Indian poetry and Indian literature in general, has a long history dating back to Vedic times. They were written in various Indian languages such as Vedic Sanskrit, Classical Sanskrit, Ancient Meitei, Modern Meitei, Telugu, Tamil, Odia, Maithili, Kannada, Bengali, Assamese, Urdu, and Hindi. Poetry in foreign languages such as English also has a strong influence on Indian poetry. The poetry reflects diverse spiritual traditions within India. In particular, many Indian poets have been inspired by mystical experiences. Poetry is the oldest form of literature and has a rich written and oral tradition.
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 and implement national language policy and conducts original research in Bengali. Established in 1955, it is located in the Burdwan House in Shahbagh, Dhaka, within the grounds of the University of Dhaka and Suhrawardy Udyan. The Bangla Academy hosts the annual Ekushey Book Fair.
The Bangla Academy Literary Award, is given by the Bangla Academy of Bangladesh in recognition of creative genius in advancement and overall contribution in the field of Bengali language and literature.
Bangladesh Shishu Academy is the national academy for children in Bangladesh. It was established in 1976 for promoting cultural development of children, and nurturing their talents.
Sardar Jainuddin was a Bangladeshi novelist. He was awarded Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1967 and Ekushey Padak in 1994 posthumously.
Selina Hossain is a Bangladeshi novelist and the current president of Bangla Academy since February 2022. Her major works include Hangor Nodi Grenade (1976) and Poka Makorer Ghor Boshoti (1996). She earned all major national awards – Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1980, Ekushey Padak in 2009 and Independence Day Award in 2018. Her novels and short stories have been translated into English, Russian, French, Japanese, Korean, Finnish and Malay. She served as the chairperson of Bangladesh Shishu Academy from 2014 until 2018.
Atiur Rahman is a Bangladeshi development economist, author, and banker. He served as the 10th Governor of Bangladesh Bank, the central bank of Bangladesh. He has been called "the banker of the poor" for his contributions in developing the Bangladeshi economy. Rahman is credited with instituting changes in the banking industry that greatly increased the country's foreign exchange reserves and brought automation and digitization in the banking sector. Achievements during his tenure include the creation of the National Payment Switch; introducing automated check clearing for banks using local currency cheques; starting mobile banking; establishing the Bangladesh Electronic Funds Transfer Network (BEFTN); and installing the Bangladesh Automated Clearing House (BACH). On 15 March 2016, he resigned as central bank governor after the cyber hacking and theft of US$101 million in foreign reserves from the Bangladesh Bank account held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
The Ananda Puraskar is an award for Bengali literature awarded annually by the ABP Group to writers using Bengali, usually from West Bengal, India.
Bimal Guha is a Bangladeshi poet. He appeared on the Bangladesh literary scene in the 1970s. His themes revolve around the war of liberation and the eternal subjects of love, nature, motherland, mother-tongue, tradition, and modernity.
Bankim Puraskar is the highest award given by the Government of West Bengal for contribution to Bengali fiction. The award was instituted in 1975 in memory of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, a famous Bengali novelist of the 19th century. It has been brought under the aegis of Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi, functioning under the Department of Information & Cultural Affairs, in 2003. The award is handed over by the Chief Minister of West Bengal.
Sukumar Barua is a Bangladeshi rhymester. He was awarded Ekushey Padak by the Government of Bangladesh in 2017.
Mohit Kamal is a Bangladeshi psychiatrist specialized in narcotics/drug addiction related issues. He is a professor of psychotherapy and a former director of National Institute of Mental Health and Hospital, Dhaka. He is also a fiction writer. In recognition of his contributions to child literature, he received Agrani Bank Shishu Academy Child literature Award in 2011 and won Bangla Academy Literary Award-2018 in fiction category.
Mashrur Arefin is a Bangladeshi writer, novelist, poet, translator and banker. He is known for his Bengali translation of Homer’s Iliad and Franz Kafka's stories, and his novels, August Abchchaya and Althusser (2020). He received the BRAC Bank-Samakal Literature Award for his translation of Franz Kafka's stories in 2013, he won the Gemcon Shahitya Puroshkar 2020 for his first novel August Abchhaya. and he received IFIC Bank Literary Award 2019 for the novel August Abchaya.
Anjir Liton is a Bangladeshi poet and children's writer. He is the Director General of Bangladesh Children's Academy. He won Bangla Academy Literary Award for His Children's Writing in 2020 for his contribution to children's literature. He is the editor in chief of Chorabarshiki, The largest collection of Rhymes of Bengali literature.
Sadhana Ahmed is a Bangladeshi playwright, screenwriter, performing artist and a fellow of Bangla Academy in Bangladesh. She was awarded Bangla Academy Literary Award (2021) by the government of Bangladesh.
Tapan Bandopadhyay is an eminent Bengali novelist. He won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2022 for his novel Birbal.
