▁India ▁that ▁had ▁become ▁" in fect ious ▁open - air ▁gra vey ards " ▁with ▁the ▁out break ▁of ▁ch ol era , ▁Harrison ▁quickly ▁composed ▁a ▁song ▁for ▁the ▁cause . ▁" B ang la ▁Des h " ▁was ▁" written ▁in ▁ten ▁minutes ▁at ▁the ▁piano ", ▁he ▁would ▁later ▁recall . ▁The ▁title ▁transl ates ▁as ▁" B eng al ▁nation ", ▁and ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁Harrison ▁sp elt ▁it ▁as ▁two ▁words ▁is ▁indic ative ▁of ▁how ▁little ▁the ▁new ▁country ▁name ▁had ▁been ▁acknowled ged ▁by ▁the ▁Western ▁media ▁at ▁this ▁time . ▁ ▁As ▁with ▁the ▁concert s , ▁Harrison ▁made ▁a ▁point ▁of ▁ste ering ▁clear ▁of ▁the ▁politics ▁behind ▁the ▁problem , ▁his ▁lyr ics ▁foc using ▁instead ▁on ▁the ▁human ▁perspective . ▁At ▁the ▁suggestion ▁of ▁Leon ▁Russell , ▁who ▁had ▁participated ▁in ▁the ▁recent ▁Ron nie ▁Spect or ▁and ▁Bad f inger ▁sessions , ▁Harrison ▁began ▁the ▁song ▁with ▁a ▁brief ▁verse ▁out lin ing ▁his ▁own ▁introduction ▁to ▁the ▁Bang l adesh ▁crisis : ▁ ▁These ▁lines ▁refer ▁to ▁Sh ank ar ' s ▁request ▁for ▁help , ▁and ▁"[ in ] ▁de ference ▁to ▁the ▁Sh ank ar ▁context ", ▁musical ▁bi ograph er ▁Simon ▁L eng ▁suggests , ▁Harrison ▁set ▁the ▁opening ▁verse ▁as ▁a ▁rock ▁version ▁of ▁Indian ▁music ' s ▁traditional ▁alap ▁– ▁" a ▁slow ▁intro duct ory ▁statement ▁of ▁the ▁main ▁ideas ". ▁L yr ically , ▁the ▁remainder ▁of ▁the ▁song ▁concentr ates ▁on