Bengali nationalism facts for kids

The ethno-linguistic region of Bengal.

Bengali nationalism is the political expression of ethno-national consciousness of the Bengali people. These people live in the region of Bengal. The region's territory is divided between Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal.

Creation of Bangladesh

The Bengali Language Movement and its fallout had created a lot of cultural and political hostility between the two parts of a united Pakistan. Despite making up a majority of the Pakistani population, Bengalis were only a small part of Pakistan's military, police and civil services. Ethnic and socio-economic discrimination against Bengali people in East Pakistan made them angry. Because West Pakistanis were influenced by Perso-Arabic culture, they saw Bengali culture as too closely associated with Hindu culture. One of the first groups demanding the independence of East Pakistan was the Swadhin Bangal Biplobi Parishad (Free Bengal Revolutionary Council).

Images for kids

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  Map showing the result of the partition of Bengal in 1905. The western part (Bengal) gained parts of Orissa, the eastern part (Eastern Bengal and Assam) regained Assam, bordered by British Indian Bengal and Bihar, Nepal, Bhutan, British Burma and Tibet

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  H. S. Suhrawardy, the Premier of Bengal who led demands for an independent Bengal in 1947

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  22 February rally after Janaja at Dhaka Medical College on Dhaka University road, Dhaka.