A cultural and culinary icon in South Asia, hilsa carries memories of rivers, homes, and histories that transcend borders. From family tables to diplomatic exchanges between India and Bangladesh, it binds the personal with the political. But, as rivers shrink and politics grow more complex, can hilsa continue to bridge histories and nations?
In September 2025, I received a rather unexpected invitation from the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi to a Hilsa Lunch at the Chancery. Right at the entrance, a board welcomed guests; on it were the flags of the two countries and the words, “Celebrating Friendship.” The veranda that led to the hall where the lunch was hosted was adorned with photographs of Bangladeshi fishermen at work, harvesting hilsa.
My Bengali mind could not help but connect these images to Manik Bandyopadhyay’s iconic novel, Padma Nadir Majhi (Boatman of the River Padma). I am certain I was not the only Bengali walking into that hall who thought the same. Written in 1936, it is one of the first river-centric novels in Bengali literature. Bandyopadhyay’s work opens with a vivid scene of the hilsa fishing season on the river, on a monsoon night. He goes on to describe the trade of hilsa at Goalundo ghat, from where it is transported by railway wagons to Kolkata.