Netaji Subhas Open University, Kolkata (the only state open University in West Bengal, India), in collaboration with the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore, India (the Premier Language Institute in India under the aegis of Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India), has launched Bangla Online (an Online Language Teaching Course on Bangla / Bengali Language) on March 24, 2004.

   Bangla or Bengali (as it is often called) is one of the most populous languages with approximately 250 million speakers throughout the world. West Bengal in India houses 80,221,000 people (2001 Census) most of whom speak Bangla. According to 2001 figures, 140,400,000 people speak Bangla in Bangladesh. Bangla is one of the 22 national languages of India recognized by the Indian Constitution and is the national and official language of Bangladesh.

   As lots of people have approached us, asking us if we would be able to do something for the Bangla learners all over the world, especially the diasporic Indians, or Bangladeshis, settled in different parts of the globe, Bangla Online is our response to them. This Course will cater to the demands of people who love Bangla language, literature and culture but have no avenue to learn the language or learn about its rich literary heritage. This course, apart from imparting on the learners, the essential knowledge about the ethos and heritage of Bangla language, literature and culture, will suffice to the needs of the learners interested in getting an Online Certificate. The successful completion of the Course will earn learners a Certificate, which will be awarded by Netaji Subhas Open University, Kolkata in collaboration with the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore. This is a pay site and one gets the right of admission only after the remittance of the required amount either through DD or through Credit Card. To learn more about the Course please log on to www.bangla-online.info