Bangladesh
Bangladesh is one of the most friendly, intriguing and we like to think, exciting, countries in the world. Here's a little background...
Land of the bengals
Bangladesh was first part of the Mughal empire for more than five centuries. It was once the eastern portion of the historical region of Bengal along with what is now the Indian state of West Bengal and the Pakistani province of East Bengal (later renamed East Pakistan).
In 1971 it became the independent country of Bangladesh, with Dhaka as its capital. Bangladesh is situated on the northern coast of the Bay of Bengal and is surrounded by India with the Indian states of West Bengal to the west and north, Assam to the north, Meghalaya to the north and northeast, and Tripura and Mizoram to the east. To the southeast, it shares a border with Myanmar (Burma).
Bangladesh is the largest delta in the world with the sacred river Ganges, Brahmaputra and Jamuna all flowing through the country and finally into the Bay of Bengal.
The mother land of rivers
Bangladesh, ‘the mother land of rivers’, has a unique history of culture, dating back more than three thousand years. This long history has also created a many-sided and unique folk heritage which is remarkably different from any neighboring country.
Rich literary heritage
Bangladesh boasts a rich literary heritage reflecting the long history of the region. Composed in the 8th century, ‘Charyapada’ is the earliest literary text in the Bengali language. The era of modern Bengali literature began in the nineteenth century, with the Nobel laureate poet Rabindra Nath Tagore and the National poet Kazi Nazrul Islam publishing great works. Michael Madhusudan Datta, Sarat Chandra Chattapadhaya, Mir Mosharraf Hossain, Bankim Chandra Chattapaddhya, Begum Rokeya, Sufia Kamal are the best-known pioneers of modern Bengali literature.
Inhabitants of Bangladesh
The major religion practiced in Bangladesh is Islam (89.7%) while a sizable minority is Hindu (9.2%). The majority of Muslims are Sunni, while the rest are Shia, Ahamadiyya or Sufi. Ethnic Biharis are predominantly Shia Muslims. Other religious groups include Buddhist (0.7% mostly Theravada), Christians (0.3% mostly Roman Catholic denomination), and animists (0.1%)
There are many traditional and very popular forms of folk music throughout Bangladesh. These include Baul, Bhatiali , Marifati, Murshidi, Bhawaiya with lyrics rooted into vibrant tradition, mysticism, spirituality and devotion. Lalon Shah, Hason Raza, Romesh Shill, Kangal Harinath, Abbus Uddin, Shah Abdul Karim and many unknown lyricists have enriched the traditional folk songs of Bangladesh.
Today’s popular classical singers include Kishor Kumar , Manna Dey, Vhupen Hazarica, Lata Mungeshkar, Runa Laila, Sabina Yasmin, Abdul Zabbar and Subir Nandi.