Learn Bangla (Hardcover)

Bangla or Bengali (as it is known in English) is one of the eight most spoken languages of the world. Most Bangla speakers live in Bangladesh and West Bengal in India. Besides a very substantial number of Bengalis live in Britain. Now-a-days they are spread over many parts of the world, from Canada to New Zealand. Bangla is very rich in literature and songs. The world knows about Poet Tagore (Rabindra Nath Thakur) who had been honoured with Nobel Prize in literature. But there are so many other Bengali writers and poets who are not so known to the outside world. Certainly the world is poorer for not having access to this treasure. So far there has not been any serious attempt nor is it possible to translate this vast wealth of Bangla literature. I believe that some knowledge of Bangla will arouse interest in, and also open the gateway to, this fascinating language. There are some books in the market to learn Bangla, but most of these books target either the serious linguists or the holiday makers. For a long time I felt to write a book which would help complete beginners to learn Bangla and also the people with inquisitive mind to go into more depths. Encouragement as well as admonition from my wife for not fulfilling my wish eventually forced me to complete this book. There is a large number of Bengalis living in Britain and many countries of the world and it results at an ever-increasing intake of Bengali students in many schools, especially in London and some other big cities. If this book assists the teachers, social workers, police, doctors, nurses, lawyers and other public workers in learning basic Bangla to communicate, my humble effort will bear fruit. I also believe that this book will be useful to the new generation of Bengali children who are literate in English, but not so in Bangla. I think many foreigners who live and work in Bangladesh in the diplomatic, cultural and commercial fields will find my book useful. Finally, I express my sincere thanks and gratitude to all people who helped me to publish this book.