Islam replaced the earlier religious ideologies. Thousands of mosques, tombs and gardens, depicting the Muslim culture, were built. Over a period of thousand years, Islamic architecture bloomed and its cuisines were fascinated. One of the Turkish gifts was Pakistan’s national dress, the ‘shalwar kameez’.

Cultural Monuments

The Lahore fort, the Badshahi mosque, Smadhi Rangit Singh in Lahore, statues of fasting Buddhas, beautiful and always lively shrines of Muslim saints, especially in Multan, all are the evidence of an extremely rich culture.

The Lost Civilizations

During the 2nd century B.C, Buddhists took over the region after Alexander the great invaded it in 326 B.C. For more than around 1000 years, this region was influenced by Buddhism; many of the Gandhara sculptures are still at display in Lahore and Taxila.

The glorious Indus Valley Civilization left another cultural treasure to be cherished by Pakistanis. The Pakistani and French archaeologists, in 1980s, found stone tools, bowls, drinking glasses and dishes, mud houses and ornamental beads at Mehargarh, Balochistan. Archaeologists learnt a great deal by studying the life of Mehargarh people. These are all included in contributions towards a rich culture.

Conserving The Pakistani Culture

There are different organizations working towards saving Pakistani culture from deterioration. The National Fund for Cultural Heritage (NFCH) was established in 1994 through a Parliamentary Act. Its objectives included the preservation, conservation and publication of Pakistani culture. Through financial and technical assistance, NFCH works towards achieving its goals of securing this heritage. Their aim is to conserve the Pakistani culture including all archaeological, historical and architectural values.

It is also NFCH’s objective to undertake and promote research for the conservation of Pakistani culture. NFCH also arranges materials for publication of periodicals, pamphlets, newspapers and posters etc., for the enhancement of Pakistani heritage.
There are also some other organizations at work for the conservation of Pakistani culture like Aga khan Trust for Culture (AKTC). It is an international organization which focuses on the physical, social, cultural and economic revitalization of communities in the Muslim world. The Aga khan Trust for Culture, Pakistan, is engaged in the revival of the local culture and heritage. They believe in restoring, so that it leads to the infusion of new life into historic landmark buildings. This organization has restored the villages and neighborhoods in and around the Baltit Fort with the help of the local residents. They are tirelessly working for the conservation and development of Baltistan and Hunza. Without the help of local residents, this restoration would not have been possible.

Bangladesh has a very rich musical heritage since music has always played an important role in the lives of the people. In ancient times, song was usually linked to prayer and this can still be seen somewhat today in the singing of folksongs which often praise certain gods and their creation. Over time new influences where introduced and musical styles changed. Musical development was better than many other spheres of life because such development was often well patronized by the rulers of the time. Today Bangladesh music is varied and distinctive.

Generally speaking, Bangladesh music can be categorized into a number of genres. The main genres are: classical music, rabindra sangeet, nazrul geeti, folk songs, adhunik gaan and modern music with western influences. Each of these categories is very broad and can incorporate a number of different styles and musical movements. The most distinguishable characteristic of Classical music is that it is based on raqas modes. Rabindra sangeet is more often characterised by the words used which are usually either prayer songs, love songs, seasonal songs or patriotic songs. All rabindra sangeet music has a theme of philosophy and love and often they incorporate masterful poetry

Nazrul geeti is more easily classified because all musical works in this genre incorporate the works of Kazi Nazrul Islam, one of the country’s national poets and a major revolutionist. The style tends to incorporate revolutionary thoughts as well as spiritual and philosophical themes. Most folk songs relate the particular lifestyles of various types of people such as hermits, fishermen and cart drivers. They have survived from generation to generation and often include words of worship to various Bengali gods.

Adhunik gaan is basically a genre of more modern music which is often loosely categorised by the area where it originated. The style started to emerge just before the revolution and is stylistically simple so that anyone – including the uneducated – can appreciate its worth. While these songs are still called ‘Adhunik gaan’ which means ‘modern songs’ many of them are now quite old. Despite the emergence of newer styles of music, Adhunik gaan is still one of the most popular music styles amongst middle-class Bangladeshi families today.

In the late 80s, new demands were being made on music that current music could not meet. A more western influence started to be exerted on musicians which lead to the emergence of a number of artists who chose to lean more towards world-wide trends. Pop and rock took the country’s youth by storm and are still being enjoyed today. Some mainstream rock has made its way to radio stations and cd shops in Bangladesh while a large underground rock movement also exists.

If you go to Bangladesh, you will soon encounter all sorts of musical sounds. One may sound completely different from the other, but they all share the common thread of having a massive impact on the lives of the people of Bangladesh. Make sure that you listen to some Bangladesh music when you’re next in the country.

]]> http://www.heritage.com.pk/music/music-of-bangladesh-folk-music-of-india/feed/ 0 http://www.heritage.com.pk/architecture/fort-architecture/lahore-fort/ http://www.heritage.com.pk/architecture/fort-architecture/lahore-fort/#comments Sat, 02 Jan 2010 02:56:06 +0000 admin http://www.heritage.com.pk/?p=1493