Bangla (Bengali) Language in Toronto, Canada -- 1

Samples of some newspapers published in Bangla from Toronto
-- (Top row: L-R) Deshe Bideshe and Desher Alo,
(Bottom row: L-R) Shomoy, Bangla Kagoj and Aajkal.

Layout: Joachim Romeo D'Costa

Photos © Jerome D'Costa

Where there are Bangalis or Bangladeshis, Bangla language follows there -- not only as their mother tongue but also as a Bangla language movement. When they are in foreign lands, they practise and propagate Bangla through songs and other cultural programmes and by publishing Bangla newspapers and magazines and writing signboards and billboards of their businesses and shops.

Here we speak of some of the Bangla newspapers being published from Toronto. They are:

Printed Bangla Newspapers:

• Deshe Bideshe: Edited by Nazrul Minto, it is in its 20th year of publication. It was whole of Canada's first Bangla newspaper that started on February 21, 1991 as a printed paper. Initially, it was an irregular newspaper, but from June 6, 1996, it became a regular weekly. From December 1, 2008, it stopped its printed version and progressed into an online daily. It is available at: http://www.deshebideshe.com/
• Bangla Kagoj: Edited by Khurshid Alam, this weekly is 10 years old. It does not have an online presence yet.
• Shomoy: Edited by Alamgir Hussain, this weekly is in its 7th year of publication. It is not yet available online.
• Desher Alo: Edited by Ahaed Khandakar, this weekly is in its 5th year of publication. It is available at: http://www.desheralo.ca/
• Aajkal: Edited by Ronny Ahmed Chowdhury, this weekly is in its first year of publication. It is available at: http://www.aajkalca.com/

Online Bangla Newspapers:

• Deshe Bideshe: See details above, under "Printed Bangla Newspapers." It is now an online Bangla daily.
• Notun Desh: Edited by Serene Ferdous, this weekly is published online. It is in its second year. It is available at: http://www.notundesh.com/
• The Bengali Times: Edited by Shahidul Islam Mintu, this weekly is published online and is in the second year of publication. Although this paper has an English name, it is published in Bangla. It is available at: http://www.thebengaltimes.ca/

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