Bangladesh was famed in ancient times as a land of bounty and affluence. When Alexander the Great started his expedition for the subcontinent, he headed for Bengal attracted by its legendary plenty. For centuries followed many others - travelers, merchants and invaders. Because of its strategic location Bangladesh served as a flourishing entry-port and intermediary in trade and commerce between South Asia and the Far East.
Reflecting the long history of the region, Bangladesh has a culture that encompasses elements both old and new. The Bengali language boasts a rich literary heritage. The earliest literary text in Bengali is the 8th century Charyapada. Medieval Bengali literature was often either religious (e.g. Chandidas), or adapted from other languages (e.g. Alaol). Bengali literature reached its full expression in the nineteenth century, with its greatest icons being poets Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam. Bangladesh also has a long tradition in folk literature, for example Maimansingha Gitika.
The musical tradition of Bangladesh is lyrics-based (Baniprodhan), with minimal instrumental accompaniment. The Baul tradition is a unique heritage of Bangla folk music, and there are numerous other musical traditions in Bangladesh, varying from one region to region. Gombhira, Bhatiali, Bhawaiya are a few of the better-known musical forms. Folk music of Bengal is often accompanied by the ektara, an instrument with only one string. Other instruments include the dotara, dhol, flute, and tabla. Similarly, Bangladeshi dance forms draw from folk traditions. Bangladesh produces about 80 films a year. Around 200 daily newspapers are published in Bangladesh, along with more than 1800 periodicals. Bangladeshis listen to a variety of local and national radio programmes from Bangladesh Betar, as well as four Private FM radio channels (Radio Foorti, ABC Radio, Radio Today, Radio Amar) popularity to the younger generation is growing rapidly at the important cities. Also, there is Bangla services of Radio from the BBC and Voice of America. The dominant television channel is the state-controlled Bangladesh Television, but in the last few years, privately owned channels have developed considerably- ATN Bangla, Channel i, NTV, Desh TV etc.
Rice and curry are traditional favourites. Bangladeshis make distinctive sweetmeats from milk products, some common ones being Rôshogolla, chômchôm and kalojam.
The sari (shaŗi) is by far the most widely worn dress by Bangladeshi women. Dhaka in particular is renowned for producing saris from exquisite Jamdani muslin. The salwar kameez (shaloar kamiz) is also quite popular, and in urban areas some women wear Western attire. Among men, Western attire is more widely adopted. Men also wear the kurta-paejama combination, often on religious occasions, and the lungi, a kind of long skirt.
The two Eids, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha are the largest festivals in the Islamic calendar. The day before Eid ul-Fitr is called Chãd Rat (the night of the moon), often celebrated with firecrackers. Other Muslim holidays are also observed. Major Hindu festivals are Durga Puja, Kali puja and Saraswati Puja. Buddha Purnima, which marks the birth of Gautama Buddha, is one of the most important Buddhist festivals while Christmas, called Bôŗodin (Great day) in Bangla is celebrated by the Christian population. The most important all Bangladeshi’s festival is Pohela Baishakh or Bengali New Year, the beginning of the Bengali calendar. Other festivities include Nobanno, Poush parbon (festival of Poush) and observance of national days like Shohid Dibosh.
While Kabbadi is the national game of Bangladesh, Football and Cricket are more popular with Cricket being the most popular sport in Bangladesh followed very closely by Football. The Bangladeshi cricket team won the ICC Trophy in 1997 against Kenya which enabled them to participate in the 1999 Cricket World Cup. In their very first World Cup, Bangladesh beat Pakistan and Scotland in first round. In 2000, the Bangladeshi cricket team was granted Test cricket status and be able to play other test playing nations. At various times Bangladesh has beat Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and West Indies; more importantly Bangladesh beat India national cricket team and South Africa national cricket team in 2007 Cricket World Cup.They have also beaten West Indies in 2007 ICC World Twenty20. In July 2009 Bangladesh Cricket Team secure it’s second ever Test Series win against West Indies.The first one was against Zimbabwe Cricket Team in 2004-2005 season. Other popular sports include field hockey, tennis, badminton, handball, volleyball, chess, carrom games, and kabbadi, which is the national sport of Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Sports Control Board regulates twenty-nine different sporting federations.
Although two-thirds of Bangladeshis are farmers, more than three quarters of Bangladesh’s export earnings come from the garment industry, which began attracting foreign investors in the 1980s due to cheap labour and low conversion cost. In 2002, the industry exported US$5 billion worth of products. The industry now employs more than 3 million workers, 90% of whom are women.A large part of foreign currency earnings also comes from the remittances sent by expatriates living in other countries.
Bangladesh has seen expansion of its middle class, and its consumer industry has also grown. In December 2005, four years after its report on the emerging “BRIC” economies (Brazil, Russia, India, and China), Goldman Sachs named Bangladesh one of the “Next Eleven,” along with Egypt, Indonesia, Vietnam and seven other countries.
Bangladesh has seen a dramatic increase in foreign direct investment. A number of multinational corporations and local big business houses such as Beximco, Square, Akij Group, Ispahani, Navana Group, Transcom Group, Habib Group, KDS Group and multinationals such as Unocal Corporation and Chevron, have made major investments, with the natural gas sector being a priority.
One significant contributor to the development of the economy has been the widespread propagation of microcredit by Muhammad Yunus (awarded the Nobel peace prize in 2006) through the Grameen Bank. By the late 1990s, Grameen Bank had 2.3 million members, along with 2.5 million members of other similar organisations.
Health and education levels have recently improved as poverty levels have decreased. Bangladesh has been a role model for the success stories of women empowerment in the backward world.

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Source:
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2. Rahman, S (2004). “Global Shift: Bangladesh Garment Industry in Perspective”. Asian Affairs 26 (1): 75–91.
3. Begum, N (2001). “Enforcement of Safety Regulations in Garment sector in Bangladesh”. Proc. Growth of Garment Industry in Bangladesh: Economic and Social dimension. pp. 208–226.
4. “South Korea, Another `BRIC’ in Global Wall”. 2005-12-09. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000177&sid=aoJ4WG5LSf1s&refer=market_insight.