Hawakal Publishers was established in Kolkata in 2008 as a predominantly Bengali poetry imprint. It gradually expanded to include Bengali fiction and non-fiction titles. In July 2015, Hawakal released its first English-language book and has since published numerous critically acclaimed English-language titles. Having spent nearly two decades in the publishing industry — a journey frequently marked by social, financial and emotional hurdles — Hawakal is now considered one of India’s foremost traditional independent presses, operating simultaneously in two metropolitan cities — New Delhi and Kolkata — and in the university town founded by Rabindranath Tagore: Santiniketan.
Featured Books
Founded by award-winning writer and photographer Bitann Chakraborty, who received the 2024-2025 Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize, Hawakal Publishers works with both emerging and established writers and poets across the globe. Chakraborty has been bestowed the honorary title of one of “the flag-bearers of verse” in the Indian subcontinent. Check out his interview, as published on Scroll.
Hawakal maintains a formal partnership with Shambhabi Imprint, an organisation that publishes a select number of books each year. The Board of Directors includes Bitann Chakraborty and Kiriti Sengupta, with the latter serving as the editor-in-chief of the Ethos Literary Journal (ELJ) and recognised as an esteemed poet, translator, and editor.