Bangladesh is traditionally very rich in its musical heritage

IntroductionBangladesh, a small green speckle overshadowed by India, if looked for in the globe. Yet when looked deep into its root and core, one can find an origin full of history rich with culture and tradition. Although unaware, majority of Bangladeshis are still holding on to their simple and authentic traditions. What other way is there to explain the wonderful come-back of traditional clothing and music in new productions? This just proves that we, the Bangladeshis have not forgotten our culture or at least are trying to retain it in our everyday life.

Traditional Art & Performance MusicBangladesh is traditionally very rich in its musical heritage. From the ancient times, music documented the lives of the people and was widely patronized by the rulers.

The music of Bangladesh can be broadly categorized among the following genres:

ClassicalBangladeshi classical music is based on modes called ragas (rag, in Bangla). All traditional Bangla music are based on classical music or on its variations.

Some of the most talented classical musicians of the sub-continent come from Bangladesh including Ustad Allauddin Khan, Sangeetacharya Tarapada Chakraborty, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Pandit Manas Chakraborty, Ustad Ayet Ali Khan, Ustad Abed Hossain Khan and so on.

Rabindra SangeetRabindra sangeet is one of the best-known genres of Bangla music outside Bengal. The main origin of Rabindra sangeet is from the works of Nobel laureate poet, novelist and play writer, Rabindranath Tagore. (Rabindra sangeet literally means music of Rabindra).

. Rabindra sangeet forms an integral part of almost any Bengali cultural festival and is seen as one of the most important parts of Bangla cultural heritage. These songs have also been used in several movies, both in Bangla and Indian Bangla movies.

Nazrul GeetiNazrul geeti, literally meaning "music of Nazrul", are the works of Kazi Nazrul Islam, national poet of Bangladesh .

Nazrul geetis incorporate revolutionary notions as well as more spiritual and philosophical themes. Nazrul , mainly used of strong words and powerful, but catchy, tunes. Among the revolutionary songs, Karar Oi Louho Kopat (Prison-doors of Steel) is best known and has been used several movies - especially those made during the pre-independence period of Bangladesh.

FolkBangla folk music has a long history. Several people contributed to what has become one of the most important musical influences in lives of Bengalis on both sides of the (West Bengal-Bangladesh) border. Among these are Lalon Fokir, Hason Raja and Ramesh Shill. Abbas Uddin was a key player in popularising folk music later on.

Folk music can clearly be distinguished and classified into several sub-genres:

Baul: Bhandari:

Bhatiali:

Bhawaiya:

Gajir geet:

Gombhira Hason Raja

Jaari Jatra Kirtan Pala: Kobi gaan: Lalon Shaari: Upojatiyo:

AdhunikAdhunik songeet literally means "modern songs". Although, to outsiders, this may seem an extremely ambiguous way of nomenclature, it has particular motivations.

Among the main contributors to Adhunik songeet were several singers from both West Bengal and Bangladesh. The list can never be completed.

Pop musicPop music initially started with the so-called band music. And as the name suggests, the music was heavily influenced by Western Music. The greatest contributors to pop music also included the following singers:

Azam KhanFiroz ShaiFakir AlamgirAmani LatiffHappy Akhand, deceased

Lucky AkhandKumar BiswajitProsanta_DasThe popularity of the band music was started enormously with the music of some famous band groups which had some mixed flavor of our melody with Western stream. Some of the best known bands of the era were:

SoulsObscureFeed BackChimeDifferent TouchRenessainceL.R.BFeelingsMilesWinningRock musicBangla rock was started by Azam Khan, Miles and LRB. Hassan (associated with Ark) and James (Faruk Mahfuz Anam) (associated with Feelings and, later, Nogor Baul) contributed in popularizing rock music. However, hard-rock did not begin until arrival of bands like Rockstrata, and later Warfaze among many others in the early 90s.

Some of the best known new bands are:

Ark

AurthohinBlackBanglaChimeFeedbackLRB

Nagar BaulSoulsWarfaze Dance

Classical forms of the sub-continent occupy a dominant position in Bangladeshi dance. The folk and tribal traits are also observed. Among the tribal dances, the Monipuri and Santal are popular.

Institutions like the Chhayanat, Bulhul Academy of Fine Arts and the Shilpakala Academy have helped popularize dance and other forms of performing art.

Classical sub-continental dances are also getting more popular of late.

-Katthak

-Bharatanatyam

Bengali Cuisine

A traditional fish meal called, Macher Jhol (Literally translated to Fish in Gravy)

The Bengalis are great food lovers and take pride in their cuisine.

A meal, for the Bengali, is a ritual in itself even if it only boiled rice and lentils (dal bhat), with of course a little fish. Bengalis, like the French, spend not only the great deal of time thinking about the food but also on its preparation and eating. The early morning shopping for fresh vegetables, fish etc. is the prerogative of the head of the family, even in affluent household, because he feels that he alone can pick up the best at a bargain price.

This is followed by shak (leafy vegetables) such as spinach, palong chard, methi fenugreek, or amaranth. The shak can be steamed or cooked in oil with other vegetables such as begun (eggplant). Steamed shak is sometimes accompanied by a sharp paste of mustard and raw mango pulp called Kasundi.

Bhaja literally means 'deep-fried'; most vegetables are good candidates but begun (aubergines), kumro (pumpkins), or alu (potatoes) like french fries, or shredded and fried, uchhe, potol pointed gourdare common. Machh bhaja (fried fish) is also common, especially rui (rohu) and ilish (hilsa) fishes. Bhaja is sometimes coated in a beshon (chickpea flour) and posto (poppyseed) batter.Another accompaniment is a vegetable preparation usually made of multiple vegetables stewed slowly together without any added water. Labra, chorchori, ghonto, or chanchra are all traditional cooking styles. There also are a host of other preparations that do not come under any of these categories and are simply called trkari - the word merely means 'vegetable' in Bengali. Sometimes these preparations may have spare pieces of fish

The next course is the fish course. Common fish delicacies include machher jhol, tel koi, pabda machher jhal, Doi machh, Chingri machh (shrimp) malai curry, and bhapa ilish (steamed hilsa).

Then comes the meat course. The divide among the Bengalis of Bangladesh and West Bengal is most evident when it comes to the meat course. Meat is readily consumed in urban parts of Bangladesh and some consider it the meal's main course. Khashi mutton or goat meat is traditionally the meat of choice, especially West Bengal, but murgi chicken and im eggs are also commonly consumed.

The last item before the sweets is Doi or yoghurt.It is generally of two varieties, either natural flavour and taste or Mishti Doi - sweet yoghurt, typically sweetened with charred sugar. This brings about a brown colour and a distinct flavour. Like the fish or sweets mishti doi is typically identified with Bengali cuisine.

Festivals and celebrations

A series of festivals varying from race to race are observed here. Some of the Muslim rites are Eid-e-Miladunnabi, Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Azha, Muharram etc. Hindus observe Durga Puja, Saraswati Puja, Kali Puja and many other pujas. Christmas ( popularly called Baradin in Bangla ) is observed by Christians. Also there are some common festivities, which are observed countrywide by people irrespective of races. Pahela Baishakh (the first day of Bangla year) is such a festival. National festivals are Independence Day (26th March), 21st February (the National Mourning Day and World Mother Language Day), The Victory Day (16th December), Rabindra & Nazrul Jayanti etc.

Literature

The history of Bangladeshi and Bengali literature goes back hundreds of years. While it is impossible (and undesirable) to separate the literary trends of the two Bengals during the pre-independence period, post independent Bangladesh has given birth to it's own distinct set of literateurs and literature.. Chandi Das, Daulat Kazi and Alaol are some of the famous poets of the period.

The era of modern Bengali Literature began in the late nineteenth century. Rahindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Michael Madhusudan Datta. Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyai, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyai, Mir Mosharraf Hossain and Kazi Ahdul Wadud are the pioneers of modern Bengali

Poems

Bengali poetry of the oldest period, probably beginning from the 10th century, is known for the mystic poems called Charyapad or Charyagiti. These were discovered from Nepal's Royal library by Bengali scholar Mahamahopadhyay Haraprasad Shastri.

The period between 1350 and 1800 was the Medieval period of Bengali poetry. It was known as the period of Jayadeva (12th century), the renowned poet from neighboring Orissa, Vidyapati (13th century) with his love lyrics, and Badu Chandidas, the author of Sri Krishna Kirtan, the most important philosophical work of the period. The period from 1500 A.D. to 1800 A.D. was known as the Late Middle Bengali period. During this period, there was a marked influence of Chaitanya, which led to the development of Vaishnava literature. Chandidas(13th century) is one of the greatest poets of this time. Outside of Vaishnava poetry, the most significant work of the sixteenth century was Chandimangal, by Mukunda Chakravarti. Two of Bengal's best-known Muslim poets, Arrakan Daulat Kazi and Alaol, lived in the fifteenth century (1607-1680).

With Rabindranath founding a firm basis for Bengali poetry, the new poets of the early 1920s started a conscious movement for transcending the frontiers of traditional verses and establishing a realm of truly 'modern' poetry in Bengali. It was a successful movement that brought permanent change about the concept of structure of poetry, in addition to theme. One notable sect of modernists included pro-socialism poets like Sukanta Bhattacharya and Samar Sen.

EtiquettePersonal interaction is initiated with the greeting Assalam Waleykum ("peace be with you"), to which the required response is, Waleykum Assalam ("and with you"). Among Hindus, the correct greeting is Nomoshkar, as the hands are brought together under the chin. Men may shake hands if they are of equal status but do not grasp hands firmly. Respect is expressed after a handshake by placing the right hand over the heart. Men and women do not shake hands with each other. In same-sex conversation, touching is common and individuals may stand or sit very close. The closer individuals are in terms of status, the closer their spatial interaction is. Leave-taking is sealed with the phrase Khoda Hafez.Bangladeshi Traditional Goods Jamdani Sharee

Jamdani is a fine hand woven cotton cloth made in Bangladesh and sold in the historical corner of Baily Road, Dhaka. Though mostly used for saris, Jamdani is also used for scarves and handkerchiefs. Jamdani is believed to be a fusion of the ancient cloth-making techniques of Bengal (perhaps 2,000 years old) with the muslins produced by Bengali Muslims since the 14th century. Jamdani is the most expensive product of Dhaka looms since it requires the most lengthy and dedicated labor of the highest quality.

However, the long tradition of Jamdani craftsmanship is still alive. At present, a major problem of the industry is that the weavers do not get adequate wages for their labour. A good piece of Jamdani sari needs the labour of one to two months and the wage paid to the weavers does not compensate for their labour. The producers often do not have direct access to sari markets and because of their dependence on the middlemen, who often form informal cartels, they are deprived of their share of profit. Sometimes, the producers fail to recover the costs.

Many organisations now patronise Jamdani industry and this is helping the production of superior quality Jamdani. Some Jamdani saris now sell for up to Tk 10,000 a piece. Sometime in the 1990s, the bangladesh national museum bought a Jamdani sari with designs of bunches of grapes and grape leaves for Tk 35,000. The common people cannot afford to buy quality Jamdani saris because of their high price.

Nakshi KanthaNakshi Kantha or embroidered quilt is a folk art of Bangladesh and West Bengal, India that has been passed down through generations. The art has been flourishing in rural Bengal for centuries. The name nakshi kantha became particularly popular among literate people after the publicaton of Jasimuddin's poem Naksi Kanthar Math (1929). By far the most renowned embroidery of Bangladesh is the Nakshi Kantha. Immersed in ritual and social custom this enchanted wrap is an exquisite art where the basic material used is thread and old cloth. The art of kantha furnishes an illustration of the wonderful patience, craftsmanship and resourcefulness of the village woman. Kanthas are made throughout Bangladesh; but greater Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Faridpur and Jessore areas are most famous for this craft. The colourful patterns and designs that are embroidered resulted in the name Nakshi Kantha- derived from the Bengali word naksha which refers to artistic patterns. The early kanthas were of white ground reinforced with red, blue and black embroidery; later yellow, green, pink and other colours were also included. The running stitch called kantha stitch is the main stitch used for the purpose. Traditionally kantha used to be produced for the use of the family. Today after the revival of the nakshi kantha these are produced commercially and have gained popularity.

Pottery After years of excavation archeologist ultimately explored the secrets of our handicraft history. Since Stone Age, this work of handicraft was so very prominent. The workmanship of that artisan was incomparable. The wood works, tools, and artistic pictures carved on the walls of the caves reflect the aesthetic sense of the people in early age. Sculpture, paintings and terra-cotta proved the artistic talent of those artisans. Initially these artistic sculptures, terra-cotta, wooden appliance were all made to cater the daily need of ancient people but slowly it resulted in the development of designs and motifs. Some of the ancient crafts were mainly designed for the spiritual purposes. The tools which they use for these handicraft works reflects the sign of the tools which are being used today. Though the tools were mainly for survival purpose, but the making of these tools ultimately paved the way for new era of handicraft. Stone age man adopted the method of hammer stone to make tools. This method required the striking at an angle of 120 degrees that too on a convex surface of water worn pebble. This method was a perfect one and used for the manufacturing of most of the tools that time. Even now the tools which are used like spanner, rigid pipe wrench, meco megger, decker drill machine, proto socket spanner, stanely screwdriver etc are the outcome of those early age inventions.

Bangladeshi Tangail Sharee

Tangail Sharee - those couple of words can sketch a greater view of culture, heritage and an extensive exposure on Bangladeshi fashion. Sharee is the basic dress of Bangladeshi women as well as most of the women in Indian subcontinent. Women gives emphasis to have and wear sharees made from fine cotton in Tant (handloom). Form the ancient period, weaving is the way to make sharees which still exist this days. It is told that "A Sharee can figure a woman significantly than any other clothes". Handloom Sharees are different than silk or machine made sharees. Tangail Sharee is the most desirable cloth to the women who wear Sharee all over the world for its fine component, color, design, especially handmade designs which are related to our nature, cultural symbols and other related phenomena.

Jute craftThe subtropical region of Asia, specially India, Bangladesh and China is most popular for Jute. Jute craft is most popular in this region and is derived from the fibre of a reed like plant. The warm humid climate of West Bengal with plenty of rainfall is best suited for this plant. The plant grows to a height of 3-4 meters and takes upto six months to mature. Jute is the second most popular natural plant fibre and is available in abundance.

Once the plant is ready for harvesting, it is cut very close to the ground and left in the ground for a day or two when the leaves fall off. The cut plant is then absorbed and dipped in water to separate the fibre from the plant. This process is known as retting. The, thus separated Jute is dried and given various forms. The fiber is knit into threads. Sometimes the threads are weaved to make rags and cloths. The cleaned fibre, the threads and the rags all are used to make beautiful craft products like the bags, rags, carpets, hangings, footwear, coasters, jewelry, show pieces, etc. Some very fine quality jute is also used to make furnishing material and dresses.

Products Available : Jute Jewelry( Jute Earings, Jute Necklaces, Jute Pendants), Jute Wine Bags, Jute Carry Bags, Jute Coasters etc.

ConclusionWe the Bangladeshis have a very rich culture of our own. But due to our negligence we are on a way to destroy it. Our young generation is the key to protect it. So we have to be more conscious about our culture. Because its our pride, its our gratitude. We cannot let it lost away. AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY-BANGLADESH

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Assignment

On Bangladeshi culture

Submitted to:Rahman SyeedaName of the Course: English Reading Skills and Public SpeakingCourse Code: ENG-1101Submitted By:

Serial No.Name of the StudentSectionID No.

1Jabeen Sayeda BushraA509-14991-3

2Bashir MD Ahbab BinA509-14910-3

3Rabbanee GolamA509-14899-3

4Nawrin NawsabaA509-14856-3

5Roy Soumendu BikashA509-14271-3

6 Srabone Nabila Rahman A5 09-14885-3

Date of submission: 18 OCTOBER 2009PAGE 1