The first annual conference (then, Prabasi Banga-Sahitya Sammelan)(প্রবাসী বঙ্গ-সাহিত্য সম্মেলন) was held in Banaras at Central Hindu Boys School in 1923[1] and was presided over by Rabindranath Tagore.

The first sponsors were distinguished 'Bengalis living outside Bengal' (Prabasis) like Atul Prasad Sen, Radhakamal Mukherjee, Kedar Nath Bandyopadhyay, Mahendra Chandra Roy et al.[2] Since 1922 till 1980 the conference has travelled far and wide within India, from major cities like Delhi, Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Lucknow, Hyderabad to far flung Srinagar and Guwahati.

Post Independence, in 1953 the coinage 'Prabasi' was dropped and 'Nikhil Bharat' (All India) was adopted in the context of the free nation.

[4] Under the patronization of great Bengali literary personalities like Atul Prasad Sen, Kazi Nazrul Islam and others, the Sammelan has reached maturity, having branches every major city and town of India.

The idea is to enrich Bengali literature and its culture by exchanging views and resources with other Indian authors.