Encyclopeaedia of Bangladesh, 30 Vols by N.K. Singh (Ed.) - 2003

Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd., 2003. Hardcover. New. Encyclopaedia of Bangladesh is a pioneering attempt by the reputed scholars to bring together not only the all aspects of the history and culture of Bangladesh but also provides factual details of the geographical features, philosophy, religion, socio-economic life of rural and urban people, history of politics and political developments, folk culture, art and architecture, literature, dance and drama, painting, and women and their socio-political status of Bangladesh since the earliest time to present day in a logical sequence and alphabetical order. Bangladesh is the second most densely populated nation in the world. India virtually surrounds the whole country on the west, north and east; on its southeast is Burma. Its area is 55,598 sq. miles/144,020 sq. km. According to the tradition the people who fled from the Gangetic plains to escape capture and enslavement by the Aryans came and settled in Bengal. Later, the Buddhists also came and took refugee in these parts from the aggressive Brahmans, It was probably the Guptas who annexed major part of this area in their imperial fold and brought about some sort of unification of Bengal. But Gupta supremacfy was not totally unchallenged and smaller rulers retained virtual independence. The first time Bengal as really unified was under the Palas in the eighth century A.D. Islam was brought to Bengal by Muslim traders and traveling Sufis/saints. From the very beginning Islam was introduced into the Indian Subcontinent, and Islam`s message of equality and brotherhood had deep impact on a substantial part of population. The early Muslim rulers of Delhi especially the Tughluqs conquered most parts of Bengal. Under the indepdent Ilyas Shahi rule in mid-fourteenth century again Bengal was properly unified and it was during this rule that the name Bangala was coined for the entire country. Under the Mughals again Bengal was unified. The Britishers came to India as traders and gradually through cheat, deceit, bribery and corruption they started extending their grip all over the Subcontinent. Their first military victory was in Bengal at the Battle of Plessey in 1757. Astutely following their policy of divide and rule, they completely routed the last Mughal Emperor, Bhadur Shah Zafar, in 1857, in Delhi and thus became the masters of the whole of India. Bengal Presidency under the British rule extended from the frontier of Assam to the border of United Provinces which were to be dominated by the Bengali-speaking people. In 1905 the Colonial British Government divided Bengal into two parts-east and west-despite strong resentment by the people and statesmen. But this plan did not work and ultimately this partition was annulled in 1911. Subsequently Bihar and Orissa became separate provinces and Bengal became a province of Bengali-speaking people only. In 1947 with partition of India into India and Pakistan, East Bengal became the part of Pakistan. West Bengal in India comprised of old Rarh and Gaurha, while East Bengal in Pakistan covered Varendra, Vanga and Samatata. The Pakistani Constitution of 1956 named East Bengal as East Pakistan. The dissolution of West Pakistan and consequent recreation of the old provinces with their old names gave rise to the demand for renaming East Pakistan as Bangladesh. This demand also signified the resurgence of Bengali nationalism. By the beginning of 1970, Bangladesh became the commonly accepted name for East Pakistan. It was expected that the National Assembly elected in December, 1970 would designate Bangladesh as a state in the Federation of Pakistan. The failure of the democratic process and the constitutional method in Pakistan in the wake of Yahya`s armed attack on the Bengalis and his usurpation of power by nullifying the results of the popular election gave birth to the independent state of Bangladesh on April 26, 1971. Instea Printed Pages: 9658.