Culture Main articles: Culture of West Bengal and Culture of Bangladesh Culture of Bengal • Bengali artists performing a traditional dance. • Baul singers at Basanta-Utsab, Shantiniketan. • Pohela Baishakh celebration in Dhaka • Mahashtami Puja during Durga Puja in Kolkata 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 Michael Madhusudan Dutta, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Rabindranath Tagore, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and Kazi Nazrul Islam. The Baul tradition is a unique heritage of Bangla folk music.[54] The scholar saint Sri Anirvan loved Baul music, and in fact described himself as a simple Baul.[55] 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.
Posted on: Tue, 08 Oct 2013 03:20:30 +0000