Banglapedia
| File:Banglapedia.jpg National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh | |
| Author | Professor Sirajul Islam |
|---|---|
| Country | Bangladesh |
| Language | English, Bengali |
| Genre | Encyclopedia |
| Publisher | Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh |
Publication date | January 2003 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback), CD-ROM, Online |
| Pages | 10 Volumes |
| ISBN | ISBN 9843205766 Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
Banglapedia is the national encyclopedia of Bangladesh, available in print, in CD-ROM format and online. It is written both in Bangla and in English. Its chief editor is Sirajul Islam[1] and is published by the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.[2] It is planned to be updated every two years.[3]
Overview
Banglapedia is a ten-volume reference work took up by the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh in 1998. The goal of this reference tool is to inquire, interpret and integrate the lived experiences and achievements of the people of Bangladesh from ancient times to date. More than 6000 entries were contributed by over 1200 writers and specialists. The project was at a cost of BDT 80 million, to which UNESCO made a contribution under the participation programme through Bangladesh National Commission for UNESCO.[4]
The project, conceptually and territorially, interprets the term Bangladesh to mean successively ancient Eastern India, Suba Bangla, Shahi Bangalah, Mughal Suba Bangla, Bengal Presidency, Bengal Province, East Bengal, East Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
Content
Banglapedia entries are compiled and edited in six different editorial categories, namely, arts and humanities, history and heritage, state and governance, society and economy, natural sciences and biological sciences, in addition to a gazetteer group focusing on districts and upazilas.
It covers, on the physical plane, the rise of the Bengal Delta, and its evolution to date. Attention has been given, on the human plane, to the changing features of the formation of the delta's janapada or human settlements. That includes the rise and fall of kingdoms, invasions from within and beyond and their implications, dynastic rules and administration, as well as other aspects of Bangladesh's past and present.
Extensive coverage has been given to political geography, religion, literature, art and architecture, folk practices and institutions, indigenous and colonial administration, politics, society, economy, ethnicity, and the sciences.
Over 2000 single and four-colour illustrations depict Bangladesh art and architecture, everyday life, cities and villages and personages. It has about 2100 cross-references, cartographic information, tables and statistics.
It is easy to navigate, laid out in alphabetical order and is prefaced by an extremely detailed essay by the Chief Editor. However, there is also a section explaining how to use the Banglapedia, which clarifies issues such as date systems, contributors, cross references, and headings.
Editors and officials
The contributors are mostly university teachers and academicians both at home and abroad, specialists in districts and upazilas for locality inputs, and people from professions and occupations. District and upazila cartography has been processed at the GIS and cartographic laboratory set up for the Banglapedia.
- Chairman: Professor Sirajul Islam, Department of History, Dhaka University
- Convenor: Professor Sajahan Miah, Department of Philosophy, Dhaka University
- Chairman, Project Implementation Committee: Professor M. Aminul Islam
- Chairman, Publication Committee: Professor Abdul Momin Chowdhury
- Convenor, Purchase and Procurement Committee: Professor S M Mahfuzur Rahman
- Chairman, Cartography Committee: Professor M. Aminul Islam
- Chairman, Fund Management Committee: Professor M. Aminul Islam
- Convenor, Public Relations and Communication Committee: Shahida Alam
- Chairman, Multimedia Committee: Professor Jamilur Reza Chowdhury
Future projects
The following are some of the future projects of Banglapedia Trust[5][6]:
- Cultural Survey of Bangladesh: Scheduled publication date- December 2007; projected number of volumes- 12; Editor in Chief- Professor Sirajul Islam[7]
- Encyclopaedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh: Scheduled publication date- August 2009; projected number of volumes- 28; Editor in Chief- Kamal Uddin Siddiqui
- Junior Banglapedia: Scheduled publication date- February 2008; projected number of volumes- 3; Editor in Chief- Professor Sirajul Islam
- Digitisation of the Cadastral Survey and Settlement Records (1900–1925): projected number of volumes-28
- Parliamentary History of Bangladesh (1861 to date): projected number of volumes- 3
- Digest of the Surveys of Mineral Resources in Bangladesh: projected number of volumes- 2
- Online National Biography Project[8]
Criticism
A study by BDNews24.com, a news portal, claims that Banglapedia has biased and incorrect views on the indigenous population of Bangladesh.[9] Leaders of the indigenous community, including Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council member and Jana Sanghati Samiti leader Rupayan Dewan, has endorsed the findings of that study.[10] Editor in Chief Professor Islam acknowledged the complain and promised to amend the it in the second edition.
Similar projects by the Bangladesh government
Mosaic in Green A 160-page photographic encyclopedia showcasing the natural history, culture and landscape of Bangladesh, created by the Ministry of Information, People's Republic of Bangladesh.
References
- ^ ["Banglapedia Board of Editors" (HTML). Banglapedia. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
- ^ ["Asiatic Society of Bangladesh" (HTML). Banglapedia. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
- ^ Akkas, Abu Jar M (2004-05-23). "Banglapedia edition every 2 years". The Weekly Holiday. pp. Front Page. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
- ^ "Banglapedia" (HTML). Bangladesh. Asia Pacific Cultural Centaer for UNESCO. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
- ^ Staff Correspondent (2006-06-30). "Asiatic Society to award M Phil, PhD degrees". The New Age. pp. Front Page. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
- ^ Staff Correspondent (2005-06-17). "Asiatic Society takes up 4 more projects". The Weekly Holiday. pp. Miscellany. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
- ^ Bdnews24.com.Dhaka (2007-03-04). "Encyclopaedia on Bangladesh culture in the making". The New Age. pp. Front Page. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Staff Correspondent (2005-08-02). "Banglapedia works on online biography". The New Age. pp. Metro. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
- ^ BDNews24.com: Study on Banglapedia
- ^ BDNews24 (2007-02-24). "Wrong info on ethnic groups in Banglapedia". The New Age. pp. Front Page. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
Sources
- "Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (In 10 Volumes)" (HTML). Bagchee. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
- Khan, Mubin S (2006-01-01). "Professor Sirajul Islam: Making history". NEW AGE NEW YEAR SPECIAL 2006 New Age New Year Special 2006. The New Age. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
- Iqbal, Iftekhar (2006-11-16). "The case for Bangladesh Studies". The Daily Star. pp. Point–Counterpoint. Retrieved 2007-06-07.