1.
Baul
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The Baul are a group of mystic minstrels from Bengal which includes Indian State of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh. Bauls constitute both a religious sect and a musical tradition. Bauls are a heterogeneous group, with many sects, but their membership mainly consists of Vaishnava Hindus. They can often be identified by their clothes and musical instruments. Not much is known of their origin, Lalon Fokir is regarded as the most important poet-practitioner of the Baul tradition. Baul music had a influence on Rabindranath Tagores poetry and on his music. Though Bauls comprise only a fraction of the Bengali population. In 2005, the Baul tradition was included in the list of Masterpieces of the Oral, the word Baul has its etymological origin in the Sanskrit word Vātūla and is used for someone who is possessed or crazy. Bauls are an extension of the Sahajiya philosophy, which in turn derives from the Nath tradition and they believe in living the world as a half-sanyasi. The origin of the word Baul is debated, the origin of Bauls is not known exactly, but the word Baul has appeared in Bengali texts as old as the 15th century. The word is found in the Chaitanya Bhagavata of Vrindavana Dasa Thakura as well as in the Chaitanya Charitamrita of Krishnadasa Kaviraja, some scholars maintain that it is not clear when the word took its sectarian significance, as opposed to being a synonym for the word madcap, agitated. The beginning of the Baul movement was attributed to Birbhadra, the son of the Vaishnavite saint Nityananda, Bauls are a part of the culture of rural Bengal. Whatever their origin, Baul thought has mixed elements of Tantra, Sufi Islam and they are thought to have been influenced by the Hindu tantric sect of the Kartabhajas, as well as Tantric Vaishnava schools like the Vaishnava-Sahajiya. Some scholars find traces of these thoughts in the ancient practices of Yoga as well as the Charyapadas, the Bauls themselves attribute their lack of historical records to their reluctance to leave traces behind. Dr. Jeanne Openshaw writes that the music of the Bauls appears to have passed down entirely in oral form until the end of the 19th century. The Bauls were recorded as a sect as early as mid 18th century. Regarding the origins of the sect, one recent theory suggests that Bauls are descendants of a branch of Sufism called baal, votaries of this sect of Sufism in Iran, dating back to the 8th-9th centuries, were fond of music and participated in secret devotional practices. They used to roam about the desert singing, like other Sufis, they also entered the South Asian subcontinent and spread out in various directions
2.
Mysticism
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Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ultimate or hidden truths, the term mysticism has Ancient Greek origins with various historically determined meanings. Derived from the Greek word μυω, meaning to conceal, mysticism referred to the liturgical, spiritual. During the early period, the definition of mysticism grew to include a broad range of beliefs. In modern times, mysticism has acquired a limited definition, with applications, as meaning the aim at the union with the Absolute. This limited definition has been applied to a range of religious traditions and practices. Since the 1960s scholars have debated the merits of perennial and constructionist approaches in the research of mystical experiences. The perennial position is now largely dismissed by scholars, most scholars using a contextual approach, Mysticism is derived from the Greek μυω, meaning I conceal, and its derivative μυστικός, mystikos, meaning an initiate. The verb μυώ has received a different meaning in the Greek language. The primary meanings it has are induct and initiate, secondary meanings include introduce, make someone aware of something, train, familiarize, give first experience of something. The related form of the verb appears in the New Testament. As explained in Strongs Concordance, it properly means shutting the eyes and its figurative meaning is to be initiated into the mystery revelation. The meaning derives from the rites of the pagan mysteries. Also appearing in the New Testament is the related noun μυστήριον, the term means anything hidden, a mystery or secret, of which initiation is necessary. According to Thayers Greek Lexicon, the term μυστήριον in classical Greek meant a hidden thing, a particular meaning it took in Classical antiquity was a religious secret or religious secrets, confided only to the initiated and not to be communicated by them to ordinary mortals. In the Septuagint and the New Testament the meaning it took was that of a purpose or counsel. It is sometimes used for the hidden wills of humans, but is often used for the hidden will of God. Elsewhere in the Bible it takes the meaning of the mystic or hidden sense of things and it is used for the secrets behind sayings, names, or behind images seen in visions and dreams
3.
Lalon
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Lalon, also known as Lalon Sain, Lalon Shah, Lalon Fakir or Mahatma Lalon, was a Bengali Baul saint, mystic, songwriter, social reformer and thinker. Widely celebrated as an epitome of religious tolerance, he was accused of heresy during his lifetime. In his songs, Lalon envisioned a society where all religions and he founded the institute known as Lalon Akhrah in Cheuriya, about 2 kilometres from Kushtia railway station. His disciples dwell mostly in Bangladesh and West Bengal, in 2004, Lalon was placed at number 12 in the BBCs poll of the Greatest Bengali of All Time. There are few sources for the details of Lalons early life as he was reticent in revealing his past. It is not known whether he was born in a Hindu or a Muslim family and they gave Lalon land to live where he founded a musical group and remained to compose and perform his songs, inspired by Shiraj Sain, a musician of that village. Lalon lost the sight of his one eye in smallpox, researchers note that Lalon was a close friend of Kangal Harinath, one of the contemporary social reformers and was a disciple of Lalon. Lalon lived within the zamindari of the Tagores in Kushtia and had visited the Tagore family and it is said that zamindar Jyotirindranath Tagore sketched the only portrait of Lalon in 1889 in his houseboat on the river Padma. Lalon died at Chheuriya on 17 October 1890 at the age of 116, the news of his death was first published in the newspaper Gram Barta Prokashika, run by Kangal Harinath. Lalon was buried at the middle of his dwelling place known as his Akhra, Lalon was against religious conflict and many of his songs mock identity politics that divide communities and generate violence. He even rejected nationalism at the apex of the anti-colonial nationalist movements in the Indian subcontinent and he did not believe in classes or castes, the fragmented, hierarchical society, and took a stand against racism. Lalon does not fit the mystical or spiritual type who denies all worldly affairs in search of the soul, he embodies the socially transformative role of sub-continental bhakti and sufism. He believed in the power of music to alter the intellectual and emotional state in order to be able to understand, the texts of his songs engage in philosophical discourses of Bengal, continuing Tantric traditions of the Indian subcontinent, particularly Nepal, Bengal and the Gangetic plains. He explicitly identified himself with the Nadiya school, with Advaita Acharya, Nityananda and he was greatly influenced by the social movement initiated by Chaitanya against differences of caste, creed and religion. His songs reject any absolute standard of right and wrong and show the triviality of any attempt to people whether materially or spiritually. Lalon composed numerous songs and poems, which describe his philosophy and it is estimated that Lalon composed about 2,000 -10,000 songs, of which only about 800 songs are generally considered authentic. Lalon left no written copies of his songs, which were transmitted orally and only later transcribed by his followers, also, most of his followers could not read or write either, so few of his songs are found in written form. Rabindranath Tagore published some of the Lalon song in the monthly Prabasi magazine of Kolkata, the songs of Lalon aim at an indescribable reality beyond realism
4.
Music of India
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The music of India includes multiple varieties of Indian classical music, folk music, Filmi and Indian pop. Indias classical music tradition, including Hindustani music and Carnatic, has a history spanning millennia, Music in India began as an integral part of socio-religious life. The basic concepts of music includes shruti, swaras, alankar, raga. Its tonal system divides the octave into 22 segments called shrutis, not all equal, the Hindustani music tradition diverged from Carnatic music around the 13th-14th centuries CE. The practice of singing based on notes was popular even from the Vedic times where the hymns in Sama Veda, developing a strong and diverse tradition over several centuries, it has contemporary traditions established primarily in India but also in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Classical genres are dhrupad, dhamar, khyal, tarana and sadra, the present of Carnatic music can be traced to the 14th - 15th centuries AD and thereafter. It originated in South India during the rule of Vijayanagar Empire, like Hindustani music, it is melodic, with improvised variations, but tends to have more fixed compositions. It consists of a composition with improvised embellishments added to the piece in the forms of Raga Alapana, Kalpanaswaram, Neraval and, in the case of advanced students, Raga, Tala. The main emphasis is on the vocals as most compositions are written to be sung, there are about 7.2 million ragas in Carnatic Music, with around 300 still in use today. Every December, the city of Chennai in India has its eight-week-long Music Season, Carnatic music has served as the foundation for most music in South India, including folk music, festival music and has also extended its influence to film music in the past 100–150 years or so. Light classical or semi-classical, among others, Thumri, Dadra, Ghazal, Chaiti, Kajri and Tappa, Rabindra Sangeet, also known as Tagore songs, are songs written and composed by Rabindranath Tagore. They have distinctive characteristics in the music of Bengal, popular in India, Sangeet means music, Rabindra Sangeet means music of Rabindra. Rabindra Sangeet used Indian classical music and traditional music as sources. Rabindranath Tagore was a figure in Indian music. Many singers in West Bengal and Bangladesh base their careers on the singing of Tagore musical masterpieces. The national anthem of India and national anthem of Bangladesh are Rabindra Sangeets, bihu is the festival of New Year of Assam falling on mid April. This is a festival of nature and mother earth where the first day is for the cows, second day is for the man. Bihu dances and songs accompanied by drums and wind instruments are essential part of this festival
5.
Music of Pakistan
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The Music of Pakistan includes diverse elements ranging from music from various parts of South Asia as well as Central Asian, Middle Eastern, and modern-day Western popular music influences. With these multiple influences, a distinctive Pakistani sound has emerged, in poetry, the ghazal is a poetic form consisting of couplets which share a rhyme and a refrain. Each line must share the same meter, etymologically, the word literally refers to the mortal cry of a gazelle. The animal is called Ghizaal, from which the English word gazelles stems, ghazals are traditionally expressions of love, separation and loneliness, for which the gazelle is an appropriate image. A ghazal can thus be understood as an expression of both the pain of loss or separation of the lover and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The structural requirements of the ghazal are more stringent than those of most poetic forms traditionally written in English, in its style and content it is a genre which has proved capable of an extraordinary variety of expression around its central theme of love and separation between lovers. The ghazal spread into South Asia in the 12th century under the influence of the new Islamic Sultanate courts, exotic to the region, as is indicated by the very sounds of the name itself when properly pronounced as ġazal. Although the ghazal is most prominently a form of Urdu poetry, today, most Ghazal singers are trained in classical music and sing in either Khyal or Thumri. Qawwali is a vibrant musical tradition goes back more than 700 years in old India. Originally performed mainly at Sufi shrines throughout India, it has gained mainstream popularity. Listeners, and often artists themselves are transported to a state of wajad, Qawwali was essentially created by Amir Khusrau in the late 13th century in old India. During the first major migration in the 11th century, the tradition of Sama migrated to South Asia from Turkey. Rumi and his Mevlana order of Sufism have been the propagators of Sama in Central Asia. Amir Khusrau of the Chisti order of Sufis is credited with fusing the Turkish, Persian, Arabic, the word Sama is used in Central Asia and Turkey, for forms very similar to Qawwali while in Pakistan, the formal name used for a session of Qawwali is Mehfil-e-Sama. Women are usually excluded from traditional Muslim music as respectable women are prohibited from singing in mixed-gender public gatherings. Traditionally over the centuries, this has been the practice per the general interpretation of Islamic Law by the religious scholars and this again, has to be a Women Only event per the long practiced tradition where Islam generally discourages mixed-gender gatherings among unmarried women and unmarried men. For evidence, one can just read the name lists on this page to spot a lot of female names on those lists now. This is a type of Islamic religious music where poetical verses of the love for God is expressed, some of the most famous artists include Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, along with his nephew Rahat Fateh Ali Khan
6.
Culture of Bangladesh
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The Culture of Bangladesh refers to the way of life of the people of Bangladesh. It has evolved over the centuries and encompasses the cultural diversity of social groups of Bangladesh. The Bengal Renaissance contained the seeds of a nascent political Indian nationalism and was the precursor in many ways to modern Indian artistic, the culture of Bangladesh is composite and over the centuries has assimilated influences of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity. The music and dance styles of Bangladesh may be divided into three categories, classical, folk, and modern. Several dancing styles in vogue in the part of the Indian subcontinent, like Manipuri and Santhali dances, are practised. Bangladesh has a tradition of folk songs, with lyrics rooted in vibrant tradition and spirituality, mysticism. Such folk songs revolve around themes, including love. The most prevalent folk songs and music traditions include Bhatiali, Baul, Marfati, Murshidi, lyricists like Lalon Shah, Hason Raja, Kangal Harinath, Romesh Shill, Abbas Uddin, and many unknown anonymous lyricists have enriched the tradition of folk songs of Bangladesh. In a relatively modern context, Robindro Shongit and Nazrul Giti form precious cultural heritage of Bangladesh, recently, western influences have given rise to quality rock bands, particularly in urban centres like Dhaka. Currently, musical instruments of western origin like guitars, drums, the Bangladeshi press is diverse, outspoken and privately owned. Over 200 newspapers are published in the country, Bangladesh Betar is the state-run radio service. The British Broadcasting Corporation operates the popular BBC Bangla news and current affairs service, Bengali broadcasts from Voice of America are also very popular. Bangladesh Television is the television network. There more than 20 privately owned television networks, including several news channels, freedom of the media remains a major concern, due to government attempts at censorship and harassment of journalists. The cinema of Bangladesh dates back to 1898, when films began screening at the Crown Theatre in Dacca, the first bioscope in the subcontinent was established in Dacca that year. The Dhaka Nawab Family patronised the production of silent films in the 1920s and 30s. In 1931, the East Bengal Cinematograph Society released the first full-length feature film in Bangladesh, the first feature film in East Pakistan, Mukh O Mukhosh, was released in 1956. During the 1960s, 25–30 films were produced annually in Dacca, by the 2000s, Bangladesh produced 80–100 films a year
7.
History of Bangladesh
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Modern Bangladesh emerged as an independent nation in 1971 after breaking away and achieving independence from Pakistan in the Bangladesh liberation war. The history of the region is closely intertwined with the history of Bengal, the areas early history featured a succession of Indian empires, internal squabbling, and a tussle between Hinduism and Buddhism for dominance. Islam became dominant gradually since the 13th century when Sunni missionaries arrived, later, Muslim rulers reinforced the process of conversion by building masjid and madrassas. However, it was separated from West Pakistan by 1,600 km of Indian territory, after independence, the new state endured famine, natural disasters and widespread poverty, as well as political turmoil and military coups. The restoration of democracy in 1991 has been followed by relative calm, the exact origin of the word Bangla or Bengal is unknown. According to Mahabharata, Purana, Harivamsha Vanga was one of the sons of King Vali who founded the Vanga Kingdom. The records of Rajendra Chola I of the Chola dynasty, who invaded Bengal in the 11th century, shams-ud-din Ilyas Shah took the title Shah-e-Bangalah and united the whole region under one government for the first time. The Vanga Kingdom was located in the part of the Indian Subcontinent, comprising part of West Bengal, India. Vanga and Pundra were two dominant tribes in Bangladesh in ancient time, 500–300 BC, coinciding with the emerging of 16 great states or mahajanapadas in Northern India, and the subsequent rise of the Mauryan Empire. The eastern part of ancient India, covering much of current days Bangladesh was part of one of such mahajanapadas, the ancient kingdom of Anga, which flourished in the 6th century BCE. Linguistically, the oldest population of land may have been speakers of Dravidian languages, such as the Kurux. Subsequently, people speaking languages from other families, such as Tibeto-Burman. Indic Bengali represents the latest settlement, later after the rise of Buddhism many missionaries settled in the land to spread the religion and established many monuments such as Mahasthangarh. The Vanga Kingdom was a seafaring nation of Ancient India. They had overseas trade relations with Java, Sumatra and Siam, according to Mahavamsa, the Vanga prince Vijaya Singha conquered Lanka in 544 BC and gave the name Sinhala to the country. Bengali people migrated to the Maritime Southeast Asia and Siam, establishing their own colonies there, though north and west Bengal were part of the empire southern Bengal thrived and became powerful with her overseas trades. In 326 BCE, with the invasion of Alexander the Great the region came to prominence. The Greek and Latin historians suggested that Alexander the Great withdrew from India anticipating the valiant counterattack of the mighty Gangaridai empire that was located in the Bengal region, Alexander, after the meeting with his officer, Coenus, was convinced that it was better to return
8.
History of Bangladesh after independence
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The history of Bangladesh after independence begins in 1971 with the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan. The politicians elected in 1970 formed the provisional parliament of the new state, the Mukti Bahini and other militias amalgamated to form a new Bangladeshi army to which Indian forces transferred control on 17 March. The government faced serious challenges, which including the rehabilitation of millions of people displaced in 1971, organising the supply of food, health aids, the effects of the 1970 cyclone had not worn off, and the states economy had immensely deteriorated by the conflict. Mujib helped Bangladesh enter into the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement and he travelled to the United States, the United Kingdom and other European nations to obtain humanitarian and developmental assistance for the nation. He signed a treaty of friendship with India, which pledged extensive economic and humanitarian assistance and began training Bangladeshs security forces, Mujib forged a close friendship with Indira Gandhi, strongly praising Indias decision to intercede, and professed admiration and friendship for India. Major efforts were launched to rehabilitate an estimated 10 million refugees, the economy began recovering and a famine was prevented. A constitution was proclaimed in 1973 and elections were held, which resulted in Mujib and he further outlined state programmes to expand primary education, sanitation, food, healthcare, water and electric supply across the country. A five-year plan released in 1973 focused state investments into agriculture, rural infrastructure, in 1974, Bangladesh experienced the deadliest famine ever, which killed around 1.5 million Bangladeshi people from hunger. The Bangladesh famine of 1974 is a source of discontent against Mujibs government. Bangladeshi people feel ashamed, insulted and demoralised as a nation for this famine that was not due to a food crisis, members of Jatiyo Rakkhi Bahini were granted immunity from prosecution and other legal proceedings. The 1974 famine had personally shocked Mujib and profoundly affected his views on governance, during the famine,70000 people were reported as dead. In response, he began increasing his powers, on 25 January 1975 Mujib declared a state of emergency and his political supporters approved a constitutional amendment banning all opposition political parties. Mujib assumed the presidency and was given extraordinary powers and his political supporters amalgamated to form the only legalised political party, the Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League, commonly known by its initials—BAKSAL. The party identified itself with the masses, farmers and labourers. It also launched major socialist programmes, using government forces and a militia of supporters called the Jatiyo Rakkhi Bahini, Mujib clamped down on any opposition to him. The militia known as RakhiBahini and police were accused of torturing suspects, while retaining support from many segments of the population, Mujib evoked anger amongst veterans of the liberation war for what was seen as a betrayal of the causes of democracy and civil rights. On 15 August 1975, a group of army officers invaded the presidential residence with tanks and killed Mujib, his family. Only his daughters Sheikh Hasina Wajed and Sheikh Rehana, who were visiting West Germany and they were banned from returning to Bangladesh
9.
Bengal
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Bengal is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in Asia, which is located in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Geographically, it is made up by the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta system, in 2011, the population of Bengal was estimated to be 250 million, making it the most densely populated region in South Asia. An estimated 160 million people live in Bangladesh, while 91.3 million people live in West Bengal, the predominant ethno-linguistic group are the Bengali people, who speak the Indo-Aryan Bengali language. Bengali Muslims are the majority in Bangladesh, Bengali Hindus are the majority in West Bengal. Dense woodlands, including rainforests, cover Bengals northern and eastern areas. In the littoral southwest are the Sunderbans, the worlds largest mangrove forest, in the coastal southeast lies Coxs Bazaar, the longest beach in the world at 125 km. The region has a climate, which the Bengali calendar divides into six seasons. Bengal has played a role in the history of Asia. In antiquity, its kingdoms were known as seafaring nations, at times an independent regional empire, or a bastion of larger empires, the historical region was a leading power of the Indian subcontinent and the Islamic East. Bengali culture has had a significant influence on other cultures, especially in the fields of literature, music, art, architecture, sports, currency, commerce, politics and cuisine. The name of Bengal is derived from the ancient kingdom of Banga, theories on the origin of the term Banga point to the Proto-Dravidian Bong tribe that settled in the area circa 1000 BCE and the Austric word Bong. The term Bangaladesa is used to describe the region in 11th century South Indian records, the modern term Bangla is prominent from the 14th century, which saw the establishment of the Sultanate of Bengal, whose first ruler Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah was known as the Shah of Bangala. The Portuguese referred to the region as Bengala in the Age of Discovery, most of the Bengal region lies in the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta, but there are highlands in its north, northeast and southeast. The Ganges Delta arises from the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra, the total area of Bengal is 232,752 km2—West Bengal is 88,752 km2 and Bangladesh 147,570 km2. The flat and fertile Bangladesh Plain dominates the geography of Bangladesh, the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Sylhet regions are home to most of the mountains in Bangladesh. Most parts of Bangladesh are within 10 metres above the sea level, because of this low elevation, much of this region is exceptionally vulnerable to seasonal flooding due to monsoons. The highest point in Bangladesh is in Mowdok range at 1,052 metres, a major part of the coastline comprises a marshy jungle, the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world and home to diverse flora and fauna, including the royal Bengal tiger. In 1997, this region was declared endangered, West Bengal is on the eastern bottleneck of India, stretching from the Himalayas in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the south
