Invitation to contribute
Dear Esteemed Patron, Friend, Member & Contributor,
We are extremely excited to announce that we will publish our first ever magazine Pujabarshiki 2024, this year before Durga Puja. The magazine will be available online and potentially in print for our community members. This publication aims to celebrate the richness of Bengali culture, encapsulating the colours, traditions, and voices of our vibrant community.
We want to feature a variety of content, including personal stories, poetry, and insightful reflections that highlight both traditional and contemporary aspects of our culture. From celebrating major Bengali festivals to exploring the nuances of our daily experiences in the Greater Vancouver Area, the magazine aims to offer a comprehensive view of our community’s life and values.
We have an amazingly talented editorial team at BongMilanti, and we are eagerly waiting to review your submissions!
Contribution Guidelines
General Information
- BongMilanti welcomes submissions in Bengali, English, and Hindi. We are happy to provide you with a platform to exhibit your creativity and we appreciate your submissions.
- Submissions should adhere to the overall theme and tone of the magazine, that celebrates Bengali culture, lifestyle, arts, and literature.
- We have a special section for our young community members and we invite them to contribute too.
- Contributors may submit their work in the form of articles, short stories, poems, essays, interviews, illustrations, photographs or paintings. They may choose one of the following categories/themes :
- Life Abroad (NRI Life) – challenges, adaptation stories, etc -> বিদেশে বাঙালি জীবন: এনআরআই জীবনের চ্যালেঞ্জ, অভ্যস্ততার গল্প
- Career in Canada, job search, survival strategy for new comers in Canada -> কানাডায় কর্মজীবন: নতুনদের জন্য কাজ খোঁজার কৌশল ও টিকে থাকার পরামর্শ
- Travel & Adventures -> ভ্রমণ ও রোমাঞ্চ: নতুন স্থান আবিষ্কার ও অ্যাডভেঞ্চারের গল্প
- Bangla O Bangali -> বাংলা ও বাঙালি: বাংলা ভাষা, সংস্কৃতি ও ঐতিহ্য
- Durga Puja & Emotions -> দুর্গাপূজা ও অনুভূতি: দুর্গাপূজার সময়কার আবেগ ও অনুভূতি
- Hobbies -> শখের দুনিয়া: বাঙালিদের বিভিন্ন শখ ও আগ্রহ
- Bengali Food and Delicacies -> বাঙালি রন্ধনপ্রণালী: বাঙালি খাবারের রেসিপি ও খাদ্যরসিকতার গল্প।
- Featured Accomplishments -> বিশেষ কৃতিত্ব: সম্প্রদায়ের উল্লেখযোগ্য অর্জন ও সফলতা
- Bangalir Saaj O Poshak/Bengal Beauty trends and dresses -> বাঙালির সাজ ও পোশাক: বাঙালি সৌন্দর্য ও ফ্যাশন ট্রেন্ড
- Health & Medical -> স্বাস্থ্য ও চিকিৎসা: স্বাস্থ্য এবং চিকিৎসা সম্পর্কিত তথ্য
- Sports -> খেলা: বিভিন্ন খেলাধুলার খবর ও বিশ্লেষণ।
- Love / Prem -> প্রেমের আকাশ: প্রেম ও সম্পর্কের গল্প
- Bengali Nostalgia -> বাঙালির স্মৃতিসুধা: পুরনো দিনের স্মৃতি ও নস্টালজিয়া
- Miscellaneous -> নানা রকম: বিভিন্ন বিষয়ে লেখালেখি
- Interview with celebrities -> তারকা সাক্ষাৎকার: বিখ্যাত ব্যক্তিদের সাক্ষাৎকার
- All submissions MUST be ORIGINAL. If we detect plagiarism, we will reject the submission.
- Maximum number of submissions per family is 3.
- The last date of submission is July 15th, 2024. We will close the Google form and no more submissions will be accepted after this date.
- We will NOT accept any submission over email.
Formatting Guidelines
Writing
- Font: Arial, size 12 (English), for other languages, maintain the size 12.
- Line spacing: Single spaced
- Title: Centered, bold, and in title case.
- Please mention your name in the next line of the title.
- Text: Justified alignment.
- File Format: Please upload *.doc or a *.docx files only. No PDFs accepted.
- The maximum acceptable length for submissions is two A-4 size pages, with a word limit of 600 – 800 words per page (total of 1200 – 1600 words). You may submit a one or 1/2 A-4 size page too.
- If you wish to submit a picture (taken by you) supporting your writing, you may embed that in your content.
Images/Photographs/Art/Paintings/Illustrations
- High-resolution images (*.jpg/*.jpeg, *.png only) with a minimum of 300 DPI.
- Maximum allowed file size is 10 Mb.
- You may have your name on the side of the image, or as a second page of scanned image.
Content Guidelines
- Articles, Essays, Short Stories, & Poems
- Must be well-written, engaging, and relevant to the magazine’s theme. Should reflect the essence of Bengali culture, traditions, or experiences.
- Both traditional and contemporary forms are accepted.
- Interviews
- Should feature notable individuals/celebrities/person with accomplishments related to Indian culture, arts, literature, or lifestyle.
- Provide context and background information about the interviewee.
- Illustrations, Photography, Paintings & other Artwork
- Must be ORIGINAL works that capture the essence of Bengali culture, landscapes, or daily life.
- Include a brief description or caption for each image.
Review Process
- Submissions will be reviewed by the editorial team of BongMilanti.
- Due to the high volume of submissions, feedback cannot be provided for all submissions. However, accepted contributors will be notified via email within two weeks once the final decision has been made.
Rights and Compensation
- By submitting your work to BongMilanti, you agree to abide by the above guidelines and grant BongMilanti the right to publish your work in digital formats and/or print. The digital format will be made available on BongMilanti’s website : www.bongmilanti.org
- Accepted contributors will receive acknowledgment of their published work as a Thank You note, via email and a mention on our social media platforms.
- As a not-for-profit organization, BongMilanti does not offer monetary compensation for submissions.
Submission Process
- Submissions should be sent via this Google form
Further Inquiries
For any further inquiries or clarification regarding the submission guidelines, please contact us.