Your first thought of Bangladesh might be of the Third World. In the 1970s the country – formerly known as East Pakistan – suffered the ravages of civil war and extreme weather conditions. The plight of her people moved musicians George Harrison and Ravi Shankar to organize a benefit concert to raise funds for relief – the first such charitable event, years before Live Aid. Today, while Bangladesh maintains its rank among nations with high poverty levels, it is slowly developing an economy that has shown impressive growth over the years.

One might think, given the assumed paucity of natural resources and industry in the country, that Bangladesh doesn’t offer much in the way of goods to export. Quite the contrary, though this neighbor to India doesn’t enjoy the same GNP level of the United States or nearby Asian nations, Bangladesh exported in 2009 more than $18 billion worth of supplies annually, a significant growth from $5 billion seven years prior. In proving its place among the Next Eleven, Bangladesh has made quite a mark in the textile export industry. Apparel exports, the nation’s top industry, surpassed that of India for the first time in 2009, accounting for one-eighth of the country’s overall export product. Hides used for clothing and other products are a popular product for trade, and are usually included in the totals for textile and apparel exports.

To add to the problem of smoking cessation interventions in Bangladesh, the national radio and television stations stopped broadcasting advertisements for tobacco products in 1997. Perhaps broadcast warnings would be more effective in a country with high illiteracy rates. Statistically up to 10.5 million people are though to be nicotine addicts in Bangladesh. Much of the smoking is found in the low income bracket of society were the opportunity cost of smoking is particularly significant. It has been established through surveys that male smokers spent enough per day in 1997 to purchase enough rice to provide an additional 1402 calories for the family. The amount of money spent by women smokers could purchase about 770 calories.

The real prices of cigarettes in Bangladesh have fallen over the last ten years driving a new round of tobacco cigarette demand. This raise in demand is also as a result of a general raise in income making more people have access to cigarettes. Average daily expenditure on tobacco products according to research has increased between 1995 and 1997. Experts in Bangladesh believe that an increase in the price of tobacco products on an annual basis by some 5% will likely reduce the number of people who smoke. In fact it has been shown that taxes are an effective way of curbing smoking especially amongst the low income smokers. The cost of cigarettes is the second most popular reason for quitting smoking after the fear of the dangers of smoking.

There is no doubt that tobacco control in Bangladesh will need stronger and stringent action. Smoking in public places should be totally banned and advertising of tobacco products outlawed. The challenge of interventions is to increase access to information to plainly educate a vastly illiterate society of the dangers of smoking and the benefits of quitting smoking. There is need to highlight the positive side of stopping smoking and to over people the help to achieve total freedom from addiction if any smoking cessation program should succeed.

The Ganges got the birth from the Himalayas and crossed India and Bangladesh towards the Bay of Bengal. India is controlling the regular flow of the Ganges. During drought they are not allowing a normal water flow of the Ganges towards Bangladesh using “Farakka Dam”. As a result the Padma (Bangladesh portion of the Ganges) losses its regular flow or current causing mud to fall on its route to lessen the depth of the Padma. Now during the rainy season with the massive increase of water level in the Ganges India must release a high volume of water through ‘Farakka Dam’ causing the Padma to overflow. Bangladesh Inundates under water. There are a lot of reasons causing world temperature going high. This influences the ice to melt and the sea level to increase. The Himalayas doing the same and causing the water level of the Ganges go higher and inundates portion of Bangladesh almost every year.

Deforestation in the Himalayas is aggravating floods in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. When the Himalayas were covered in woods the case of heavy floods was seen twice in a century in Bangladesh. With the deforestation in the Himalayas the average became once in four years. ”Bangladesh in grave danger: deforestation in Himalayas aggravating floods.” (Bangladesh Observer, 2 June 1990). ”When the Himalayas were covered in trees, Bangladesh suffered a major flood about twice a century; one every four years is now the average.” (UNEP 1992). ”The severe floods in eastern India and Bangladesh are not the result of a natural disaster, but of a ruthless exploitation of wood which has been practiced over centuries in the forests of the Himalayas.” (Basler Zeitung, 15 September 1998)

On June 4, 1996 the VSAT base data circuit was commissioned for the first time in the country. Upon VSAT commissioning, internet connectivity was established & its services were made available to the public. After internet was launched, the June 1996 National polls results were made available to the netizens of the world using World Wide Web. This was the first ever usage event of its kind in Bangladesh. The effort was appreciated in many corners especially among the Bangladeshis living abroad. After the introduction of Internet, the use of email increased exponentially owing to point to point direct transmission. Prior to it dialup links were used to communicate to an overseas e-mail server using international phone calls. The uploading & downloading of mails took place using UUCP (Unix-to-Unix copy).

The introduction of Internet did not instantly create a market. At the end of year, there were only two ISPs in the country and the number of users was close to one thousand only. The year 1997 recorded a tremendous growth. The total number of ISPs was more than a dozen and the clientele growth was ten times higher than that of the previous year. Afterward, a few new ISPs started their venture recording a proportionate growth in number of users. However, more liberal Government policies followed in the subsequent years which led to a rapid expansion of this industry, eventually resulting in over 180 registered ISP’s by 2005. In 2006 Bangladesh got connected to the SEA-ME-WE 4 Submarine cable. After that, many ISPs found the opportunity to connect the submarine cable via Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (Now BTCL). This is the time when number of internet users increased by quite a big margin as bandwidth quality and price became affordable to general individuals. Over the years BTCL reduced the bandwidth price at regular intervals which attract more and more users towards the internet cloud.

One of the major reasons for poor maternal health is the lack of skilled birth attendants which accounts for just 13% of all deliveries in Bangladesh. Another major reason for the poor is the fact that female children are not adequately nourished since their birth and generally conceive early in life. The resultant poor health and low birth weight has been carrying on for centuries. The biggest challenge for the government and nongovernmental organizations is how to improve maternal health condition of women in Bangladesh. The high levels of illiteracy among women acts as a major roadblock in all developmental projects.

Educating women folk in all stages of pregnancy right from early days of conceiving to proper delivery of the child. They need to be educated on the basic precautions to be taken during pregnancy. Most of the pregnant women in Bangladesh are under nourished which severely affects the child and contributes to the high mortality rate. Pregnant woman and her family need to be aware about the necessary levels of nutrition. Improve the body mass index of the women who are expecting by making them aware of it. The body mass index of majority of the pregnant woman in Bangladesh are lower than the minimum required which leads to complications in pregnancy.

Poor maternal health is also a result of socioeconomic condition of the women in the country. Making people aware of the harm of teenage pregnancy which can prove to be fatal both for the child as well as the mother. Encouraging people to maintain gap between their children. Frequent pregnancy among women in Bangladesh has been one of the primary reasons for the poor state health of the mother. By creating a support system within various communities be it in villages or certain pockets of the urban areas can improve the maternal health. This could be aimed at making the entire community take steps towards the improvement of maternal health.

Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan in 26 March 1971 after popular agitation against Pakistan. The capital of the new state was and still is Dhaka. The official name of the country is People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Victory Day is December 16 and is commemorated as the official creation of state of Bangladesh. The government type of Bangladesh is parliamentary democracy. Chief of state is the President and chief of government is the Prime Minister. Bangladesh legal system is based on the English common law.

After independence Bangladesh went through period of famines, natural disaster and widespread poverty. Bangladesh also saw political coups and military coups. This negatively impacted the progress of the nation. The democracy was restored in 1991 and has been followed by relative calm. However gross domestic product (GDP) has doubled since 1970′s and poverty has fallen by 20% since 1990′s. The main economic center of the nation is the capital Dhaka. Main export of the country comes from garment industry. This sector employs about three million people. One of the most significant contribution to Bangladesh and other nation comes from the formation of micro credit financing. Muhammad Yunus (Nobel peace winner 2006) is the founder of micro credit financing.

Bangladesh has a long history and a rich culture. The old and new tradition comes together in this country with all vibrant colors. Bangladesh also has rich literary heritage. The earliest literary text in Bengali is from eight century. Bangladesh is a mixture of old and new. Most of the population still lives in villages but the migration towards towns and cities is on the rise. The new technology is making inroads on the daily life but the traditionalist are having problem coping with the rapid speed of change. There are many problems which are faced by Bangladesh, but there is huge potential. It is a young country and needs time to flourish into a stable and prosperous country.

According to the latest UNICEF report the mortality rate in children under-five stands at an alarming 94 deaths per 1,000 live births. Malnutrition, pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, measles, injuries are contributing to the high rate of neonatal deaths in the country. Nearly one-half of all children below the age of five years are either underweight or stunted. The poor child health care facilities in the country means that most of these children are not vaccinated exposing them to the threats of life threatening diseases.

There is lack of awareness among women folk in the country concerning basic issues relating to kids health is another key reason resulting in the high mortality rate in children. Some of the areas where more attention need to be focused are: Educating the women folk on the basics of child health care which includes things like importance of breast feeding. This is a very challenging affair considering the high level of illiteracy in the country. Stressing on equal care for the girl child. The track record of Bangladesh on the girl child is not impressive like its South Asian neighbor India.

Making people specially the parents aware of the basic nutritional requirement of a child. Giving them proper break up of the food items required to attain those minimum levels of nutrition. Awareness campaigns on the importance of vaccination for the children of all ages in the country. Regular counseling to pregnant women regarding childbirth and advise them on the required nutritional level during their pregnancy. Encourage women to give birth with assistance from trained health personnel and in a health facility. In absence of a proper medical facility experienced midwives, or trained birth attendants should be present during the child birth. The recent years have shown some improvement as far as child health care is concerned but Bangladesh has a long way to go to achieve the minimum nutritional and other health level in children.

The Jayrito Sriti Soudho is a monument that was built in commemoration of the people who have sacrificed and courageously fought during the country’s Liberation War back in 1971. This was the reason for Bangladesh to achieve its Independence. The monument is still visited today most especially during their Independence Day. Another monument of this country that has been popular is the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial. This one is also built in the honor of the martyred intellectuals who died during the Liberation War. The said war happened when the Pakistani government tried to rule Bangladesh. Until this day, their executions of the said intellectuals are still being celebrated and honored.

The Shabash is another famous shrine in Bangladesh that can be found inside the Rajshahi University. It has sculptures in it which pays tribute to the people who are killed during the war which gained the Independence of the country. The Shaheed Minar, is a known and popular national monument in Bangladesh that is built in honor of the people who died when the Language Movement was being held in Bangladesh. According to their history, students and activists were killed by the Pakistani group while they were protesting for the demand of equal rights for their native language.

Lastly is the Suhrawardy Udyan shrine that is located in Dhaka. It is also called as the Ramma Race. It used to be a military club during the time when British soldiers were assigned in Dhaka. They also made it as a resting place for the three greatest leaders of their country. With the above information, we can see how much pride Bangladesh has with their country. How they fought against the war, and how they sacrificed their own lives jus to gain their Independence and freedom from foreign rulers.

Chhau dance is a form of masked dance performed in the western regions of Bengal. It is a martial arts dance wherein the dancers wear attires together with swords and shields. Each dancers portray different characteristics and roles such as gods, demons and animals. It is more like a dance role playing. Chhau dance can be performed during any occasions. Chhokra dance is performed by young Bangladeshi boys portraying the roles of women. The dance is presented in an open field preferably in a canopied stage. The Chhoka dance is accompanied by a large team of singers and musicians who are commonly seated on the sides of the stage.

Lathi dance is a stick dance performed during the Muharram celebration which is the “Sacred month” of the Islam. This is celebrated during the fist month of the Hegira or the Islamic calendar. This dance is performed by youth groups that wear tight-fitted clothes and carry daggers, swords and cymbals. Kali dance is performed by a dancer wearing a black mask and representing the character of the goddess Kali who is a Hindu goddess which is said to be associated with eternal powers. Kali is known to be the goddess of time and change. The drum is the main instrument being played during the Kali dance.

Ghatu dance is performed with accompanying Ghatu songs which are Bangladesh native folk songs. The name Ghatu was derived if the name Ghat which means ‘river bank’. The Ghatu dance was mainly for entertainment and is not a religious dance. This is a form of dance performed by young boys dressed like girls which are the main attraction of the dance. There are other numerous cultural dances in Bangladesh. These dances each are very entertaining and fun to watch. Dances are still being performed these days, which is one of the main attractions in Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh National Museum – located in Shahbagh, Dhaka. This museum was built in1913 with four different departments with a total of forty galleries. The museum has the collections of different ancient stones and metal sculptures. Bangladesh National Museum also displays the country’s collection of old coins, silvers and other metal art works. There are also exhibits of the country’s textiles including the famous muslin fabric. Here, one can also find a vast collection of ancient paintings and handicrafts. Bangladesh National Museum is open daily except on Thursdays.

Mukti Juddho (Liberation War) Museum – located in Segunbagicha, in the city of Dhaka. This museum holds the scarce photographs of Bangladesh’s liberation war items that were used by the unsung heroes of the country’s glorious war. Visitors are always welcome to visit the museum for them to see the treasured historical pieces they have. The museum is open daily except during Sundays.

Ahsan Manjil Museum – sited in Old Dhaka, in the Buriganga’s river bank. This museum was once the home of the Nawabs who were the Rulers of Dhaka. The residence was later made into museum. This Victorian style fort is brightly painted in pink. This museum holds the ancient portraits, furniture, utensils and a collection of household articles used by the Nawabs during their occupation here.

Folks Arts Museum – located at Snagoan, Dhaka. This museum was built in 1975 fulfill the wish of the famous painter, Shilpacharya Zainul Adebin. This museum is the home of the country’s cultural heritage. Exhibiting the Bangladesh’s traditional and uniquely designed artworks.