My Golden Bengal Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bangla

Bangla is the national language of Bangladesh, spoken by almost everyone. The original title of the song was "Amar Shonar Bangla", usually translated into English as "My Golden Bengal". The song was written as a protest against the division of the Indian province of Bengal into two halves - West Bengal mainly Hindu, East Bengal mainly Muslim. This separation was reflected in the establishment of national boundaries when Pakistan and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) were separated from the rest of India. The province of West Bengal remains a part of India.

The first ten lines of Tagore's song were adopted for the national anthem of Bangladesh in 1972, the year in which its independence was established. He is also the author of India's national anthem, "Jana Gana Mana" ("Thou Art the Ruler of the Minds of All People"), and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.

Answer: Hinduism

With almost 90% of the population being Muslim and just under 10% Hindu, other religions are in a distinct minority. The Hindu population of Bangladesh makes it the third largest nation of practicing Hindus, behind India and Nepal. The third-ranked religion in Bangladesh is Buddhism, with about a million practitioners.

This Hindu temple is in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

Answer: Bengal Tiger

Also called the Royal Bengal tiger, this is the most numerous subspecies of Panthera tigris, whose largest member is the Siberian tiger. The Caspian and Javan tigers are both extinct subspecies. Numerous is a relative term - there are estimated to be under 2,500 Bengal tigers in the wild, with between 200 and 400 in Bangladesh. Most Bangladeshi tigers live in the Sundarbans, one of the world's largest mangrove forests located on the Bay of Bengal, part of the delta formed when the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Beghna Rivers converge.

The name Sundarbans can be translated as 'beautiful jungle'.

Answer: Oriental Magpie Robin

The Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis), also called the Doyel or Doel, is common in many parts of the country, as well as other parts of southern Asia. An image of the Doyel currently appears on the reverse of the rarely-used 2 taka note. The birds have long been popular as pets, because of their lovely song.

Answer: Hilsa shad

Hilsa shad, also called Ilish, is an important part of the Bangladeshi economy, comprising about 30% of the total fish catch in the country. They are an anadromous fish, meaning that they spend most of their life at sea, but journey upstream in the river systems to spawn.

They start upstream at the beginning of the monsoon season, around June-July, and the young fish, called Jatka, proceed downstream towards the ocean over a period of about six months, feeding and growing as they go. After spending 1-2 years in the ocean, they are ready to migrate upstream and spawn, starting the cycle over again.

As Bangladesh does not currently have the facilities to store all the fish caught during peak migration seasons, much of it is destroyed each year.

There is a current drive to develop an export market to avoid this waste.

Answer: Mango

The others are all tropical fruit trees, but it was the mango that got the guernsey. It is also the national fruit of India and Pakistan. Mango blossoms and leaves are used as decorations for many ceremonies on the subcontinent, and stylized mango motifs are common. The shape of paisley patterns is possibly based in the fruit of the mango. And, of course, the fruits are delicious!

Answer: Water lily

The Shapla is a water lily, and is found in both white and pink varieties. Not only is it a beautiful flower found in most Bangladeshi waterways, the flowers can also be eaten, often in a curry. The stem and fruit are also frequently eaten by rural people.

A large sculpture of a shapla can be seen in Shapla Square, Dakha. It is surrounded by a fountain, and is part of a memorial to those who died in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, in the course of which Bangladesh gained its independence from Pakistan.

Answer: Jackfruit

The jackfruit can grow to weigh an amazing 35 kg (80 lb), measuring 50 cm (20 in) in diameter (which makes its circumference around 3 metres, or 10 feet), and approximately twice that size in length. It tastes something like a banana, but the consistency is more fibrous than that of a banana. Unripe jackfruit can be peeled, chopped and cooked - it is often boiled in curries. Mature fruit can be eaten raw.

Answer: 7

In this picture you can see all seven members of the team wearing black shorts, and a player from the other team who has entered the opposition's territory. Each kabaddi team occupies half of the playing area. The teams take turns sending a player into the opponents' area, where they try to score points by tagging or wrestling with opponents.

They must keep saying 'kabaddi' as they complete the incursion. Tagged players cannot form any part of the line of defenders with linked arms who try to keep the raider from returning to their own side before they have to take a breath and stop chanting. Points are scored by the attacking team for each defender tagged, and by the defending team if they successfully block the raider.

The game originated several thousand years ago as a training exercise for warriors, and can get quite rough.

There are three reserve players for each team to replace those who are unable to continue.

Answer: The country map has been removed

The map of Bangladesh was deleted from the design before the declaration of the official national flag in 1972. The flag was consciously designed to avoid using the Islamic symbols of the crescent and star used by Pakistan. The red circle represents both the rising sun and the blood of those who died fighting for independence.

The green background reflects the luxuriance of the Bangladeshi landscape.