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LANGUAGE
AND LITERATURE:
More than 95
percent of the people of Bangladesh speak Bengali which is one of the
earliest modem languages of the subcontinent. It originates from the eastern
Prakrit group of the Indo- Aryan family of languages.
Early
Bengali, in its lyrical form, originated in the 7th century. Its mediaeval
period underlined a steady upsurge of poesy having strong devotional and
romantic overtones.
Since the
early decades of this century, modem Bengali literature swept into the
mainstream of world culture through the works of such geniuses as Michael
Madhusudan Dutt, Rabindranath Tagore and the rebel poet Kazi Nazrul Islam
while poet Jasimuddin's austere lyrical anecdotes depicting rural life with
its joys and sorrows, romance and patrol kept alive the link with the
toiling masses. With this heritage to draw inspiration from, contemporary
Bengali literature of Bangladesh has been throbbing with the creative
impulses of a new generation of poets, novelists, playwrights and essayists.
Many of their works have earned fame beyond the frontiers of the country.
THEATRE:
Theatre in Bangladesh has a
tradition that is more than a century old. In the early days, open-air
theatrical performances known as jatra (rural operetta) used to be held on
festive occasions. Popular lovelores, historical or legendary acts of valour
by heroes against invading forces and mythological anecdotes alongside the
legends of Arabian or Persian Nights provided the basic themes of popular
jatra plays. Despite attacks by the cinema and the television on its
traditional territory, jatra has successfully held its own and is still the
most popular form of mass entertainment in the country.
Alongside jatra modern theatre
form has been thriving in urban Bangladesh. If not so much in form, in
thematic content at least, Bangladesh playwrights succeeded in establishing
a distinct character for local plays.
But truly hectic activity on the
stage commenced after the War of Independence of 1971. Youthful adherents of
the medium worked tirelessly to modernize form and content of Bangladesh's
theatrical expression. Adaptations from the western play along with newly
written original plays won for the Dacca stage a new urban audience,
enabling producers to graduate from amateur repertory to semi -professional
productions.
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MUSIC:
The rich
tradition of music of Bangladesh can be divided into three distinct
categories -classical, folk and modern.
The
tradition of classical music, whether vocal or instrumental, is rooted in
the ancient history of this subcontinent. It has been cultivated with great
patience and passion by devoted musicians over the centUries.
Internationally known sarod players Ustad Alauddiri Khan and Ustad Ayet All
Khan hail from the soil of this country.
Folk music,
nurtured through the ages by village bards. is the most popular and timeless
form of music in Bangladesh. Rich in devotional mysticism and lovelores,
folk music exudes authentic flavour and charm of the soil. The most well-
known forms are bhatia1i, baul, marfati, murshidi, bhaoaiya and gombhira.
Some of the greatest exponents of our mystic and devotional songs were Lalan
Fakir, Hasan Raja and Abbasuddin Ahmed.
Modern
Bengali music originated from two distinct schools. The first is essentially
a blend of East and West initiated by Rabindranath Tagore. The second,
experimented with the synthesis of classical, folk and Middle Eastern
musical strains, was spearheaded by the rebel poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. The
contemporary adherents of both the schools have been widening their depth
and vista with new experiments.
DANCES:
Dancing in
Bangladesh draws freely from the sub continental classical forms as well as
the folk, tribal, ballet and Middle Eastern strains. Of the tribal dances,
particularly popular are Manipuri and Santhal. The Bulbul Academy of Fine
Arts (BAFA), set up in Dacca in the early fifties, played a pioneering role
in the promotion of dances in the country.
A number of
other cultural organizations have helped in popularizing the art. No
cultura1 evening in this country is complete without a dance number. The
cinema has also popularized dancing. With the recent creation of the Academy
of Performing Arts in Dacca dancing in Bangladesh is expected to gain
further impetus.
Jatra
Jatra (Folk Drama) is another vital chapter
of Bangalee culture. It depicts mythological episodes of love and tragedy.
Legendary plays of heroism are also popular, particularly in the
rural areas. In near past jatra was the biggest entertainment means for the
rural Bangalees and in that sense for 80% of the population since the same
percentage of the population lived in rural Bangladesh. Now-a-days jatra has
been placed in the back seat in the entertainment era. Gradually western
culture is occupying the place of traditional culture like jatra.
Drama
Drama in Bangladesh has an
old tradition and is very popular. In Dhaka more than a dozen theater groups
have been regularly staging locally written plays as well as those adopted
from famous writers, mainly of European origin. Popular theatre groups are
Dhaka Theatre, Nagarik Nattya Sampraday and Theatre. In Dhaka, Baily Road area
is known as 'Natak Para' where drama shows are regularly held. Public
Library Auditorium and Museum Auditorium are famous for holding cultural
shows. Dhaka University area is a pivotal part of cultural activities.
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