement to the Bengali community as a whole.