Rickshaw and Bangladesh from economic perspective : one for another – why and how

Rickshaws in a small road in Bangladesh

The most common public transport in Bangladesh is Rickshaw. Rickshaws are seen all over the country - in the capital city, big major cities, towns and rural areas and even in the hilly areas. In Bangladesh people hardly need to walk. Once you are outside of your home to a nearby road or a lane, one or more rickshaws will appear within a few minutes, with the little silver bell tinkling to get your attention.

Despite of all critics the communication infrastructure has been developed last 25 years more or less all over Bangladesh. At every corner of Bangladesh, even in a remote area have roads that are paved with bituminous materials, concrete, cement or at least with bricks. Although the conditions of the roads are poor but communication is now much easier to drive a rickshaw on these roads. Not only this but there have also some other reasons that is why rickshaws are popular as a public mode of transport.

In Bangladesh roads are small and narrow in small towns, villages and even in the cities at residential areas. So rickshaws are comfortable transport to go through these roads.

A rickshaw in a village road in Bangladesh

Increasing income level of lower middle class and middle class people has raised the number of rickshaw passengers. Not only this but also people in Bangladesh don’t like to take a long walk carrying with some luggage to go somewhere. Climate of Bangladesh is not extreme. All around the year people can go out with more or less normal clothes. So it is not so difficult for the rickshaw drivers to drive a rickshaw (think about the European winter with snow) or not even for the passengers.

Rickshaw traffic in a narrow road in old Dhaka, Bangladesh

After marketing, easy journey to home by a rickshaw

‘’Rickshaw sector has a great contribution to Bangladesh economy. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, in the year 1985-86 rickshaws contributed 34% of the total value-added by the transport sector in Bangladesh or roughly 984 crore taka or 9840 million BDT. This was more than double the contribution of all motorized road transport, 12 times the contribution of Bangladesh railways and 12,5 times the contribution of Bangladesh Biman, the national air line. Rickshaw accounts for more than half of Dhaka’s vehicles, 70 percent of its passengers and 43 percent of the total passenger mileage. Everyday about 70 lacks or 7 million passenger trips are made in Dhaka by rickshaws over a distance of one crore ten lacks or 11 million passenger miles. This is nearly double the output of London’s underground. Rickshaw provides one of the largest sources of employment in Bangladesh. In Dhaka over 700,000 people make rickshaw related work which is the largest single form of employment. We can count about 23 percent of the city’s workforce. At present more than two million or twenty lacks people all over the country find job in them. The great majority are rickshaw drivers, but there are also mysteries(repairers), owners, makers, shopkeepers(selling rickshaw parts, spear-parts and other materials), tea-stall owners and many others who survive on the basis of the rickshaw. The crud size of the rickshaw sector has important implications for the national economy. If we consider that for every male employed there are at least three dependents, then nationally around six million or sixty lack people depend directly on the rickshaws or 4,5 percent of the total population’’.(Rickshaw and Prejudice by Robert Gallagher,August 1998)

Rickshaws as a means of communication

In fact rickshaws are preferred travel mode or transport by women, children and the older people due to their safety, security and comfort perspective. In this context we can get our answer that why the numbers of rickshaws are increasing day by day. In Bangladesh especially in transport sector government takes no responsibility to build up a communication network. In every city and even in rural areas private sector takes the initiative to operate a somehow communication system. The whole country is overcrowded and traffic system is inadequate. Busses are over loaded although bus fare is cheaper than rickshaw fare but impossible for women, children, old and any physically weak or disabled person to travel by bus. Big or small cities don’t have any underground railway system or tram lines. So rickshaw is the only public mode to go somewhere. Rickshaw, taxi (difficult to go through a narrow road) or CNG baby taxi can offer a door to door service but the fare is much cheaper to hire a rickshaw. The Dhaka Integrated Transport Study report found that the rickshaw fare is more than double in comparison to bus fare for the same distance. But some 19,2 percent passengers use rickshaws while only 9,5 percent travel by bus. In a study the traffic dominance of rickshaw in Dhaka, Sylhet, Comilla and Rangpur cities are 49%, 78%, 80% and 55% respectively. (Source - Banglapedia )

A young guy finds his job as a rickshaw driver

A road side tea shop earns their living from rickshaw drivers

Every year a huge number of working force coming to join in the labour market of Bangladesh. As Bangladesh is a least developed country and government don’t affort to create sufficient jobs for the working force. The number of literate working force have a chance to find a job in industry sector like garments factory or any type of official job or even in service sector like  a seller or canvasser, in health sector or in manufacturing sector. But the illiterate working force coming from the rural areas to the labour market don’t have any jobs for them. They don’t have year around job and as a result of rural poverty this group of people migrate from rural to urban areas. They try to find jobs in the informal sector like rickshaw driving or in construction. These occupations don’t demand any previous experience or know how. It’s a question that why do rural migrants accept rickshaw driving as an occupation, despite its arduous nature. In a study done by Sharifa Begum and Binayak Sen in 2005 (Pulling rickshaws in the city of Dhaka: a way out of poverty?) shows the reasons that driving rickshaw is easy entry, especially for men who are illiterate, unskilled and lacking capital. Other reasons include the regular flow of income and earning more money. At the same time they can decide their working hours and own desire for choosing routes. Last few years a trend has developed that many people migrate to the big cities especially in Dhaka and drive rickshaw just for a month or little more. Now they try to avoid borrow money from others with a high interest rate for their children educational expense or other type of household needs they need a handful amount. Within a short period they can earn a handsome amount of money and return to their home. In my own investigation in Dhaka and Savar a rickshaw driver can earn on an average 500 taka per day. To hire a rickshaw for whole day 70 taka and for a half day 50 taka need to pay to the rickshaw owner.

A rickshaw garage and repairing center

By paying rickshaw fare to a rickshaw driver has a great socio – economic impact in our national economy. We can see that it’s a way to transfer wealth from middle class to the poorest. Especially Dhaka and other major cities rickshaw drivers send a significant portion of their earnings back to their villages, and may work seasonally as rickshaw drivers in order to raise money for farming. Rickshaw drivers of the urban areas actually supporting their families in the countryside and agriculture as well. So harming rickshaw drivers means harming poor villagers throughout the country and potentially our agricultural system as well. (Rickshaw bans in Dhaka city – Mahabubul Bari, Debra Efroymson; August 2005)

A seller of rickshaw accessories

We can make our own calculation to see that how much money flows in rickshaw sector. We count around 20 lacks or 2 million rickshaws are operating in the roads of Bangladesh. Very few rickshaw driver owns their rickshaw. We make a flat calculation. In an average rickshaw drivers pay 50 taka per day to the rickshaw owners. So the amount is per day earnings of rickshaw owners is 10 crore taka or 100 million BDT and per month 300 crore taka or 3 billion BDT. If we count that rickshaw drivers earn daily on an average 200 taka, so the amount will be 40 crore taka or 400 million BDT and per month 1200 crore taka or 12 billion BDT. From the lower middle class and middle class people 1200 crore taka  go over to the poorest group people of the country and circulate in our economic system.

A rickshaw rally for green environment

Now a days people all over the world is talking about ‘’global warming’’ and to keep and save a more green environment. Like Bangladesh, a most over crowed country in the world that don’t have almost any spear land to keep the country green can contribute in a way to a green environment by helping and develop rickshaw sector in a better way. We should think that rickshaws don’t make any harmful carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide in the air. Policy makers and mass people should consider the consequence of a well functioned rickshaw sector in Bangladeshi economy before taking any drastic steps and decisions. 

NB: All the images in this post are collected from different web sites. If anyone have any objection of using these images, that should be removed.

Read also : Rickshaws of Bangladesh and its history

                        Rikshaw in Bangladesh (Video clip)
 

         

Rickshaws of Bangladesh and its history

The word ‘’ricksha/riska/rickshaw’’ originates from the Japanese word ‘’jinrikisha’’. In Japanese language ‘’jin’’ means human, ‘’riki’’ means power or force and ‘’sha’’ means vehicle. So, literally ‘’jinirikisha’’ means human powered vehicle.

A Bangladeshi ricksha/ riska/ ricksha/ rickshaw

A riksha/ riska/ rickshaw making garage or workshop

Long before when rickshaw was first introduced it was a two-wheeled cart, pulled by people. There were two rods attached to the sides of the cart that extend to the front. The driver or puller holds a rod in each hand and pulls the rickshaw. Rickshaws can have one or two riders. Only two people can ride at one time. Mostly men pull the rickshaws through the crowded streets. This type of rickshaws were seen in the beginning in Japan and spread out other south-east Asian countries like China, Singapore, Hongkong, Philippine, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, India. Still now these types of rickshaws are seen in the roads of Kolkata (Culcutta) in India. In Bangladesh rickshaw differs from its originality. Bangladesh has adopted three wheeled rickshaw. In fact, the Bangladeshi rickshaws we can call bicycle rickshaw or trishaw. But publicly in Bangladesh this bicycle rickshaw is called simply as rickshaw. This vehicle looks like a combination between a rickshaw and a bicycle. Instead of pulling the vehicle, the driver pedals in this vehicle. It has three wheels with one wheel in front of the driver and two wheels on the back side supporting the passengers. It’s a light three wheeled cart comprising a door less, chair like body mounted on springs with a collapsible hood. The hood consists of a frame of four bamboo strips with steel fittings and bollards over which an oil skin cover is stretched. It is made of wood, fabric, metal and plastic. It is handmade by the artists and craftsmen. Although it is a hard job to drive a bicycle rickshaw but much easier and better than the human pulled rickshaw. There is a story that how the two wheeled hand pulled rickshaw transformed to a bicycle rickshaw. This transformation happened not in Japan but in China. An American lady named Miss Betty Gordon of Louisville, Kentucky, was in Peking, China who got this idea. In fact the hand pulled rickshaw was slow and tearful job to pull. She tied a hand pulled rickshaw behind a cycle to get more speed with less wear and tear on the rickshaw puller. The idea went great with the Chinese and they started to shape this combination in a better way. As it was easier to drive like this bicycle rickshaw and offered twice or more the speed than of the hand pulled rickshaw.  This type of rickshaw soon gained popularity in China and then in Singapore. They became popular also in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and throughout Asia. Bicycle had got its modern shape by 1890 and helped to get rickshaw now a day’s shape. It too became easier to handle.

  American lady Miss Betty Gordon of Louisville, Kentucky,
with her invented cycle rickshaw

It is still now controversial that who first invented rickshaw. So far as we know that rickshaw was first introduced in Japan widely at the beginning of Meiji restoration, around in the year 1868. From different sources we get different information about the inventor of rickshaw. Some sources say that an American blacksmith Albert Tolman has invented rickshaw around the year 1848 in Worcester, Massachusetts, for a missionary. Others claim that Jonathan Scobie or Jonathan Goble, an American missionary to Japan, invented rickshaw around 1869 to transport his invalid wife through the streets of Yokohama, Japan. Japanese sources often credit Izumi YYosuke, Suzuki  Tikujiro and Takayama Kosuke, who are said to have invented rickshaw in the year 1868. Starting in 1870, the Tokyo city authority issued a permission to build and sell rickshaws to these three men. The seal of one of these inventors was required on every license to operate a rickshaw. Other sources say that the design of the rickshaw was probably based on a old French painting ‘’Les deux carrosses’’ by Claude Gillot in the year 1707, that showed two rickshaw-like carts in a comical scene. These carts known as vinaigrettes, were used in the streets of Paris in the 18^th century. But finally we can say despite of all the theories regarding the invention of rickshaw, it had been developed in Japan by about 1868.

 A old French painting ‘’Les deux carrosses’’ by Claude Gillot 
in the year 1707 seems like a pulled rickshaw

In Indian sub-continent rickshaw first appeared in Simla around the year 1880. 20 years later, rickshaw was then introduced in Kolkata(the then Calcutta). There rickshaws were initially used by the Chinese traders to transport goods. Then later on the year 1914 some Chinese people applied for permission to transport passengers. Before or later rickshaw appeared in many big cities in south east Asia. Rickshaw became very soon a popular mode of transport in this region, because of they were cheaper, faster and easyer than the previously used palanquins(Palki-human carried cart) and horse cart(human labour was considerably cheaper than the use of horses). They were also able to get around narrow streets more easily.

Rickshaw riding in a  rural area of Bangladesh

In a rainy day riska/ riksha/ rickshaw riding

Rickshaw riding even in a flood affected area

So far we know that rickshaw was first seen in Bangladesh in Chittagong in the year 1919. Not from India but from Myanmar(the then Burma) rickshaw reached in Chittagong in Bangladesh. More interestingly, rickshaw did not spread out to Dhaka and other cities of Bangladesh from Chittagong. Rickshaws were seen in the streets of Dhaka around the year 1938. Dhaka got rickshaw from Kolkata(Calcutta). We get different information when rickshaw was first introduced in Dhaka city and other parts of Bangladesh. Some sources say that rickshaw came before Dhaka city in Narayangonj and Netrokona(now it’s a district, before it was a part of Mymensing district). The European jute exporters living in Narayangonj and Netrokona had first imported cyckel rickshas from Kolkata in 1930 for their personal use. From another source we come to know that in the year 1936 or 1937, two people from Mowlovibazar, Dhaka imported two rickshaws for the first time. They imported them from the French Coloney Chandan Nagor in West Bengal. Both were cyckel rickshaws. Each cost 180 rupees that time. According to writer Satten Sen, these two men were the path finder to operate rickshas in Dhaka city. From Rob Gallagher’s book ‘’Rickhsaws of Bangladesh’’ published in 1992 from UPL publication, Dhaka; states that a Bangali zaminder and a Marwari business man imported for the first time six rickshas in the year 1938. Some sources say that the zaminder lived in Sutrapur, Dhaka and Marwari business man lived in Wari, Dhaka. Besides these cyckel rickshas in the beginning of operating in Dhaka, seven two wheel human pulled rickshas were also imported and started to pull in the streets of Dhaka. People were shameful to ride these rickshas and avoided these human pulled rickshas. For the lack of public interest to use these rickshas, gradually they disappeared and bicycle rickshas became popular. Colorful decoration of the rickshas started after 1950’s in Bangladesh. Some sources say that rickshaw licence started to issue in Dhaka in the year 1944 and in Chittagong 1947. Now Dhaka City Corporation(DCC) has the authority to issue new rickshaw licence but they have made it stop not to issue any more rickshaw license since 1987. But the Wheel Tax Section of DCC renew rickshaw license every year. A issued rickshaw license or registration number can be sold to someone. So the rickshaw license gets a new owner and new address. At present Dhaka city’s rickshaw license number -1 (one) holder is Salauddin Mahmud, son of late Mohiuddin Mahmud, 65/2 New Poltan Line, Azimpur, Dhaka. He is also owner of the rickshaw license number 2 and 6. Salauddin Mahmud’s father was a school teacher and had a hobby to collect and be owner of the rickshaw license number from 1 to 10. He parched the number 1 rickshaw license at the cost of 6000 taka (that time it was Pakistani rupee). In Dhaka city that time market price of one Bigha (33 decimal) land was also around 6000 taka. He had 40 rickshaws. But during the liberation war in 1971, Pakistani army set in fire his garage.

Back side of a decorated rickshaw

A rickshaw driver is waiting with his decorated rickshaw for passengers

There are no accurate figures or statics of rickshaws that operates in the streets of Dhaka. I guess around 700,000- 800,000 rickshaws are  operating in Dhaka city now in the year 1012.  I have tried to collect some statics of rickshaw numbers in Dhaka city in different years from different sources. In the year 1941, Dhaka city had only 37 rickshaws and 181 rickshaws in the end of the year 1947. This information we get from historian Nazir Ahamed’s book ’’Dhakar Ittihas’’(History of Dhaka). According to another Dhaka historian Dr. Sharif Uddin Ahamed, there were 4025 rickshaws in the streets of Dhaka in the year 1962. After the liberation war the scenario of Dhaka city started to change very rapidly. The presser of migration from rural areas to Dhaka city also increased rapidly. At the same time increased the number of rickshaws in the city. In an estimate there were around 14000 rickshaws in Dhaka city in 1974. In the year 1982-83 the number of rickshaws became doubled and reached up to 28,703. Thereafter rickshaw numbers in Dhaka city have increased very rapidly. There were 88,000 rickshaws by the end of 1986-87. Obviously this was official legal registered number of rickshaws but according to various government authorities and newspapers journalists the figure could be around 150,000 to 200,000 rickshaws in the roads of Dhaka. In another report we see that in the year 2005 there were 500,000 rickshaws in Dhaka city.      

Rikshas/riskas/rickshaws in a crowded city's road

When rickshaw was first introduced in Bangladesh in 1919s and afterwards still today the rickshaw design has changed almost nothing. They have got their present look by around the 1950’s. Since then, the design, technology and operation of rickshaws in Bangladesh have showed little change. Most rickshaw drivers don’t own their own rickshaws and the owners themselves have very little reason to improve their vehicles because they are already making good profits. Due to the vicious cycle of poverty, the smaller owners, the misteris (those who build or make a rickshaw) and rickshaw drivers who (are directly involved in the system, have the possibility to improve their vehicles but don’t have the ability to do it) may clearly like to improve their vehicles do not have the ability to do it. This reason we cannot set to the country’s engineer and scientists. They just ignore and neglect to develop any advancement of the rickshaws. Due to lack of interests that development should have happened has not happened.

Still now in Bangladesh as a profession of rickshaw driving is considered very low status job. Very a few passengers behave with respect to a rickshaw driver. In bangla people call a rickshaw driver as ‘’ricshawala’’. We don’t think how these rickshaw drivers rolling our rural economy and keeping the environment carbon free in some degrees.

Rickshaw has become a symbol of Bangladesh and especially for its design and arts. And Dhaka capital city of Bangladesh is known as the world’s capital city of rickshaws.  

S: en.wikipedia.org;banglapedia.org;amarbornomala.com/details5206.html;sachalayatan.com/abu_reza/33630;somewhereinblog.net/blog/benqt60/28981590; Rickshaw and Prejudice by Robert Gallagher, August 1998;amarblog.com/blogs/pavelcc(10-02-2011).

Read also:           Rickshaw and Bangladesh from economic perspective:one for another-why and   how
                              
                                  Rikshaw in Bangladesh
 

Mission Impossible !!!!!

On the right side, this is a poem written in Bangla by Abu Hassan Shahriar. He is considered as one of the most creative poet of 80's in Bangla literature. This poem is collected from his ''Serestra Kobita''(Best Poems) book and the poet selected his best poems in this book, published from ''Agami Prokashoni'' in Februari 2005, 2nd edition.

Abu Hassan Shahriar was born in the 25th June,1959 in Rajshahi, Bangladesh.His native root is at KoddaKrishnapur in Sirajgonj, Bangladesh.His father professor Sirajuddin was Chairman of Bangladesh Text book Board. Abu Hassan Shahriar is not only a poet but also a writer, a journalist, a social worker and a traveller. His first poetry book is ''Ontohin Mayabi Vromon''. He has written many poetry books, articles, short stories and has edited some books also.

Now a days in this world have 195 independent countries. And  have more than 6000 languages, but many of these languages don't have any writing forms, exists only in speaking forms. Anyway, it is to say that now a days Bangladeshi people -- Bangla speaking people you can find all over the world.

So, I like to make an appeal to all the Bangla speaking people around the world(even to the other foreigners those who can read, write and speak Bangla)----please translate this poem in any other language if possible.

So, turn the ''Mission Impossible'' to ''Mission Possible''.

Floating garden-uses of water hyacinth (kochuripana) Bangladesh way to solve the problem

Mula river in Maharashtra,India full with water hyacinth

Water hyacinth known as Kochuripana in Bangladesh is a tropical free-floating aquatic plant. It grows all over the world-tropical,subtropical areas of the world. It is now found in more than 50 countries on five continents.

Water hyacinth is a very fast growing plant. Now a days it is known as a ''noxious weed''. Due to this plant many countries face a lot of problems.This plant is a threat to the water eco system.Fish cannot breath and boats can not travel when a pond or river is covered by the water hyacinth or kochuripana.The blooms of the hyacinth also provide a breeding place for insects and diseases.
Many people in different countries are now working to find new uses for water hyacinth(kochuripana).I mention here in very brief a number of possible uses for the plant, some which have been developed and others which are still in their infancy or remain as ideas only.


Furniture made of water hyacinth

There are all kinds of things the weed is good for after it is harvested.

Women in Fiji weave baskets with dried water hyacinth(kochuripana).Now people are making furniture from water hyacinth. Even in Philippine and India it is also used to make basket and goods for the tourist industry.Countries that export a lot of water hyacinth furniture include Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. A few examples (on the above) of how this material is used in making contemporary furniture.

The Mennonite Central Committee of Bangladesh has been experimenting with paper production from water hyacinth(kochuripana) for some years. But the result is not economically viable. Papers quality is not so good.In Uganda people use water hyacinth to make paper and mat.The quality of paper is low and is used for making folders, boxes etc.

Water hyacinth is used to make fiber board, yarn and rope in a small scale. To produce biogas from water hyacinth is also under experiment. The technology is not fully successful to operate like this project commercially.

In some parts of Bangladesh people use water hyacinth in different ways. We can call it ''floating garden''. People make heap with water hyacinth, when decayed, make wonderful fertiliser for cropping.Moreover,some crops and vegetables grow luxuriously on the dressed water hyacinth heaps. This has attracted many landless peasants to accumulate and heap water hyacinth(kochuripana) to make floating fields for agricultural production.

S: en.wikipedia.org; farmradio.org/english; ehow.com; practicalaction.org/search;

forums.permaculture.org.au/showthread.php?5544-Possible-practical-applications-of-Water-Hyacinth

Read also: Water hyacinth(kochuripana) beauty and death

ICC Trophy Final '97- after that day Bangladesh cricket entered to a new era

Its really hard to understand today that the ICC Trophy Final Match in 1997 how much important was for the Bangladesh cricket. After that final match Bangladesh cricket entered to a new era and cricket world saw that tournament gave birth to a tiger cub. That win led to Bangladesh to their first ever World Cup and the eventual ascension as a Test playing nation.
Match was played at Tenaga National Sports Complex, Kuala Lampur in Malayasia on the 12,13 April 1997. Bangladesh played against Kenya and it was 50 overs match. Bangladesh won toss and chose to field first. Kenya played 50 overs and made 241 runs with 7 wickets. Torrential rain began before Bangladesh innings. Umpires decided that match could be played on the next reserve day. But the outfield was not fit for the match. Groundsmen and Bangladeshi players all together worked hard to make the outfield fit for the match. At last umpires decided to continue the match in cartel overs. Bangladesh target was reduced to 166 in 25 overs(that is 332 runs in 50 overs) under the Duckworth - Lewis calculation.
Bangladesh squad was Naimur Rahman Durjoy, Mohammed Rafique, Minhajul Abedin Nannu, Aminul Islam Bulbul, Akram Khan, Enamul Haque Moni, Saiful Islam, Khaled Masud Pilot, Khaled Mahmud Sujon, Hasibul Hossain Santo and Athar Ali Khan. Naimur Rahman and Mohammad Rafique oppend the innings.But unfortunately Naimur Rahman was bold facing the first ball. It was very hard for the players to collect runs because of wet outfield. There were tremendous pressers on the players. Everybody tried to hit hard. Then in the last over Khaled Masud Pilot and Hasibul Hossain Santo were batting. Bangladesh needed 11 runs from that last over. Watch this exciting video clip how it became possible and Bangladesh won the match.

S: espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/66792.html

Alexander the Great failed to conquare Bangla region known as Gangaridai/Gangaridi



Statue of Alexander the Great



Alexander III of Macedonia (356 BC -323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of Macedonia, a state in the north eastern region of Greece. He was born on 20 or 21 July 356 BC in Pella, the capital of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia. He was the son of king Philip II and queen Olympias. In his boyhood Alexander was tutored by the famed Greek philosopher Aristotle.

In 336 BC Alexander succeeded his father Philip II of Macedonia to the throne at the age of 20, after his father was assassinated. Philip had brought most of the city-states to mainland Greece under Macedonian hegemony, using both military and diplomatic means. Upon Philip's death, Alexander inherited a strong kingdom and an experienced army. He succeeded in being awarded the generalship of Greece and with his authority firmly established, launched the military plans for expantion left by his father. In 334 BC at the age of 22, he invaded Persian ruled Asia Minor(now a days Turkey region) and began a series of campaigns lasting ten years.By the age of thirty Alexander was the creator of the largest empires in ancient history, stretching from the Ionian sea to the Himalaya.He was undefeated in the battle and is considered one of the most successful commanders of all time.

Asia in 323 BC,Nanda Empire and the Gangaridi Empire

Now a days all the histories, descriptions, stories what we find in text were written by the Greek writers and historians.Megasthenes, Arrian, Diodorus Siculus,Ptolemy, Periplus were the Greek writers, historians,geographist who wrote books about Alexander's travell,adventures and war histories. They described also about that times contemporary countries, their locations, people, their culture and custom and some other notable things.So, what I narrate here in this article all the informations are collected from their writtings.

Alexander when planned to invade India, he reached first in the north of Gandhara what is now Pakistan.That region including now a days Punjab, Alexander could conquare. He defeated a local Hindu ruler Porus, who ruled in the Punjab, in 327 BC.Then Alexander decided to march forward with his army.To come upto this region Alexander crossed the rivers Indus(Shindhu), Jhelum, Chenab and Ravi and reached the shores of river Hyphasis(now a days Beas river), a distance of about 390 miles from the Indus crossing. He wanted to move further eastward to Bengal and beyond. In the beginning Alexander tried to get information about his next campign destiny and the route. He was informed that the next empeir named Gangaridai/Gangaridi and situated on the bank of the river Ganga. According to his collected information, to make the journey possible Alexander started to build big boats by the local people. He needed 800 boats to enable him and the army to sail efter the Bengal campaign. Local people built the boats and it took almost two years to be completed. Within this time Alexander and his army got sufficient information about the Gangaridai/Gangaridi nation and their empair.
East of Porus' kingdom, near the Ganges river, was the powerful Nanda Empire of Magadha (north and west Bengal were part of the Magadhan empire known to the Greeks as Prasii) and the mighty Gangaridai/Gangaridi empire of Bengal (southern part of Bengal now a days Bangladesh) . From different sources under his boat building two years time, preparation time to invade Bangla Alexander and his mighty undefeated army got information of the Gangaridai/Gangaridi empire's military strength. Alexander heard that the king of Gangaridai/Gangaridi and his army allied with porisii (Nanda) empire waiting for a counter attack with 200000 infantry, 20000 cavalry-horses, 2000 four-horsed chariots and 3000 elephants trained and equipped with arms for war.
When all preparation were completed to invade Bangla or Gangaridai/Gangaridi empire, Alexander called a general meeting with all his troops and generals.In the assembling Alexander tried to pacify the fears of his troops and persuaded them to march forward towards Bengal that times  Gangaridai/Gangaridi. He appealed to their love of king, country and the Greek Gods. He tried to flowrished his troops courage and said that ''If stories could have defeted us we would have fled Asia long ago.'' The soldiers listended in silence and hung their heads.They didnot respond to the king's exhortations. Then Coenus, one of the generals came forward to speak to the king. He said to the king,''You are preparing to enter another world and seek on. India even the Indians don't know. That is a program appropriate to your sprit, but beyond ours.'' Coenus made a memorable point, that it was a noble thing to exercise self-restraint when all was going well.
Alexander was compelled to change his mind and plan when he saw that his troops and the other generals were unwilling to march forward for fighting with the Gangaridai/Gangaridi empire's army. Mean while, the ships he had ordered were ready for the journey. Alexander appointed his boyhood friend Nearchus, as the Admiral of the fleet. Then he sent much of his army with his general Craterus and admiral Nearchus towards the Persian Gulf and he led the rest of his forces back to home through Babylon.
According to the Greek writers Gangaridai/Gangaridi empair-that times Bangla rigion kept on flourishing at least upto the 1st century AD.
''Before ending this article, imagine yourself as a decendant of a mighty empire which had its glory and might to take a rightful position in the book of history.When we travell around the world  usually we visit different historical places, old civilization. We take  photoes and post them in internet and proudly say that I stood in the place where the mighty Ceaser, Pharaoh or Emperor stood. Funny enough when places and culture lays at our backyard unattended and forgotten. Now a days people forget their roots and heritage. I am not anti western but also I am a diehard Bangladeshi. I am not here to criticize the western culture but to promote mine. So here is a request, if you like something about being Bangladeshi be proud to share it and dicuss it''.

This video clip is a part of a documentary film''In the footsteps of Alexander the Great''. British film maker Michael Wood has presented this award winning film from BBC in the year 1998.To make this film Michael Wood and his group started their journey from Greece following Alexander's route and reached in India. He traveled over 20,000 miles- on everything from foot,camels and horses-to helecopters, boats and jeeps through 16 countries and four war zones.

S: en.wikipedia.org (articles on Alexander the Great, Gangaridai, Megasthenes, indica, Nearchus, Coenus); bengal unconquared by Alexander-a article in google groups; harekrsna.com/sun(features july 2009-the history of ancient bengal); wastelandersdiary.wordpress.com(article-Gangaridai). 

Be a witness of a historical moment of Bangladesh on the 17th April 1971

       History repeats itself.When Nawab Siraj-ud-Doulah had defeted at the war with the British at the Mango Grove in Palashi, Bangla region(Bangla,Bihar,Orisha) lost its freedom and was ruled over almost 200 years by the British.Then Bangla decleared  its independence officially from another Mango Grove at Baidyanathtola in Meherpur.

      April 17,on this day in 1971, the Mujibnagar government was formed by the elected leaders of Bangladesh --the 167 MNAs(member of national assambly) and 293 MPAs(member of provincial assembly) who composed the Constituent Assembly fullfilling their constitutional obligation to the electors, gave a true shape and constitutional perspective on this day, making the dream of an independent Bangladesh a reality.

      The Mujibnagar government is also known as the Bangladesh government-in-exile.Following the military crackdown by the Pakistani military in Dhaka and elsewhere on 25 March 1971,top Awami League leaders including some elected members of both National Assembly and Provincial Assembly crossed over to India for safety.By 30 March 1971, most of them were able to assemble in Kolkata.On 10 April,1971,the MNAs and MPAs who were able to meet together in Kolkata formed themselves into a constituent assembly in exile and drafted the proclamation of Independence.

       Proclamation of Independence formally announced by the Bangladesh government-in-exile on 17 April 1971.The formation of the Mujibnagar government and the proclamation of Independence of Bangladesh to the world, is really a red-letter event in our national history. The ceremony was held at Baidyanathtala(renamed Mujibnagar after the proclamation)in Vhobopara village,a border area in present Meherpur district.Bangabondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,who was then interned in Pakistan was elected President,Syed Nazrul Islam Vice President,Tajuddin Ahmed Prime Minister,M.Mansur Ali Finance Minister,M.Quamruz Zaman Home Minister,Khandakar Mustaque Ahmed Foreign Minister and General M.A.G.Osmani who was then a retired colonel and MNA elected from Awami League was made the C-in-C of the Bangladesh armed forces.

       A few platoons of the then EPR and freedom fighters were deployed for presenting the Guard of Honour.The ceremony started at 11 a.m. when Syed Nazrul Islam hoisted the flag,a small group sang the national anthem ''Amar Sonar Bangla''(my golden Bangla) in a chorus.Yusuf Ali, an MNA formally read out the Proclamation of Independence.Syed Nazrul Islam announced the formation of a sovereign government of Bangladesh,took the oath and introduced the ministers to the audience.Syed Nazrul Islam was appointed as Acting President and then delivered his speech. After that,Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed spoke at a press conference.The whole ceremony was witnessed by hundreds of foreign journalists who had assembled there to hail the birth of a new nation.

       The importance of establishing Mujibnagar government was it gave ''life and legitimacy'' to the national liberation war both internally and internationally.Look at the other movements like autonomous or nationalist movements that all were stamped very easily as separist movement.But Bangladesh efforts was stamped as a nation's liberation war movement.In fact, in case of failur to be successful to establish a sovereign country  the Mujibnagar government took all the responscibilities.

       The nation should greatfully remember the heroic courage,conviction and determination of the politicians,the freedom fighters and the people in general who sacrificed their everything for the cause of an independent countryof our own ---A hat off salute to them.

S:en.wikipedia.org;banglapedia.org;mujibnagar.com;the daily star-april 17,2005.

Concert for Bangladesh --The first benifit concert in the music history

Advertisement poster for  movie and album

In 1971, when George Harrison was approached by his Indian Bangali musician friend Ravi Sankar,for help for food and war ravaged Bangladesh, the concept of the superstar concert benifit didn't exit.

Ravi Sankar requested George Harrison that they should try to raise US $ 25,000 for the UNICEF fund to help the Bangladeshi refugees who took shelter in India.After hearing the details about the loss of lives and the liberation war of the common people then George Harrison stated that they must try to do something bigger than that.Thus the first concert for world humanity named today as charity or benifit concert took place on August 1,1971 at Madison Square Garden in New York in USA bannered as The Concert for Bangladesh.So in plain text we can say that The concert for Bangladesh was the first benifit concert in the modern music history.
The concert raised US $243,418,51 for Bangladesh relief,which was administered by UNICEF.An album was released later in 1971 and a concert film in video was released in 1972.In 2005, the film was re-issued on DVD accompanied by a new documentary.Sales of the movie and album ultimately generated more than US$15 million. In addition, the music album of  The Concert for Bangladesh also won the Grammy Award in the year 1971,it reached number 2 on the U.S. music charts and number 1 on the U.K. music charts.Sales of the album and DVD still now continue to benifit the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF.


To stage this concert George Harrison took contact with his other superstars friends,mainly the world famous previous band group ''The Beatles''.To organize this concert he could gether all the superstars in one stage.They were Ringo Starr,Eric Clapton,Leon Russell,Billy Preston,Ravi Sankar,Ustad Akbar Ali Khan,Ustad Alla Rakha Khan,Kamala Chakravarty,Klaus Voorman,British rock band Badfinger,Jesse Ed Davis,Don Preston,Carl Radle,The Hollywood Horns band group,Bob Dylon,George Harrison himself and some other performers as backing vocalists.The concert was organized within five weeks, all of the tickets were sold out(20,000 tickets were sold in two hours) and 40,000 people enjoyed the concert. 
Interesting news about this concert are that,it was the first live appearance for George Harrison since the breakup of ''The Beatles''.Bob Dylan staged his last live performence in August 1969 and he was still recovering from a near-fatal motor cycle accident.Eric Clapton who was still in the grip of heroin addiction and had been unable to attend any rehearsals untill the final sound check,a day before the concert.Eric Clapton was booked on every airline flight from London to New York city for a week before the concert.George Harrison requested John Lennon to take part in the concert with a condition that Lennon's wife Yoko Ono would not perform with him.John Lennon agreed,took part in rehearsals but left New York two days before the concert following an argument with Ono regarding his and Harrison's agreement that she would not  participate.
                                   


Performers of the Concert for Bangladesh

The anchore song of this concert was written and sung by George Harrison titled ''Bangladesh''.This song created a somber atmosphere as it was an appeal to help mission of helpless people in dire distress.A closer look at the text of the lyrics shows that George Harrison only talked of the plight of the common people.He didn't say even a singel word about the liberation war or did not try to justify the cause of Bangalis.This made the appeal more touching and took away any chance of creating any controversy. Harrison's effort to stage the first humanitarian concert was not only a unique effort but also a daring one too,because at that time the USA government and it allies supported Pakistan blindly.

Concert for Bangladesh established the model for many Live Aid,Live 8 and Hurricane relief super star benifit shows that followed over the next 40 years.The main success of this concert was not only raising funds but also could excel the attention of the mass people in western world and the name Bangladesh was known all over the world.Remember that in 1971 media was not so powerful like today.There was no Internet or Cable TV like now.

The Concert for Bangladesh shows that music is not only for individuals pleasure, it shows that music can stand for a common humanitarian cause - setting the precedent that music could be used to serve a higher cause.

S:en.wikipedia.org;georgeharrison.com;beatlesnumber9.com/bangladesh.html;bdtalks.com;
classicrock.about.com;amibangladeshi.org;prairieprogressive.com/2009/7/29;concertforbangladesh.com;booksmusicfilmstv.com/GeorgeHarrison.htm

Bangla language, it's achievement and now one of the official language in Sierra Leone



Bangla speaking rigion in yellow colour



Number of Bangla Speakers : Bangla or Bengali (বাংলা –pronounced bang-laa; baŋla) is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of Eastern South Asia known as Bengal , which comprises present day Bangladesh . Bangla is the mother tongue of the people of   Bangladesh .About 160 million people live now in Bangladesh. The Indian states West Bengal, Tripura, Assam-mainly southern Assam and other places of India also people speak in Bangla as their mother tongue . It is even a major language in the Indian union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands(Bengali speakers make up the majority in Neil Island and Havelock Island) due to lot of settlement post 1947 migration. Now a days we can count the Bangla speaking population in India on an average 90  million .Outside Bangladesh and India, Bangla is spoken in Nepal by over 27000 people and to a lesser degree in Singapore, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates,South Korea ,the United Kingdom,Canada and the USA .Across all countries where it is spoken an additional 5 million people speak Bangla as a second language. With nearly 255 million total speakers, Bangla is one of the most spoken language – ranking sixth (efter Mandarin, Spanish, English, Hindi and Arabic) in the world.



Bangla alphabets

 Bangla Script Uses in other Languages : The Bangla script has particularly close historical relationships with the Assamese script.With a few small modifications Bangla script is also used for writing Assamese.Other related languages in the region also make use of the Bangla alphabet. Meithei (Manipuri),a Sino-Tibetan language used in the Indian state of Monipur, was written in the Bangla alphasyllabary for centuries, until the 1980s, when Meetei Mayek (the Meithei alphasyllabary)returned to daily usage. For centuties, the Sylheti language used a different script, based on the Devanagari alphasyllabary. This script called Syiheti Nagori, has now fallen out of use, as most speakers of Sylheti have adopted the Bangla script .Even in Tripura(Indian States) another major language Tripuri also known as Kak- Barak, belongs to the Tibeto-Burman group of languages(root can be traced from Sino-Tibetan speech family) does not possess any writing script. This language also uses the Bangla script for writing.

Spread of Bangla, Official Status and achievement : Bangla is the national and official language of Bangladesh. Bangla is also one of the 23 national languages recognized by the Republic of India. It is the official language of the state of West Bengal and co-official language of Tripura, Assam which has three predominantly Sylheti speaking districts – Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi of southern Assam and the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.



President Alhaj Ahmed Tejan Kabbah



It is also remarkable that the government of Sierra Leone  declared Bangla as one of the several official languages in the country. On the 12th December, 2002 the President of Sierra Leone Alhaj Ahmed Tejan Kabbah(born February 16, 1932 ;3rd President of Sierra Leone, serving from 1996 to 1997 and from 1998 to 2007. He worked for the United Nations Development Programme and returned to Sierra Leone in 1992.) announced this decision while inaugurating a 54 km long rebilt road. This road was reconstructed by the engineering corp of Bangladesh Army – Bangladeshi peacekeepers in the West African country. So Bangla was made an official language of Sierra Leone in order to honor the Bangladeshi peacekeeping force from the United Nations stationed there.

 

Language movement martyrs sculpture

When from 1947 to 1971 Bangladesh and Pakistan were one nation(and were called East and West Pakistan), the central government tried to establish Urdu(spoken in West Pakistan)as sole national language.On February 21,1952,protesting students and activists were fired upon by military and police in Dhaka University and several students and activists were killed. But the government had to give in after massive protests and gave Bangla official status.



 

Language martyrs monument-Shaheed Minar

In 1999,UNESCO decided to celebrate every 21 February as International Mother Language Day in recognition of the deaths of the language martyrs.

And at last I like to say that Rabindranath Tagore(1861-1941), the first Asian author who won the Nobel Prize in Literature was a Bangali poet and writer, wrote the national anthems of both India and Bangladesh in Bangla.

S:en.wikipedia.org;mybengali.com;joutho.wikidot.com;bangladeshcanadaandbeyond.blogspot.com; voanews.com(27-12-2002);bangalnama.wordpress.com/2008/09