The book My Golden Bengal: Views and Voices from Civil Society is a collection of introspective interviews of eminent members of the civil society of Bangladesh taken by René Holenstein, a former Swiss Ambassador to Bangladesh. Divided into eight chapters, the book delves deep into the history, present and possible future of Bangladesh, providing distinctive and new insights into old issues.
Holenstein's insightful commentaries contextualise the interviews and provide an outsider's perspective on the country that defied the negative presuppositions and made exemplary progress in multiple sectors. Positing the limitations alongside the stories of development and progress, the book asks the readers a crucial question: has the dream of the "Golden Bengal" been achieved?
Within its pages, it brings together some of the most brilliant and fearless contemporary minds of Bangladesh, and Holenstein's commentaries complement their ideas and opinions to create a book that compels retrospection.
