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For other uses, see Bengal (disambiguation).
Bengal (Bengali: বঙ্গ Bôngo, বাংলা Bangla, বঙ্গদেশ Bôngodesh or বাংলাদেশ Bangladesh), is a historical and geographical region in the northeast of South Asia. Today it is mainly divided between the independent nation of Bangladesh (previously East Pakistan), and the Indian federal republic\'s constitutive state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous kingdoms of Bengal (during local monarchical regimes and British rule) are now part of the neighboring Indian states of Bihar, Tripura and Orissa. The majority of Bengal is inhabited by Bengali people (বাঙালি Bangali) who speak Bengali (বাংলা Bangla).[citation needed]
The region of Bengal is one of the most densely populated regions on earth, with a population density exceeding 900/km². Most of the Bengal region lies in the low-lying Ganges–Brahmaputra River Delta or Ganges Delta, the world\'s largest delta. In the southern part of the delta lies the Sundarbans—the world\'s largest mangrove forest and home of the Bengal tiger. Though the population of the region is mostly rural and agrararian, two megacities, Kolkata (previously Calcutta) and Dhaka, are located in Bengal. The Bengal region is notable for its contribution to the socio-cultural uplift of Indian society in the form of the Bengal Renaissance, and revolutionary activities during the Indian independence movement. Bengal was once recognised as one of the preeminent centers of thought in the world: "What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow and the rest of the world the day after" (Gopal Krishna Gokhale).
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The exact origin of the word Bangla or Bengal is unknown, though it is believed to be derived from the Dravidian-speaking tribe Bang that settled in the area around the year 1000 BCE. (1989) "Early History, 1000 B. C.-A. D. 1202", in James Heitzman and Robert L. Worden: Bangladesh: A country study. Library of Congress.
Other accounts speculate that the name is derived from Vanga(বঙ্গ bôngo), which came from the Austric word "Bonga" meaning the Sun-god. The word Vanga and other words speculated to refer to Bengal (such as Anga) can be found in ancient Indian texts including the Vedas, Jaina texts, the Mahabharata and Puranas. The earliest reference to "Vangala" (বঙ্গাল bôngal) has been traced in the Nesari plates (805 AD) of Rashtrakuta Govinda III which speak of Dharmapala as the king of Vangala.M.A. Amitabha Bhattacharyya, Historical Geography of Ancient and Early Mediaeval Bengal, Sanskrit Pustak Bhandar, 1977, pp. 61–62.
The Proto-Australoids were one of the earliest inhabitants of Bengal.Sultana, Sabiha. Settlement in Bengal (Early Period). Banglapedia. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved on 2007-03-04. Dravidians migrated to Bengal from the south, while Tibeto-Burman peoples migrated from the Himalayas, followed by the Indo-Aryans from north-western India. The modern Bengali people are a blend of these people. Pathans, Iranians, Arabs and Turks also migrated to the region in the late Middle Ages while spreading Islam.
Robert Clive, of British East India Company, after winning the
Battle of Plassey in 1757.
Map of the Bengal province, 1893
Remnants of Copper Age settlements in the Bengal region date back 4,000 years,History of Bangladesh. Bangladesh Student Association. Retrieved on 2006-10-26."4000-year old settlement unearthed in Bangladesh", Xinhua, 2006-March. when the region was settled by Dravidian, Tibeto-Burman and Austro-Asiatic peoples. After the arrival of Indo-Aryans, the kingdoms of Anga, Vanga and Magadha were formed by the 10th century BCE, located in the Bihar and Bengal regions. Magadha was one of the four main kingdoms of India at the time of Buddha and consisted of several Janapadas. One of the earliest foreign references to Bengal is the mention of a land named Gangaridai by the Greeks around 100 BCE, located in an area in Bengal.Chowdhury, AM. Gangaridai. Banglapedia. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved on 2006-09-08. From the 3rd to the 6th centuries CE, the kingdom of Magadha served as the seat of the Gupta Empire.
The first recorded independent king of Bengal was Shashanka, reigning around early 7th century.Shashanka. Banglapedia. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved on 2006-10-26. After a period of anarchy, the native Buddhist Pala Empire ruled the region for four hundred years, and expanded across the northern Indian subcontinent into Afghanistan during the reigns of Dharmapala and Devapala. The Pala dynasty was followed by a shorter reign of the Hindu Sena dynasty. Islam was introduced to Bengal in the twelfth century by Sufi missionaries. Subsequent Muslim conquests helped spread Islam throughout the region.Islam (in Bengal). Banglapedia. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved on 2006-10-26. Bakhtiar Khilji, a Turkic general of the Slave dynasty of Delhi Sultanate, defeated Lakshman Sen of the Sena dynasty and conquered large parts of Bengal. Consequently, the region was ruled by dynasties of sultans and feudal lords under the Delhi Sultanate for the next few hundred years. In the sixteenth century, Mughal general Islam Khan conquered Bengal. However, administration by governors appointed by the court of the Mughal Empire gave way to semi-independence of the area under the Nawabs of Murshidabad, who nominally respected the sovereignty of the Mughals in Delhi. The most notable among them is Murshid Quli Khan, who was succeeded by Alivardi Khan.
European traders arrived late in the fifteenth century. Their influence grew until the British East India Company gained taxation rights in Bengal subah, or province, following the Battle of Plassey in 1757, when Siraj ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab, was defeated by the British.Sirajuddaula. Banglapedia. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved on 2006-10-26. The Bengal Presidency was established by 1765, eventually including all British territories north of the Central Provinces (now Madhya Pradesh), from the mouths of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra to the Himalayas and the Punjab. The Bengal famine of 1770 claimed millions of lives.Fiske, John. The Famine of 1770 in Bengal. The Unseen World, and other essays. University of Adelaide Library Electronic Texts Collection. Retrieved on 2006-10-26. Calcutta was named the capital of British India in 1772. The Bengal Renaissance and Brahmo Samaj socio-cultural reform movements had great impact on the cultural and economic life of Bengal. The failed Indian rebellion of 1857 started near Calcutta and resulted in transfer of authority to the British Crown, administered by the Viceroy of India.(Baxter 1997, pp. 30-32) Between 1905 and 1911, an abortive attempt was made to divide the province of Bengal into two zones.(Baxter 1997, pp. 39-40)
Bengal played a major role in the Indian independence movement, in which revolutionary groups were dominant. Armed attempts against to overthrow the British Raj reached a climax when Subhash Chandra Bose led the Indian National Army against the British. Bengal was also central in the rising political awareness of the Muslim population — Muslim League was established in Dhaka in 1906. In spite of a last ditch effort to form a United Bengal,Chitta Ranjan Misra. United Bengal Movement. Banglapedia. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved on 2007-02-06. when India gained independence in 1947, Bengal was partitioned along religious lines.Harun-or-Rashid. Partition of Bengal, 1947. Banglapedia. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved on 2006-10-26. The western part went to India (and was named West Bengal) while the eastern part joined Pakistan as a province called East Bengal (later renamed East Pakistan, giving rise to Bangladesh in 1971). The circumstances of partition was bloody, with widespread religious riots in Bengal.Harun-or-Rashid. Partition of Bengal, 1947. Banglapedia. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved on 2006-10-26.Suranjan Das. Calcutta Riots (1946). Banglapedia. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved on 2007-02-06.
The post-partition political history of East and West Bengal diverged for the most part. Starting from the Bengali Language Movement of 1952.(Baxter 1997, pp. 62-63) political dissent against West Pakistani domination grew steadily. Awami League, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, emerged as the political voice of the Bengali-speaking population of East Pakistan by 1960s.(Baxter 1997, pp. 78-79) In 1971, the crisis deepened when Rahman was arrested and a sustained military assault was launched on East Pakistan.Salik, Siddiq (1978). Witness to Surrender. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-577264-4. Most of the Awami League leaders fled and set up a government-in-exile in West Bengal. The guerrilla Mukti Bahini and Bengali regulars eventually received support from the Indian Armed Forces in December 1971, resulting in a decisive victory over Pakistan on 16 December in the Bangladesh Liberation War or Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.Burke, S (1973). "The Postwar Diplomacy of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971". Asian Survey 13 (11): 1036-1049. The post independence history of Bangladesh was strife with conflict, with a long history of political assassinations and coups before parliamentary democracy was established in 1991. Since then, the political environment has been relatively stable.
West Bengal, the western part of Bengal, became a state in India. In the 1960s and 1970s, severe power shortages, strikes and a violent Marxist-Naxalite movement damaged much of the state\'s infrastructure, leading to a period of economic stagnation. The Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 resulted in the influx of millions of refugees to West Bengal, causing significant strains on its infrastructure.(Bennett & Hindle 1996, pp. 63-70) West Bengal politics underwent a major change when the Left Front won the 1977 assembly election, defeating the incumbent Indian National Congress. The Left Front, led by CPI(M) has governed for the last three decades.Biswas, Soutik. "Calcutta\'s colourless campaign", BBC, 2006-04-16. Retrieved on 2006-08-26. The state\'s economic recovery gathered momentum after economic reforms in India were introduced in the mid-1990s by the central government, aided by election of a new reformist Chief Minister in 2000.
The Bengal Tiger
Most of the Bengal region is in the low-lying Ganges–Brahmaputra River Delta or Ganges Delta. The Ganges Delta arises from the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers and their respective tributaries. The total area of Bengal is 232752 km² — West Bengal is 88,752 km² and Bangladesh 144,000 km².
Most parts of Bangladesh are within 10 meters (33 ft) above the sea level, and it is believed that about 10% of the land would be flooded if the sea level were to rise by 1 metre (3 ft).Ali, A (1996). "Vulnerability of Bangladesh to climate change and sea level rise through tropical cyclones and storm surges". Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 92 (1-2): 171-179. The highest point in Bangladesh is in Mowdok range at 1,052 metres (3,451 ft) in the Chittagong Hill Tracts to the southeast of the country.Summit Elevations: Frequent Internet Errors. Retrieved 2006-04-13. 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.IUCN (1997). "Sundarban wildlife sanctuaries Bangladesh". World Heritage Nomination-IUCN Technical Evaluation.
West Bengal is on the eastern bottleneck of India, stretching from the Himalayas in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the south. The state has a total area of 88,752 km² (34,267 sq mi).Statistical Facts about India. www.indianmirror.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-26. The Darjeeling Himalayan hill region in the northern extreme of the state belongs to the eastern Himalaya. This region contains Sandakfu (3,636 m (11,929 ft))—the highest peak of the state.National Himalayan Sandakphu-Gurdum Trekking Expedition: 2006. Youth Hostels Association of India: West Bengal State Branch. Retrieved on 2006-10-26. The narrow Terai region separates this region from the plains, which in turn transitions into the Ganges delta towards the south. The Rarh region intervenes between the Ganges delta in the east and the western plateau and high lands. A small coastal region is on the extreme south, while the Sundarbans mangrove forests form a remarkable geographical landmark at the Ganges delta. At least nine districts in West Bengal and 42 districts in Bangladesh have arsenic levels in groundwater above the World Health Organization maximum permissible limit of 50 µg/L.Chowdhury U. K., Biswas B. K., Chowdhury T. R. (2000). "Groundwater arsenic contamination in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India". Environmental Health Perspectives 108 (4): 393-397.
About 210 million people live in Bengal, around 60% of them in Bangladesh and the remainder in West Bengal.Provisional Population Totals: West Bengal. Census of India, 2001. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved on 2006-08-26.Adjusted population, p.4, Population Census 2001, Preliminary Report. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (2001-08). The population density in the area is more than 900/km²; making it among the most densely populated areas in the world.World Bank Development Indicators Database, 2006.
Bengali is the main language spoken in Bengal. English is often used for official work. There are small minorities who speak Urdu, Hindi, Chakma, and several other tribal languages. Nepali is spoken primarily by the Gorkhas of Darjeeling district of West Bengal.
66% of the total Bengali population is Muslim, and 33% is Hindu. In Bangladesh 88% of the population is Muslim (US State Department est. 2006) and 11% are Hindus (US State Dept. 2006). In West Bengal, Hindus are the majority with 72.5% of the population while Muslims comprise 25%, and other religions make up the remainder.Data on Religion. Census of India (2001). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved on 2006-08-26. Other religious groups include Buddhists, Christians, and Animists. About 2% of the population is tribal.
Life expectancy is around 63 years, and are almost same for the men and women.An Indian life: Life expectancy in our nation. India Together. Civil Society Information Exchange Pvt. Ltd. Retrieved on 2006-08-26.World Health Report 2005. World Health Organization. In terms of literacy, West Bengal leads with 69.22% literacy rate, in Bangladesh the rate is approximately 41%.2005 Human Development Report. UNDP. The level of poverty is high, the proportion of people living below the poverty line is more than 30%.Bangladesh Country Statistics, Unicef [May 2004] "Introduction and Human Development Indices for West Bengal", West Bengal Human Development Report 2004 (PDF), Development and Planning Department, Government of West Bengal, pp4–6. ISBN 81-7955-030-3. Retrieved on 2006-08-26.
Worker in a paddy, a common scene all over Bengal
Agriculture is the leading occupation in the region. Rice is the staple food crop. Other food crops are pulses, potato, maize, and oil seeds. Jute is the principal cash crop. Tea is also produced commercially; the region is well known for Darjeeling and other high quality teas. The service sector is the largest contributor to the gross domestic product of West Bengal, contributing 51% of the state domestic product compared to 27% from agriculture and 22% from industry.The State Economy (PDF). Indian States Economy and Business: West Bengal 9. India Brand Equity Foundation, Confederation of Indian Industry. Retrieved on 2006-09-07. State industries are localized in the Kolkata region and the mineral-rich western highlands. Durgapur–Asansol colliery belt is home to a number of major steel plants.Economy. West Bengal. Suni System (P) Ltd. Retrieved on 2006-09-07. West Bengal has the third largest economy (2003–2004) in India, with a net state domestic product of US$ 21.5 billion. During 2001–2002, the state\'s average SDP was more than 7.8% — outperforming the National GDP Growth.Basic Information. About West Bengal. West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation. Retrieved on 2006-09-07. The state has promoted foreign direct investment, which has mostly come in the software and electronics fields;Dasgupta, 2002. Retrieved on 2006-04-11. Kolkata is becoming a major hub for the Information technology (IT) industry. Owing to the boom in Kolkata\'s and the overall state\'s economy, West Bengal is now the third fastest growing economy in the country.Consul General Henry V. Jardine to The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, October 19, 2005. Retrieved on 2006-04-11.
Since 1990, Bangladesh has achieved an average annual growth rate of 5% according to the World Bank, despite the hurdles. The middle class and the consumer industry have seen some growth. Bangladesh has seen a sharp increase in foreign direct investment. A number of multinational corporations, including Unocal Corporation and Tata, have made major investments, the natural gas sector being a priority. In December 2005, the Central Bank of Bangladesh projected GDP growth around 6.5%.Annual Report 2004-2005, Bangladesh Bank Although two-thirds of Bangladeshis are farmers, more than three quarters of Bangladesh’s export earnings come from the garment industry,Roland, B. "Bangladesh Garments Aim to Compete", BBC, 2005. which began attracting foreign investors in the 1980s due to cheap labour and low conversion cost. In 2002, the industry exported US$5 billion worth of products.Rahman, S (2004). "Global Shift: Bangladesh Garment Industry in Perspective". Asian Affairs 26 (1). The industry now employs more than 3 million workers, 90% of whom are women.Begum, N (2001). "Enforcement of Safety Regulations in Garment sector in Bangladesh", Proc. Growth of Garment Industry in Bangladesh: Economic and Social dimension, 208-226. A large part of foreign currency earnings also comes from the remittances sent by expatriates living in other countries.
One significant contributor to the development of the economy of Bangladesh has been the widespread propagation of microcredit by Grameen Bank and other similar orgamizations. Together, these organizations had about 5 million members by late 1990s.Schreiner, Mark (2003). "A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh,". Development Policy Review 21 (3): 357-382.
Baul singers at Basanta-Utsab, Shantiniketan
Pohela Baishakh celebration in Dhaka
The common Bengali language and culture anchors the shared tradition of two parts of politically divided Bengal. Bengal has a long tradition in folk literature, evidenced by the Charyapada, Mangalkavya, Shreekrishna Kirtana, Maimansingha Gitika or Thakurmar Jhuli. Bengali literature in the medieval age was often either religious (e.g. Chandidas), or adaptations from other languages (e.g. Alaol). During the Bengal Renaissance of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Bengali literature was modernized through the works of authors such as Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam.
The Baul tradition is a unique heritage of Bangla folk music.The Bauls of Bengal. Folk Music. BengalOnline. Retrieved on 2006-10-26. Other folk music forms include Gombhira, Bhatiali and Bhawaiya. Folk music in Bengal is often accompanied by the ektara, a one-stringed instrument. Other instruments include the dotara, dhol, flute, and tabla. The region also has an active heritage in North Indian classical music.
Bengal had also been the harbinger of modernism in Indian fine arts. Abanindranath Tagore, one of the important 18th century artist from Bengal is often referred to as the father of Indian modern art. He had established the first non-British art academy in India known as the Kalabhavan within the premises of Santiniketan. Santiniketan in course of time had produced many important Indian artists like Nandalal Bose, Benode Bihari Mukherjee and Ramkinkar Baij. In the post-independence era, Bengal had produced important artists like Bikash Bhattacharya, Ganesh Paine.
Rice and fish are traditional favorite foods, leading to a saying that in Bengali, mach ar baath bangali banai, that translates as "fish and rice make a Bengali".Gertjan de Graaf, Abdul Latif. Development of freshwater fish farming and poverty alleviation: A case study from Bangladesh. Aqua KE Government. Retrieved on 2006-10-22. Bengal\'s vast repertoire of fish-based dishes includes Hilsa preparations, a favorite among Bengalis. Bengalis make distinctive sweetmeats from milk products, including Rôshogolla, Chômchôm, and several kinds of Pithe.
Bengali women commonly wear the shaŗi and the salwar kameez, often distinctly designed according to local cultural customs. In urban areas, many women and men wear Western-style attire. Among men, European dressing has greater acceptance. Men also wear traditional costumes such as the panjabi with dhuti or pyjama, often on religious occasions. The lungi, a kind of long skirt, is widely worn by Bangladesh men.
The greatest religious festivals are the two Eids (Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha) for the Muslims, and the autumnal Durga Puja for Hindus.Durga Puja. Festivals of Bengal. West Bengal Tourism, Government of West Bengal. Retrieved on 2006-10-28. Christmas (called Bôŗodin (Great day) in Bangla), Buddha Purnima are other major religious festivals. Other festivities include Pohela Baishakh (the Bengali New Year), Basanta-Utsab, Nobanno, and Poush parbon (festival of Poush).
Bengali cinema are made both in Kolkata and Dhaka. The Kolkata film industry is older and particularly well known for its art films. Its long tradition of film making has produced acclaimed directors like Satyajit Ray, while contemporary directors include Buddhadev Dasgupta and Aparna Sen. Dhaka also has a vibrant commercial industry and more recently has been home to critically acclaimed directors like Tareque Masud. Mainstream Hindi films of Bollywood are also quite popular in West Bengal and Bangladesh. Around 200 dailies are published in Bangladesh, along with more than 1800 periodicals. West Bengal had 559 published newspapers in 2005,General Review. Registrar of Newspapers for India. Retrieved on 2006-09-01. of which 430 were in Bangla. Cricket and football are popular sports in the Bengal region. Local games include sports such as Kho Kho and Kabaddi, the later being the national sport of Bangladesh. An Indo-Bangladesh Bangla Games has been organized among the athletes of the Bengali speaking areas of the two countries.Bangladesh dominate Indo-Bangla Games, clinch 45 gold medals. Yahoo Web Services India Pvt Ltd (February 27 2008). Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
West Bengal and Bangladesh have significant trade, transportation and cultural links, but are still well below the potential.Address by External Affairs Minister Shri Natwar Singh at India-Bangladesh Dialogue Organised by Centre for Policy Dialogue and India International Centre. Speeches. Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi (7 August 2005). Retrieved on 2008-02-26.
Frequent air services link Kolkata with Dhaka and Chittagong. A bus service between Kolkata and Dhaka is operational. The primary road link is the Jessore Road which crosses the border at Petrapole-Benapole about 175 km north-west of Kolkata. Train service between Kolkata Dhaka, which was stopped after Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, is expected to resume in 2008."India-Bangladesh train to resume in April - official", Reuters, 25 February 2008. Retrieved on 2008-02-26.
Visa services are provided by Bangladesh\'s consulate at Kolkata\'s Bangabandhu sheikh Mujibur Rahman Road and India\'s high commissions in Dhaka, Chittagong and Rajshahi. India has a liberal visa policy and nearly 500,000 visas are issued every year to Bangladeshi students, tourists, health-tourists and others who visit West Bengal and often transit to other parts of India. West Bengalis visit Bangladesh for limited numbers of tourism, pilgrimage, trade, expatriate assignments; there is significant potential for growth as Bangladesh\'s stability, economy, moderation in religion and tourist infrastructure improves. In addition West Bengal hosts the celebrated and controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen.
Undocumented immigration of Bangladeshi workers is a controversial issue championed by right-wing nationalist parties in India but finds little sympathy in West Bengal. India has fenced the border to control this flow but immigration is still continuing.Chattopadhyay, S.S (June 2007). "Constant traffic". Frontline 24 (11). The Hindu. Retrieved on 2008-02-26. A rallying cry for the right-wing Hindu parties in India is that the demographics changed such as in West Bengal\'s border district of Malda to majority Muslim.
The official land border crossing at Petrapole-Benapole is the primary conduit for the over $1 billion trade between the two halves of Bengal. Informal trade worth over $2 billion is conducted throughout the porous border. Bangladesh argues with merit that India needs to open up its border more to Bangladeshi exports.
Cultural exchanges between the two parts of Bengal have been somewhat (but not fully) impacted by ups and downs in India-Bangladesh relations and in the influence of extremist Islamist groups in Bangladesh. West Bengal singers and actors complained about being rejected visas in previous years. Bangladesh television channels are widely watched in West Bengal. West Bengal media have an audience in Bangladesh. In foreign countries such as the US, Canada, UK, and UAE, it is common for Bengalis from both sides to form joint cultural associations and friendships; inter-marriage is not insignificant including across religious barriers.
There is some nationalist sentiment on both sides of the border, more so in Bangladesh, for the two Bengals to unite again. This never gained significant popularity in West Bengal due to the legacy of religious conflict, in particular the West Bengali Hindu\'s painful memory of the Direct Action Day in 1946 and the persecution of Hindus by the Pakistan Army from 1947-1971 which displaced over 3 million Hindus. These painful memories are fading over time. The people of West Bengal have tremendous pride in Bangladesh for bringing international visibility to Bengali language and culture. As both halves fight poverty and develop their economies, the youth have an opportunity to forge new links in this era of globalization across national borders based on their common Bengali identity.
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