Raduga Publishers Bengali Books Access

Why did they do it? The Soviet Union wanted soft power. But the Bengali readers wanted stories. For a few decades, a child in Howrah could read about Russian snow maidens alongside Sukumar Ray’s nonsense verse, thanks to this quiet rainbow.

“Of course they do,” he chuckled. “But look at the inside back cover.” raduga publishers bengali books

“Raduga,” the professor said, tapping a faded cigarette case, “means ‘rainbow’ in Russian. And for a generation of Bengali children, that rainbow brought stories from Moscow to Maniktala.” Why did they do it

Mitali found a gem: a 1985 Bengali edition of The Twelve Months , a Slovak folktale rendered in Soviet style. The paper was thick, almost cardboard-like. The price on the back: Rupees 8.50 . In the colophon, she saw the magic words: “Published by Raduga Publishers, Moscow. Printed in the USSR.” For a few decades, a child in Howrah

She called the professor. “They exist,” she whispered.

Mitali’s research became a small exhibition. Older visitors wept seeing the covers. “This book taught me that snow exists,” one said. “We never saw snow in Bengal, but we felt it through Raduga.”