Sunday, July 20, 2025

Bangladesh- Ancient Kingdom to Modern Powerhouse

Ashun 

Please come in, 

Welcome

Sonargaon Folk Art Museum, Bangladesh

Photo credit: Kristin Boekhoff

I was browsing through my stats, reading all the different countries that have people who visit my blog. Wow!

Bangladesh has been popping up recently.

Bangladesh?

I know pretty much nothing about that country! So…time to do some research.

Pathia Rajbari Mondir, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

First of all, how do I say ‘Welcome’?

Easy, right? Well. Maybe not.

Bengali is the language spoken there, but as in many places, there is ‘welcome’ and then there is ‘welcome’!

I made an executive decision and went with the less formal version, which translates to ‘please come in’.

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a very ancient country. There are archaeological findings that date it back to minimum 500BCE. Before that they believe it was inhabited, but structures were made out of wood and reeds, so have not survived the centuries.

Wow. Kinda’ boggles my mind!

To put that in perspective, 500BCE is when the prophets were active in the Old Testament, Bible. That’s 500 years before Jesus’ time.

Madangopal Jiu Mandi temple; 17th Century CE; West Bengal

Bangladesh has been under rule by ancient kingdoms, Muslim rule, dynasties, British colonialism, authoritarian and parliamentary governments, martial law and military coups.

1576CE; Akbar leads his army into battle against Daud Kharkarrani, 
the last Sultan of Bengal.

The People’s Republic of Bangladesh is the 8th most populous country in the world. In 57,320 square miles (148,460 square kilometers) there is packed 171 million people -making it also one of the most densely populated countries.


It is bordered by India, and Burma, and the Bay of Bengal. Nepal and Bhutan are very close to its’ borders also.
Bangladesh
Where did a name come from like that?
Well, because the country is so ancient, some of this is guesswork. There is early Sanskrit literature that talks about the Kingdom of Banya.
Same area. Seems like Banya at some point turned into Bengal. Which turned into Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has a long, involved history as it is so old, and a popular port site.

In 326BCE Alexander the Great invaded.
Pretty much if Alex was coming, prepare to be conquered. Except this time.

Charles Le Brun 1673 “Alexander and King Porus”
Depicting the battle of 326CE, Pakistan

The Gangaridai Empire was too big, too strong. Alex’s advisors convinced him to withdraw, and go around!
That was a big deal back then.
The Gangaridai Empire flourished, and Bangladesh became a Buddhist hub.
Until the next empire came into power, the next king or ruler, and a new religion!
Repeat.
Repeat.
There were Brahman, Hindu, Buddhist and Islamist rulers. By 1245CE the country was riddled with feudal fighting and religious pressures.
There were lots of revolts, no wonder.

Bangladesh Bnadarbam

During all this fighting and conquering and revolting there were some very impressive archeological projects, large mosques and progressive literature writing going on.
There were links with China, Java & Ceylon who had some liberal policies that focused on justice, and charity.


Postage stamps

In 1757 the British East India Company seized control.
That’s another whole blog, so let’s just say they controlled until 1947.
Freedom, right?
Nope.
Edwin Lord Weeks 1849-1903, ‘Mughal Imperial Court’

Until 1971 Bangladesh had riots, treaties, proclamations, diplomatic maneuverings, military coups, starvation, major famine, fighting, student uprisings and demonstrations.

1965

There were major divisions over the official language, even! 
Was it Bengali, or Urdu?
Should there be an official national religion declared?
Just what were the borders of Bangladesh?


In 1971 a Provisional Government of Bangladesh was formed as the country’s first government. It issued a Proclamation of Independence.



The Proclamation declared Equality, Human Dignity and Social Justice as fundamental principles.



Then the lure of power seems to have taken over. Again.
There was a state of emergency, a major famine, newspapers were banned, a military Special Unit was formed with many human rights abuse accusations.


Things were a mess again. Leaders were jailed and then killed. The military overthrew the current president, but then there was mutiny and a counter-coup.
Bangladesh was back to rioting, coups, military law, authoritarian government, socialism, disputes with India, assassinations and political repression.
Whew.

Rickshaw traffic 

The 1990’s saw a renewal of parliamentary democracy. There were 2 main political parties, alternating who was in power.
With that stability, Bangladesh has become one of the world’s fastest growing economies. The garment industry and international remittance programs are major factors in this.
Bangladesh has also stepped up its infrastructure development, meaning it is improving things like power plants, schools, transportation, sewers and clean drinking water.

Postage stamp, 1983. Photo credit: Bob Suir

Let’s find out more of just who and what is Bangladesh today?
The official language is Bengali
the 2nd most widely spoken language in India also.

There are many dialects from smaller indigenous groups, with words from Portuguese, English, Arabic, Persian and Hindi tucked in.

Native costumes, Garo people

The official religion is Islam.
Most are Sunni, while a lesser amount are Shi’i. Hindus are the main minority followed by much smaller groups of Christians & Buddhists.

Zaminder’s Mansions and Palaces

Bangladesh is a mixture of modern and rural. It has urban cities and villages with no electricity. There are pre-fabricated 1 and 2 story buildings and thatched roof bamboo huts.
Through the Lens of Shah Rukh Khan

It has a sub-tropical monsoon climate.
Lots of rain.
It deals with river flooding regularly.

A tea estate

Almost half of the population is in the agricultural business. Rice is the main product, but also wheatpeas, beans, lentils, sweet potatoes, oil seeds, spices, sugarcane, tobacco, bananas, mangoes and pineapples!!!
…and watermelons!



The official bird is the magpie robin.
The flower is the water Lily.
The fruit is jackfruit.
The fish is hilsa.
The tree is the mango tree.
The official tiger is the Royal Bengal Tiger.

ArtProjectsForKids.org

HOWTODRAWFORKIDS.com

ArtProjectsForKids.com

Bangladesh still struggles with political instability. There are accusations of authoritarianism and human rights abuses. And yet it has really worked on the Rohingya refugee crisis. The influx of so many refugees strained their resources almost to the breaking point. Their economic growth continues.


If they can just get along politically, and clean up any remaining human rights issues, I see a bright future for Bangladesh. Definitely a country to watch!

Flower market

‘Til next time,
inkspired

Pinterest: K.Kloberdans
Facebook: Karen Kloberdans








Tuesday, July 1, 2025

My favorite Art Tools

 Welcome!

All kaleidoscopes by inkspired and KaleidoCam 

Thank you for visiting!

I recently did a blog on things that have made my creative endeavors easier. Today I thought you might like to see what tools I love to use, and perhaps you will find something new for you to try.

Disclaimer: I get no kickbacks, freebies or anything like that. This is just me sharing what I like.

Craft/Art space

As you can see, when I craft I spread out!

However there are some things I always have close to me to use frequently.

Having art supplies that work with me are part of that!


A good set of permanent ink pens is a must for Zentangle and ink & wash technique water coloring. These Sakura micron pens are my favorite.

An original Zentangle elephant by inkspired

This is a handy size chart if you forget what the numbers mean.

They also come in colors, which I have used for this Zentangle Fox:

Zentangle Fox by inkspired

For coloring after using a permanent pen outline I really enjoy the look of watercolor pencils.


I have used several different brands and truthfully right now I do not have a preference. My first set was by Kimball.

Something I invested in was this great carry-all case for pencils. Look at all the different features to fit your needs. I found mine on Amazon. This one I have filled with regular colored pencils.





It even has elastics to hold pencil sharpener and erasers.

You can have great pencils, etc. but if your paper is lousy, it won’t matter much. I have found Strathmore to be a consistent brand I look for. I like the mixed media weight paper, spiral bound for much of the zentangles I do. For a larger piece I use same brand, tape bound.


I have also used Canson.

I have many different brands of colored gel pens I use for all sorts of things like lettering on envelopes and cards and coloring stamped images. Some are great, some are ok. I look for them at Costco during the holidays when they have large assorted packs of things in the art department. Crayola also carries some nice assortments.



BUT 
For white gel pens I only buy these:


Gelly Roll white opaque. Any other brand just seems to be a waste of money.


I love to color whether it is an entire image or just accents. I cannot say enough good things about Stampin’ Up! Duo-ended water-based markers. My dh bought me a complete set some 30 years ago and many of them are still juicy! And I do ALOT of coloring. They come in a set of 10 colors, with 4 different color groups. At least mine did. They might have added a 5th set of neutrals.
These are ‘Brights’ with a softer brush tip and a thin writing tip.
Stampin’ Up! Duo water based markers

Another brand that seems to be consistent and long lasting is Tombow duo-ended markers. Here is a chart someone else made that shows the 2 sizes you get in each duo marker.

Tombow duo markers
 Next, watercolors.
For years I was quite happy with any cheap pan watercolor set, similar to these:

Then I received a set with even more colors! Used it for years; still have it!


A few years ago I was able to take some watercolor classes from a true professional. She had been painting for 40+ years and had a great reputation as both an artist and a teacher. I have learned so much from her, including different paint qualities, brushes and how important the right paper is.
These are 2 brands that I now like:
Daniel Smith extra fine watercolors
Winsor and Newton



If you are having to use a lot of pigment to get the right color shade, try buying the next more expensive paint tube in the same color, different brand. This really made a difference for me, and I ended up using less paint from the tube to get the right color I wanted.



Next I would like to share a product that has made a world of difference to me.
A power Punch tool.



I had seen punches for years of course, and found them cute but not too practical to use frequently. Until the Power Punch tool was shown to me. Super easy to use, it uses weight dynamics so that I can punch cardstock without trying to step on the punch, jump up and down on it or completely smash my hand trying to get a clean, punched image. 
Yep. Tried all of those.



Punch Bunch made the best Aid. It is discontinued now. I did find this one:


It looks flimsier than the Punch Bunch one. I would still give it a try.


Polished Stone is an inking technique with several different variations. I like to use metallic pens to get a great ‘ribbon’ of metallic ink through the paper surface. I think the best is made by Krylon:

For other metallic highlights I like these:
Be sure to use in a well-ventilated area.

Here are a few samples of Polished Stone backgrounds I have made:




My favorite ink is discontinued art pen refill inks Studio II. Try different brands to see which you like best. Not all reinkers are alike.
SplitCoastStampersCommunityFunBoard; Pinterest


Let’s talk Acrylic Paint Pens.



Paint pens have been a game-changer for me in my painted rock endeavors. 




My first set was by Artistro and they remain my favorite. I have tried many other brands. Some good. Some okay. Zeyar is a good brand.  I do lots of detail work and miniatures so the ultra-fine tip is my favorite.





The last product I want to mention is Glitter Glue.
If you are not using Stickles then you don’t know what you’re missing!
Purchasing any other brand glitter glue, for me, is a waste of money.


Made by Ranger, it has the most glitter-per-drop and best variety of color choices available. You might think that larger $1.50 bottle of sale glitter glue is a better deal? It’s not!


I sincerely hope you find a new-to-you product that you fall in love with. Missed my blog on fave tools? Go back a few blogs and you can catch up.


Being creative, no matter the medium, is such an essential part of being human I believe. You were created in the image of an incredibly creative God. So go ahead and explore some new avenues of creativity to discover more about
You!

‘Til next time,
inkspired

You can find me on Pinterest: K.Kloberdans

I love feedback.
I love to see what others are creating.