To academics, students, and professionals in the field of Bangladesh studies, the need for a reference work of the encyclopedic genre has been long apparent. But sustained exercises in this branch of knowledge have always been lacking. This work is our attempt to fill the long-standing gap. Like other scientific national encyclopedias, Banglapedia's function is to provide access to information and to be a guide to general knowledge about all aspects of the past and present of Bangladesh. As a reference work, Banglapedia has been designed to meet the needs of students and teachers, scholars and professionals, and individuals and institutions. There are two major concepts available in compiling a modern encyclopedia. The first is that of a comprehensive fact-book for quick-reference and easy use. The other is that of the complete library - a collection of essays on all subjects. In planning Banglapedia, we tried to blend both approaches.

Earlier attempts

From the third decade of the nineteenth century until recent times, there have been many attempts to compile encyclopedias in the Western tradition in Bangla. The earliest encyclopedic attempt in Bengal was made by Felix Carey, son of William Carey. His Vidhyaharabali (1819-21) was a book of knowledge for children. It was followed by Raja Radhakanta Deb's encyclopedic Sanskrit dictionary Sabdakalpadrum in eight parts (1822-1858). Rev. Krishna Mohan Banerji's Vidyakalpadruma (1846-51) was an adaptation of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Its goal was to introduce Bangali readers to western knowledge. Bangla Visvakosh, published in 22 vols, (1886-1911) and edited by Nagendranath Basu, began appearing volume-wise from 1886 through 1911. Vangyiya Mahakosh (vol. 1), edited by Amulya Charan Bidhyabhushan, was published in 1934. Bangiya Sahitya Parishat published a five-volume Bangla encyclopedia entitled Bharatkos between 1964 and 1973. Notably, none of these ventures followed the principles of standard encyclopedic literature strictly and none of them evolved any mechanism to sustain them through time. No wonder, then, that none of them was ever reprinted or had new editions and that none of them survives today.

In endeavours undertaken to compile encyclopedias in this region, Dhaka joined only once during the Pakistani period. Supported by Franklin Book Programs Inc, a project was undertaken in 1959 with the objective of producing a Bangla adaptation of the Columbia Viking Desk Encyclopedia. Franklin Book Programs withdrew their support from the project when the compilation process became too prolonged and stretched over ten years. However, two commercial firms published the unfinished papers in four unequal volumes under the title Bangla Visvacos (1972) with Khan Bahadur Abdul Hakim as its chief editor. Islamic Foundation Bangladesh's multi-volume enterprise Islami Bishwakosh (1986 - ), Bangladesh Shishu Academy's Shishu-Biswakosh, 5 vols., (1995) and Bangla Academy's Vijnan Biswakosh, 4 vols., (1998 - ) are important milestones in the development of encyclopedic literature in Bangladesh since war of liberation. However, all these attempts, significant as they were, constituted either of subjects or universal genres adapted from one or a number of leading encyclopedias. As a national encyclopedia, the Banglapedia introduces a new genre altogether. In planning and execution, it is unique.

Origins of the Banglapedia project

The idea of compiling a comprehensive encyclopedia of Bangladesh came under discussion in the Research and Seminar Committee of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh in the early 1990s, while the collective three-volume study, History of Bangladesh 1704-1971, (1991), a project of the Society, was in progress. The editors of the history project soon felt the need for a standard desk reference. In the absence of this tool, they found that a lot of time was dissipated in checking and verifying and linking matters culled from library resources. In fact, it was this special circumstance that kindled our interest in the idea of compiling a national encyclopedia of Bangladesh.

It is indeed disconcerting that Bangladesh, a nation of about 130 million people, and one endowed with an old civilization and culture, is yet to have a standard reference book documenting its past and present achievements. This feeling led us to develop a concept paper which was submitted to the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh in early 1994. In view of its national and international importance and huge cost component and implementation complexities, the proposal was put to careful scrutiny at committee and council levels more than once. Finally, the Council accepted it in principle on 8 December 1995. A detailed project paper was submitted in August 1996. The Council finally adopted the project for implementation on 19 February 1997. At the same time, the council also appointed me the project director and chief editor of the Banglapedia project.

Banglapedia

Banglapedia, the national encyclopedia of Bangladesh, represents the fulfillment of over six years of effort made by scores of intellectuals who joined the endeavour as planners, organisers, contributors, reviewers, editors, translators, researchers, designers, technicians, fund raisers, and so on. They constituted a team passionately committed to materializing the dream of compiling a comprehensive and enduring reference work that would present the most comprehensively knowledge about Bangladesh, both historically and contemporaneously. From the earliest geological era to the present, this region has been undergoing continuous changes that have altered its natural and political landscapes and led to the present state of Bangladesh. Our vision has been to aim for a truly national encyclopedia, one which would be a complete compendium of knowledge about all aspects of Bangladesh. Banglapedia is the culmination of this thought.

Banglapedia furnishes data, facts and information about all branches of knowledge - history and heritage, arts and humanities, society and economy, state and polity, ideas and institutions, philosophies and sciences, nature and environment, and so on. The editors have had in mind an audience comprising a broad range of interests and levels of knowledge regarding Bangladesh: students, scholars, educators, diplomats, administrators, and other professionals. The challenge facing the editors therefore was that of creating, through careful selection and preparation of entries, a body of knowledge that would not only introduce Bangladesh to those unfamiliar with it but also supply more detailed knowledge for the specialist.

To achieve this dual purpose, authors were asked to introduce the topic at a level appropriate for college students but proceed far enough with it to provide a good starting point for more advanced students and other users. Authors of articles on more specialized topics were asked to synthesize available knowledge as well as suggest unresolved questions and point towards areas that deserve further consideration. For convenience of readers who may wish to use the Banglapedia as an introduction to an understanding of major issues and events of the past and present of Bangladesh such as history, archaeology, religion, agriculture, floods, health, environment, language, literature, etc. many general survey articles that are of considerable length have been incorporated. In most articles basic definitions or explanations have been inserted whenever unfamiliar concepts or technical terms were introduced and an effort was made to provide sufficient background for the convenience of the general reader.

Name and scope

This compendium has been named Banglapedia, following the Latin and Greek meaning of the term pedia or paedia (all-round knowledge). This name largely resolves the seeming cognitive confusion presented by the checkered history of the political geography of the region over the millennia. From ancient times to 1971, the political geography of the region has changed often, and with that its name has also undergone changes. The cognates of Vanga, Bangalah, Vangla, Bengal, Vangadesh, Vangladesh, etc. have the closest affinity both territorially and linguistically with the term 'Bangla'. With the rise of Bangladesh as a sovereign nation state, the term has no doubt obtained a specific meaning. It may be noted here that the term 'Bangalah' or 'Bengala', from which 'Bangla' and 'Bengal' originated, was coined and circulated by Muslim rulers whose seats of administration were located mostly within the present territory of Bangladesh. To avoid any confusion, a defining sub-title - National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh - has been added to the main title.

Bangladesh, in its territorial and historical sense, has been loosely referred to as ancient Eastern India, medieval Bangalah, and British Bengal. From 1947, the term 'Bangladesh' means East Pakistan and after liberation the present territory of Bangladesh. Though subjects pertaining to eastern India from the geological era to 1947 have been included in Banglapedia, it is the present territory of Bangladesh that we kept in view while selecting entries. Since 1947, the contents of Banglapedia have been restricted to present Bangladesh territory only. However, for biographical entries, Bangalis domiciled in India but credited with achievements before 1947 have been included. Most personalities born and living in the Bangladesh region and making significant contributions to their respective fields have been included. Nevertheless, living personalities have not been considered. The present and former heads of the state and heads of the government, however, are exceptions to this criterion.

Quality control

The Board of Editors constitutes the kernel of the Banglapedia team. Through its several subject committees, the Board looked after the businesses of planning, selection of authors, and evaluation of their articles, and finally undertook the task of editing and authenticating the text. The Board of Editors first prepared a detailed working inventory of entry heads. For convenience, all branches of Bangladesh knowledge were classified into six allied subject groups: history and heritage, arts and humanities, society and economy, state and governance, and natural and biological sciences.

The Board tried to identify entries covering all branches of knowledge that encompassed a vast time scale, starting from the geological formation of the most ancient sedimentation processes making the Bengal delta and ending with the most recent events and developments, thoughts and activities. Of course, no cohesive framework can encompass all provinces of knowledge at a time, and hence the process of building the edifice of Banglapedia turned out to be one of continuing construction and reconstruction. The master list of entries thus kept increasing with the uncovering of new topics and with new developments that have taken place since the project began. The number of entry titles from all committees rose to a huge figure from which only six thousand entries were finally selected for Banglapedia. This massive elimination process was necessary to keep the size of Banglapedia within the limit of the approved plan. However, the editors saw to it that subjects users may expect to find in this reference work were not left out.

As noted above, the editors have had in mind an audience comprising a broad range of interests and levels of knowledge regarding Bangladesh: writers, students, teachers, scholars, diplomats, professionals and general readers. It was also in their mind to get Banglapedia written by specialists best able to explain the finer aspects of their subjects, experts who could impart to the encyclopedia the distinctive aspects of the land and people of Bangladesh, both from historical and contemporary perspectives. Our hunt for the right contributors enabled us to identify and assign entries to over twelve hundred scholars and freelancers from home and abroad. They, in turn, did their best to portray Bangladesh knowledge within their disciplines as well as they could. Our desk editors then tried to put their entries into a coherent and standardized format.

An important feature of Banglapedia is the inclusion of broad introductory or survey articles for most major areas into which Bangladesh can be divided. Some of these are long; for example, the entries on history, political geography, rivers, agriculture, literature, architecture, health, environment, etc. Cross-references from these general articles, however, will lead the user to shorter identification articles that make up the bulk of Banglapedia.

The Banglapedists

The Board of Editors form the apex of the Banglapedia management structure. They worked in six different sub-committees constituted discipline-wise. A subject editor headed each of these committees. In their work, every subject editor received assistance from a number of associate and assistant editors, research assistants and technical staff. Over twelve hundred scholars contributed about six thousand articles. Over one hundred scholars participated as translators and translation editors. Many scholars served as reviewers and language editors. Four editors looked into linguistic standardization of the text. There were also editors and specialists utilized to work in GIS lab to produce over a thousand cartographic works. Similarly, the Desktop Publishing section employed a number of designers, graphic artists, and technicians. A significant number of Bangladesh specialists from foreign universities joined the project as contributors. Over a dozen of them contributed as corresponding editors. About four hundred local intellectuals were chosen to write digests of their respective zilas and upazilas.

Content description

It was the policy of the Board of Editors to make Banglapedia as comprehensive as possible. The Board tried consciously to include at least all those topics which would be normally looked up by users. Of course, we cannot claim that all such 'expected' topics have been included. Also, many articles included in Banglapedia may look too specialized, whereas many general topics might not have found a place. By way of apology it can be pointed out that no pioneering encyclopedia can claim to become all-inclusive in its coverage from its very birth. Partly due to unavailability of right authors, and partly, no doubt, due to oversight or even failure in identification, unintentional ommissions may have taken place. These should, hopefully, be eliminated in successive editions.

Bi-lingual versions

Banglapedia has been produced in two versions: Bangla and English. This expensive and tedious path has been followed in recognition of the fact that Banglapedia constitutes a part of world knowledge and must be made accessible to the world. But at the same time, this national encyclopedia must be in our national language too. Thus in spite of the cost question, Banglapedia has been made a bi-lingual production to serve both vernacular and international users. Moreover, this is consistent with the Asiatic Society's policy of putting out its major publications in Bangla and English simultaneously.

Banglapedia Foundation

It is through a regular process of updating and improvement that an encyclopedia acquires authority and influence as a living reference tool. Conscious of this fact, and aware of the fate of the encyclopedias compiled formerly in this region, the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh plans to set up a permanent establishment entrusted with the responsibilities of updating and publishing Banglapedia periodically through a Banglapedia Foundation set up for that purpose.

A project of the scale of Banglapedia cannot but be an accomplishment of many people from many disciplines and skills. From its conception to final production, the Banglapedia project passed through many phases each of which required the cooperation and help of distinctive individuals and establishments. The Banglapedia people themselves form a large team, which included planners, editors, contributors, translators, reviewers, research assistants, and so on. People and institutions supporting the project academically, financially and morally again formed a long list. Many were involved passionately in its organisation and management. Academic cooperation came from many organisations and individuals. Listing all of their contributions and mentioning them all by name and designation is therefore not an easy task.

By undertaking the project and implementing it steadfastly, the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh has definitely demonstrated path-breaking leadership in the organisation and cultivation of knowledge in the country. We give all praise to the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh for undertaking the Banglapedia venture, a bold scheme in all respects. We, the project personnel, deeply appreciate and admire the intellectual freedom that the Society allowed us in implementing the enterprise. I am personally grateful to the Asiatic Society for considering my proposal for compiling this encyclopedia and for asking me to implement it as project director and chief editor.

The Asiatic Society's resources were too limited to fund this mega project on its own. External support became absolutely necessary. Such support first came from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Dhaka. The fund they made available was mostly used in setting up the project. We express our heartfelt gratitude to CIDA for supporting it. The CIDA grant was followed sequentially by grants from the President of Bangladesh, University Grants Commission, public universities, Human Development Foundation, Duncan Brothers (BD), Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), Land Reforms Board, Unesco, Sonali Bank, Bangladesh Bank, Islami Bank, Rupali Bank, Bangladesh Krishi Bank, Eastern Bank, Grindlays Bank, UCBL, Southeast Bank, Arab Bangladesh Bank, BASIC Bank, National Bank, Agrani Bank, Janata Bank, Prime Bank, National Credit and Commerce Bank, Dhaka Bank, Pubali Bank, Sadharan Bima Corporation, Social Science Research Council and Orient Food Co. The French Embassy and British High Commission helped the project in its planning stage by providing two consultants for training the Banglapedia staff in the art and science of encyclopedia compilation and management. To the then President of Bangladesh, Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed, and to our donors, we are deeply indebted. Their combined support allowed us to go through the compilation processes of the project.

Funding support coming from these sources made up only 26% percent of the total project outlay. The rest came from the Education Ministry, Government of Bangladesh. The government support, which came in the wake of the launching of the project, saved us from the worry of fund raising and enabled us to devote ourselves completely to the task of compiling Banglapedia. We were gratified that the government considered the Banglapedia project as a venture of national importance. In fact, government support rescued us from financial uncertainties. Acknowledgement of our thanks and gratitude to the government will not be complete though unless we mention at least one individual who took immense interest in the project and so helped it significantl: Mr. ASHK Sadique, then Education Minister of Bangladesh. He also helped us obtain a grant from Unesco. We are indeed very grateful to him as we are also thankful to his successor, the incumbent Education Minister, Dr. M. Osman Farruk, who continued to patronize the project like his predecessor and gave moral and material support most ungrudgingly to it. At a time when the project became embroiled in controversy, Dr Farruk came forward readily and did all that was necessary to save it from a last moment debacle. The Asiatic Society and the project personnel are all thus especially grateful to him.

From the conception of Banglapedia to its actual compilation and production, the project passed through several phases, such as, planning, fund raising, entry identification, writer selection, compilation, translation, editing, desk-top publishing and finally printing. During seccessive stages, 217 people worked on the project. They were engaged in welding the work of over twelve hundred contributors and over one hundred translators into the final Banglapedia. To these contributors, translators and 'welders', we are deeply indebted.

For overall management of the project, the Council of the Society set up a nine-member Project Implementation Committee (PIC) that included three ex-officio members - president, general secretary and treasurer of the Society. Successive ex-officio members included Professor Wakil Ahmed (president, 1996-97), Professor M. Harurnur Rashid (president, 1998-99), Professor A.M. Chowdhury (president, 2000-2003), Professor Akmal Hussain (general secretary, 1996-97), Professor Sajahan Miah (general secretary, 1998-2001), Professor Khondoker Bazlul Hoque (treasurer, 1996-99), Professor Syed Rashidul Hasan (treasurer, 2000-01 and general secretary, 2002-03) and Professor S M Mahfuzur Rahman (treasurer, 2002-03). Other members of the PIC besides the project director and managing editor were Dr (late) AM Sharafuddin (PIC chairman), Professor M. Aminul Islam (PIC chairman), Professor Wakil Ahmed, Professor Amirul Islam Chowdhury and Professor SM Humayun Kabir. To assist in its transactions, PIC in turn set up a number of sub-committees. The Project Implementation Committee and the sub-committees not only ensured a work-friendly intellectual environment, but also guided operations with exemplary esprit de corps. To all of them, we are extremely grateful.

In this connection, mention should be made specifically of Professor Sajahan Miah, the managing editor of the project. The kind of company and cooperation that he rendered to me is too deep and too intricate to be expressed simply. I very sincerely acknowledge and appreciate his ability, stamina, and work spirit.

In compiling Banglapedia, the anchor persons of the project were the editors, whose functions were to identify entries, select contributors, edit and translate articles, and finally prepare the text for desk-top publishing. Working with them were the language editors, associate editors, assistant editors, senior research assistants, research assistants, photographers, cartographers, graphic designers, computer operators, and technical and office staff. The editors and their colleagues met regularly for mutual consultations and inter-group co-ordination. The amount of hard work that they did in compilation and the competence that they have demonstrated in leading their respective groups is simply impressive. We have nothing but praise for their zeal and commitment to the project. We have equal praise for the utmost cooperation and help of the Board of Editors which, in fact, formed the apex of the project. Group-wise, and sometimes collectively, the members of the Board met regularly and made recommendations on identification, selection and authentication of articles. The leadership that the Board members gave organisationally and intellectually is extraordinary. To the Board, therefore, we are all deeply indebted.

Cartography occupies a very large part of Banglapedia. Besides the cartographic committee, crucial support came from CEGIS (Dhaka). Among the people rendering support to the cartographic work, special mention should be made of Mir Abdul Matin, Prof Amanat Ullah Khan, Md Firoz Alam, Hasina Dil Afroze, Aklas Uddin, Ammatun Nur, Din Mohammed and HS Mozaddad Faroque. Similarly, we are indebted to many people who opened up their personal collections of photographs for us. They include Dr. Noazesh Ahmed, Amanul Huq, Nasir Ali Mamun, Bayazid Akter, Reza Khan, Syed Masood Hossain, Khandokar Kamrul Huda, M. Monirul H Khan, Sheab Uddin, Sarwar Pathan, Md. Ahsan Habib, ANM Aminoor Rahman, Mozahidul Islam, Tanvir Khan, Md. Johir Uddin, Md. Zahirul Islam Bhuiyan and Md. Mukbil Hossain. The authorities of the National Museum, Sonargaon Folk Museum, Liberation War Museum and Dhaka University Library also made their resources accessible to us. The universities of Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chittagong and BUET permitted a number of their faculty members to work with the project, either as full or part-time personnel. To all those institutions, we express our sincerest thanks and gratitude. The Desktop Publishing section was led by Eng. Shahinul Kabir. In addition to his normal work, he developed several software for Banglapedia, which include the diacritical mark 'shahinul'. We appreciate the co-operation of Md Nuruzzaman Chowdhury, who designed the Banglapedia logo. Last but not least, we are indebted to Fine Dot Ltd, Dhaka, who gave pre-press support to the publication processes of Banglapedia. We also acknowledge the publication support given by the printers whose trade names appear in the respective volumes of Banglapedia.

-Sirajul Islam