After we have studied this unit, we will be able to

   • read and understand texts through silent reading
   • infer meaning from context
   • ask and answer questions
   • write answers to questions
   • write short compositions

Key words : ethnic region majority shifting

A Look at the pictures. Then discuss the following questions in pairs.

  Can you tell what it means?

1. What do you see in the picture?
2. What are they called?
3. Who wear them?

Now, look at the pictures. Then discuss the following questions.

1. Do you know where the ethnic people live in Bangladesh?
2. What are they called?

B Now, read the text.

The ethnic people in Bangladesh hold a very important place in the culture of the country. The majority of these people live in the Chattogram Hill Tracts. The others live in the regions of Mymensingh, Rajshahi and Sylhet. They live in forest areas, in the hills and in rural areas. They do jhum cultivation. For this work they clear a piece of land in the forest, prepare it and sow seeds in it. They are mostly farmers. By religion they are Hindus, Christians or Buddhists. They speak their own mother tongues. Some of them are the Chakmas, the Marmans, the Tipperas and the Moorangs, who live in the Hill Tracts. The Santals live in Rajshahi. The Khasias and the Monipuries, live in Sylhet and the Hajangs and the Garos in Mymensingh.

C True or False? If False, give the correct information.

1. The ethnic people of our country live in the Chattogram Hill Tracts only.
2. Most of them are farmers.
3. By religion all of them are Buddhists.
4. The Moorangs are an ethnic group.
5. They practise jhum cultivation.

D Ask and answer the questions in pairs.

1. Where do you find the Marmans?
2. What language do they speak at home?
3. Where and how do they do the Jhum cultivation?

Key words : quilt artistic commercially traditional demand pattern

A Look at the picture and the questions. Then ask and answer the questions with your partner.

1. What do you see in the picture?
2. What is it called?
3. Have you seen it before? Where?
4. What do we do with it?

B Now, read the text to know about Nakshi kantha.

Nakshi kantha is a kind of embroidered quilt. The name was taken from the Bangla word, 'naksha' which means artistic pattern. It is a kind of traditional craft and is said to be indigenous to Bangladesh and West Bengal in India. The art has been practised in rural Bengal for centuries. The name Nakshi Kantha' became popular after the poet Jasimuddin's poem 'Nakshi Kanthar Math' was published in 1929.

Traditional kanthas are made for family use. Old or new cloth and thread are used to make these quilts. Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Rajshahi, Faridpur, Bogura and Jashore are most famous for this craft. Now it is produced commercially. You can find them in many expensive handicraft shops in cities. The quilts are now in great demand because of the colourful patterns and designs embroidered on them.

C Complete the sentences with clues given. There are more words than necessary.

1. Naksha means artistic _ .
2. The name was taken from a _ word _ .
3. The art has been practised in _ Bengal for _ .
4. Nakshi kanthas are now sold in _ shops.
5. Nakshi kanthas are in great demand because of their colourful _ and _ .
6. Nakshi kanthas are a kind of _ .

D Write down five questions for the completed statements in Activity E above.

One is done for you.

1. What does naksha mean?

E Do you like a Nakshi kantha or an ordinary kantha? Why?

F Work in pairs. Ask and answer all the questions in Activity. Now, write 3-4 more questions on the text given in Activity B above.

G Write a Paragraph describing how the Nakshi kantha is made. Start like this: Old or new cloth and coloured thread are needed. First the cloth is folded, then....…

Key words : folk musical instruments

A. Work in pairs. Look at the names of the musical instruments and answer the following questions.

1. Can you sing a song?
2. Can you play any of these musical instruments?
3. Do you know anybody who can play any of these instruments? Tell what you know about her/him.

B. Read the text and answer the following questions.

Folk songs are songs sung in the traditional style of a community or country. Here the traditional style includes the themes, words and tunes of the songs that have existed for a long time among the common people.

We have a rich history and collection of folk songs in Bangladesh. Of them Palligiti, Bhatiali, Bhawaiya, Jari, Sari, Gambhira, Lalongiti, Palagaan and songs of Hason Raja are very popular. The traditional musical instruments are usually played with these songs.

Questions

1. Who usually likes our folk songs?
2. Can you name some well known folk singers?
3. Do you like folk songs? If you do, who is your favourite folk singer? Which song or songs do you like most?

C Discuss in groups and write a paragraph on the following question. Do you like to listen to folk songs? Why? Why not?

Key words : characteristics communities maize poultry

A. Look at the pictures and talk with your partner about them. Then read the text.

Most of these ethnic people living in Bangladesh have some common characteristics. They have their own lifestyles.

They build their houses on bamboo or wooden platforms called 'machang'. Rice is their staple food. They eat vegetables, maize and fish, poultry and meat. Their kitchen utensils are bamboo, wooden and earthen pots which they make themselves. Men wear lungis and women wear thamis or sarongs and angis. Women weave their own clothes.

Hunting and fishing are their favourite pastimes. They are fond of songs, music, dances, theatre and fairs. Traditional musical instruments such as bugles are made from buffalo horns, drums and bamboo flutes. Wrestling is a popular sport for them.

B. Find the answers from column B to the questions in column A and write them in complete sentences.

C. Complete the paragraph. Use the words below to fill in the gaps. There are more words than necessary.

The tribal people follow their _ The platform they build their houses on is called _ Men wear _ Women _ They are fond of songs, dance, music, and. _ is their favourite sport.

D. Imagine you are Sajeed and you have a Marma friend called Masing. Now, write a dialogue asking and answering questions about your dress, food, songs, sports and past times.

Key words : cuisine platter molasses

A. Look at the pictures and discuss in pairs.

1. What do you see in the pictures?
2. Which foods are seen in the pictures? Do you prepare/eat them at home?
3. Among the foods, which one is your favourite? Why?

B. Read the text below and answer the following True-False Activity in section C.

Bangladeshi cuisine is rich and varied with the use of many spices. We have delicious and appetizing food, snacks and sweets.

Boiled rice is our staple food. It is served with a variety of vegetables, curry, lentil soups, fish and meat. Fish is the main source of protein. Fishes are now cultivated in ponds. Also we have fresh-water fishes in the lakes and rivers. More than 40 types of fishes are common. Some of them are carp, rui, katla, magur (catfish), chingri (prawn or shrimp). Shutki or dried fishes are popular. Hilsha is very popular among the people of Bangladesh.

Panta ilish is a traditional platter of Panta bhat. It is steamed rice soaked in water and served with a fried hilsha slice, often together with dried fish, pickles, lentil soup, green chilies and onion. It is a popular dish on the Pohela Boishakh.

The people of Bangladesh are very fond of sweets. Almost all Bangladeshi women prepare some traditional sweets. Pitha, a type of sweets made from rice flour, sugar, syrup, molasses and sometimes milk, is a traditional food loved by the entire population. During winter Pitha Utsab, meaning pitha festival, is organized by different groups of people. 

Sweets are distributed among close relatives when there is good news like births, weddings, promotions, etc.

Sweets of Bangladesh are mostly milk-based. The common ones are roshgolla, sandesh, rasamalai, gulap jamun, kalo jamun and chom-chom. There are hundreds of different varieties of sweet preparations. Sweets are therefore an important part of the day-to-day life of Bangladeshi people.

C. True or false? If false, give the correct information.

1. Our foods are rich because they have a lot of oil in them.
2. We get protein mostly from fish.
3. On Pohela Boishakh, the traditional food is steamed rice and fried hilsha.
4. Pitha Uthsab takes place almost all the year round in Bangladesh.
5. Sweets are not much appreciated by the people of Bangladesh.

D. Read the text in B again and answer the following questions.

1. What has made Bangladeshi food so special?
2. Where do we get the fishes from?
3. Apart from fish, what other foods do we eat with rice?
4. Why are sweets an important part of our life?

E. Discuss and answer the questions in pairs.

1. Describe a Bangladeshi food that you like best.
2. Make a list of the things you and your partner eat every day.
3. Make two lists of food one eaten by the urban and the other by the rural people.
4. Why are there differences between the food eaten by the urban and the food eaten by the rural people?

F. How fast can you say this sentence?

  Casual clothes are provisional for leisurely trips across Asia.

A. Read and recite the poem.

                                                                          The children's song

                                                              Land of our Birth, we pledge to thee

                                                              Our love and toil in the years to be;

                                                              When we are grown and take our place

                                                              As men and women of our race.

                                                              Father in Heaven, Who lovest all,

                                                              Oh help Thy children when they call;

                                                              That they may build from age to age,

                                                              An undefiled heritage.

                                                              Teach us to bear the yoke in youth,

                                                              With steadfastness and careful truth;

                                                              That, in our time, Thy Grace may give

                                                              The Truth whereby the Nations live.

                                                              Teach us to rule ourselves always,

                                                              Controlled and cleanly night and day;

                                                              That we may bring, if need arise,

                                                              No maimed and worthless sacrifice.

                                                              Teach us to look, in all our ends,

                                                              On Thee for judge, and not our friends

                                                              That we, with Thee, may walk uncowed

                                                              By fear or favour of the crowd.

                                                              Teach us the strength that cannot seek,

                                                              By deed or thought, to hurt the weak;

                                                              That, under Thee, we may possess

                                                              Man's strength to comfort man's destress.

                                                              Teach us Delight in simple things,

                                                              And Mirth that had no bitter springs;

                                                              Forgiveness free of evil done,

                                                              And Love to all men, 'neath the sun!

                                                              Land of our Birth, our faith, our pride,

                                                              For whose dear sake our fathers died

                                                              Head, heart and hand through the years to be!

                                                                                                                                         -Rudyard Kipling

Word notes :

pledge : make a promise

toll : hard work

lovest : love

thy : your

undefiled : pure

heritage : the history, traditions, buildings and qualities that a country has had for many years and that are an important part of the country's character

yoke : a piece of wood that holds two oxen together, while ploughing or pulling a cart

bear the yoke : shoulder the great responsibility

B. Read the poem silently and answer the questions.

1. What do the children promise to their motherland?
2. What do the children ask God to teach them?
3. Do you like the poem? Why?