In India every community is special, has some wonderful traits of its own, share a rich tradition and culture and all of them together have made this country a unique one. But, at the same time, each possesses curious idiosyncrasies. Let’s discuss some of the quiddities of Bengalis.
• Every Bengali has a nickname. It can be weirdest at times when a 60-year-old lady is called “Khuku” (baby girl) by her close relatives and friends or a sombre looking bespectacled Bengali gentleman suddenly responses to the name, “Bhuto“. And, not to forget, our universal “Dada” is Sourav Ganguly and “Didi”, Mamata Banerjee.
• Time is an irrelevant factor to Bengalis and punctuality is a word seldom found in their dictionary. Don’t think your wrist-watch is not working when your Bengali friend says,”I’m coming back in just five minutes.” and doesn’t show up for at least one hour.
Another common way to tame time is, “aadh-ghonta dhore bolchhi 5 minute er modhyei jachchi” ( For the last half-an-hour, I’m saying that I’ll be there in 5 minutes).
• Bengalis love their heritage and culture. If even in Antarctica, more than 10 Bengali families are together by any chance, you are sure to find a Durga Pujo Pandal there with beautiful ‘bong babes’ cooking ‘bhog’ (prasad offered to the idol).
• Football is a game that every Bengali understands even better than José Mourinho or Louis van Gaal! It is in their blood and though they feel shy to show their talent to the world, they never restrain themselves to criticise each and every wrong move of Neymar or Messi.
• Bengali men are born intellectuals. They can help you understand everything from Game Theory to Goethe, from communism to deconstruction and everything on earth. You are sure to look at him with magnanimous respect and awe until his mother calls him up and says,”Babu, baaire boshe thekona,thanda lege jaabe”. (Son, don’t sit there for long, you’ll catch cold).
• A Bengali (girl or boy) is forever a kid to her/his mother. An ideal Bengali mother keeps on persuading her kids on drinking milk mixed with Horlicks instead of cha (tea) and, on wearing the monkey-cap covering the entire head, ears, and half of the face till the last day of her life.
• If you have no idea regarding the differences between a rajbhog and a roshogolla, alukabli and alu chat, Padma’r ilish and Ganga’r ilish and most importantly, ghoti and bangal, don’t ever dare to confront a Bengali on these issues. If you mistakingly do, you’ll be in a thick soup.
• If you want to impress a Bengali girl, praise her father, her brother-in-law and gift her books; not the popular Chetan Bhagat or Durjoy Datta ones, that would ruin her impression about your choice. Go for Brecht, Kafka. Lorca, Nietzsche or at least Joyce. In case you are already feeling asphyxial by these names, play safe and buy a Rabindra Rachanabali.
• For non-Bengali girls, if you are in love with a Bengali guy, call his mother to learn the recipe of prawn malaikari and shukto, try it and serve it with tearful eyes saying, “I know your mom cooks way better than me, but you see, I tried”, and see the magic!
• Finally, as it is said, a Bengali can go out of Kolkata, but it’s never possible to take Kolkata out of her/his heart.
Last but not the least, this post is not meant to demean or insult anyone. Everything stated here is in good humour and must be taken with a half-serious attitude.
P.S. I’ll be back with more of Bengal and Bengalis. Till then, enjoy!
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This is a very good insight post on the livelihood and attitude of Bengalis. This is my very first visit, selected randomly this amazing post of you Maniparna 🙂 Surrounded by many Bengali friends, i loved to read this lovely post.
Happy Blogging :))
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Thank you…glad you liked it…welcome to my blog, Prasanna… 🙂
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Lol! very true! 😀
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😀 Thank you…
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😀
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Congratulations! Your blog post was selected for Tangy Tuesday Picks edition of 29-08-2015 at BlogAdda. Cheers 🙂
You can check your post here: http://blog.blogadda.com/2015/09/01/tangy-tuesday-picks-august-31-2015
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Thanks a lot Team BlogAdda… feels great… 🙂
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Brilliant post 🙂 Of course we all know Bengalis and their love for literature among other things 🙂 Wonderful list 🙂
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Thanks a lot, Ashwini…glad you liked the list… 🙂
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I learn a lot about the Bengali from your post, Maniparna..now, after reading this, not that I am going to attract a Bengali guy 😀 , but I am curious to taste and maybe to cook “Prawn Malaikari”..
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😀 😀 I’m sure you’ll love it, Indah… It’s a typical Bengali dish… 🙂
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really nice post about bengali i loved it
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Thanks a lot, Preeti… 🙂
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haha nice post Maniparna…now you have me craving for ilish 🙂
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Hehe..that’s quite natural, Neha… 😀
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Bingo…Bongo…loved this post immensely!
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Hehe..thank a ton… 😀 welcome here… 🙂
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Lovely! Wonderful, Maniparna! That’s the spirit we all have to have to make our India a real great place 🙂 Looking forward to more…
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Thanks a lot, Amitji, for the encouragement…:-)
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hehehe This was such a fun post, Mani. You cracked me up completely. A Pujo pandal in Antarctica. 😀
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😀 Thanks, Rachna…. glad to make you smile… 🙂
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Haha that’s a cute list. I do have a few bong friends, and yeah the points about their moms and monkey caps is bang on!
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Hehe…thanks Sreesha, glad you could relate with the post… 🙂
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I am ready for the next ten things, so I will know twenty!
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Hehe… that’s great… 😀 Will be writing soon…
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I thoroughly enjoyed this post, Maniparna. You gave some great secrets away about how to win hearts. Sounds like compliment fsmily members and buy good, intellectual literature. You named some really interesting habits of Bengali people, both men and women. 🙂 I hope I may travel and use such fine advice.
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I hope one day you’ll definitely be in my country and explore the myriad of colours and cultures. Glad you enjoyed the post, dear… 🙂 ❤
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Ha ha 😀 This article is too good. Loved it 🙂
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Thanks 😀
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loved it Mani.. 🙂
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Glad you did, dear… 🙂
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Now you are exposing us sista….loved it
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😛 Thanks, Chaitali…hope to see you regularly on the blogosphere… 🙂
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Awww… the best part was your exclusive tips for guys & girls to flatter their Bengali love 😉
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Hehe…keep it in mind…nobody knows which knowledge helps you where… 😛 😀
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Have had the opportunity to go through seven of them 🙂 Nice one..
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Thanks a lot…welcome to my blog… 🙂
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Ha ha well said! 😀
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😀 😀
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When I read the title, I pressed Ctrl+F and searched for Sourav Ganguly and Dada, then went on to read the post 😀
I need more knowledge 😛
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😀 😀 I’ll try to make you more enlightened in this respect…
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I shall wait for that 😀
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You don’t have to wait too long, I hope… 🙂
Good morning…. 🙂
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Good morning 🙂 I am having full patience 😀
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😀 …
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I was smiling throughout the post!
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😀 Thanks, Mridula…
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Loved it, Maniparna! Can vouch for a number if things you stated. 😀
A funny, accurate and by no means demeaning tell-tale attributes of a Bengali. Loved it to the hilt! Will await more!
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Thanks so much, Rakesh, for the nice words 🙂 It really made me happy… 😀 glad you enjoyed the post and could relate to it… 😛
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Wow! Loved this post of yours Maniparna, I can’t wait for more. And as Anoop said we have a lot of common traits. This post of yours reminded me of a certain bong friend I am kind of missing. Keep them coming Maniparna. 🙂
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Thanks, Shruti. 🙂 Yes, it seems we have a number of common traits… 😀
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😄
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Agree to them all actually… BTW I also have a name which my cousins call me till date and its something which I still cannot decipher the meaning 🙂
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Haha..we all have such peculiar daak naam with no meaning at all 😀 Thanks for dropping by… 🙂
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hehe really interesting 🙂
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😀 Indeed…
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I give up. Kafka? Who or what it that? 🙂
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😀 Come on, even I don’t know…
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Hi Maniparna,
As a Bengali, what can I say of your post.
With your permission, if I may add another aspect of the quintessential Bengali. And in all fairness that really has nothing to do about his process of socialisation or his environment. Which is about the absence of the alphabet ‘W’ in the Bengali script. Which leads to English words with a ‘W’ slant getting pronounced with a ‘V’. Ask a Bengali to say “Volume” and ” Volleyball”!
Loved the post!
Shakti
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Hehe..right..that’s the regional accent 😀 Also, not to forget about the pronunciation of ‘data’ as daTa,, as in sajne daTa 😛
But, that era is gone, nowadays, almost every Bengali (forget the politicians and our Didi) has an impeccable pronunciation.
Thanks a lot for dropping by and adding volume to the post… 🙂
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Bwahaha! I have known some wonderful Bengali people. It is true the men will floor you with their intellect and the women will floor you with their looks AND intellect! Been in Calcutta a few times as well, it definitely has some magic in it..wish some places would get a much needed face-lift though. And I have heard about the monkey caps that break out, the moment a cold breeze dares to blow across the city :p
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Haha, BINGO, it seems you know a lot about our culture. I agree with you, Kolkata definitely needs a facelift in some places. The Government is working on it 🙂
…and, you are absolutely right about the monkey-caps… 😀 Thanks a lot… 🙂
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Very nice, very funny and very real.
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😀 Thanks…
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Thats a good list. You forgot the ‘fish’ I think. They all love Fish.
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Thanks, Lata. Ilish means Hilsa…and it is an endless debate as which river produces the best Hilsa..Ganga ( Ganges) or Padma (in Bangladesh) 🙂
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what a rich culture ❤ I do love your post… very educational… 🙂
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Thanks a lot my dear friend… 🙂 ❤
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Hahaaa…this is hilarious! Couldn’t agree more on all the points. 😀 ”Babu, baaire boshe thekona,thanda lege jaabe”. Impeccable humor! By the way, even though I am a Bengali, I never dared thinking of reading Goethe or Nietzsche after taing the pain of reading Kafka once. 😛 😉
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Hehe..but, Moon, at least you’ve read Nietzsche… 😛 aar keu CB gift korle khub rege jaabe..I bet… 😀
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hahahaaa 😉
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He he he .. Excellent. Loved the list. . I need to find some more now for myself …
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Hehe…the inspiration came from you… 😀
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💚 from Venice Italy by Rinaldo ☺
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🙂 Thank you…
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This post can easily pass off for the laughter – the best medicine of Reader’s Digest Magazine.
Interesting and hilarious!
All states have their own specialities…have you heard of Punjabis? No true Punjabi is a teetotaller and it is considered to be disrespect not to offer booze to his guests!
They may have had a humble meal but would always boast of having had a feast!
All punjabis have a sweet tooth and sweets are an essential part of their grocery shopping, even here in USA!
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Thanks so much, Balroop 🙂
Yes, I’ve Punjabi friends and I’m an absolute fan of tadka and butter chicken. In fact, in Kolkata, you’ll see a ‘dhaba’ in every locality and some of them have really gained a distinct place in the food map of the city 🙂
I love the ‘balle balle’ too 😀
And, the inspiration for this post was actually a Punjabi blogger friend, Bikramjit 🙂 Visit his blog when you’ve time and his posts will definitely make you smile…:-)
https://mannbikram.wordpress.com/2015/08/03/some-facts-about-punjab-and-punjabi-4/
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Wow! very interesting and informative, Loved this post. Thank you!
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Glad you enjoyed…thank you… 🙂
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Thank you!
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Oh-oh. I was thinking a gift of Shakespeare’s sonnets or Wordsworth’s poems, but Kafka or Nietzsche? I can see that Bengali girls are a tough sell. And I have a legal question: how do judges like Bengali lawyers showing up an hour late? I wouldn’t want to try that before our judges. Yikes! BTW, French Canadians have a name for monkey caps: toques.
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Hehe…they really are. But Shakespeare’s sonnets or Wordsworth’s poem will also do, I think 😀
I hope they would care a bit for punctuality when it comes to court, cases, and judges.
The term toque is new to me…thank you… 🙂
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These are some really interesting facts to know about a bengali. Always felt that Bengalis had a lot of commonality with Mysoreans, esp with the love of culture and food and the pomp and splendour, this kinda makes me too a little proud 🙂
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Hehe…glad to know that Bengalis are much similar to Mysoreans… 😀 after all, unity in diversity… 🙂
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So interesting to learn about other cultures. This one is quite endearing. I love the conversation and the fact that it’s okay for me to be always late.
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Hehe… same here..I’m always late..well, most of the times… 😛
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Each country has its peculiarities. Just getting used to.;-)
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That’s quite true… 😀
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This is exactly why I fell in love with Shreya Ghoshal, until she decided to break my heart and marry someone better. 😛 😛
On a serious note, most of the traits are same as compared to Keralities. Even more intellectuals than our people. I have seen that many times before for national awards it would be a Bengali movie or a Malayalam movie. About football, they really are very passionate. Even more than Keralities, I must say. Van Gaal doesn’t know much about football re, he just spends a lot of money to come 3rd or 4th 😛
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post. One of your different post, a welcome change 🙂
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Hehe…Shreya is almost on a sabbatical after her marriage 😦
By the way, it’s true that Keralities have a lot in common with the Bengalis… all I’ve mentioned except the monkey cap thing as there is nothing called winter in Kerala. 😀
Gaal is a good manager….his interviews are quite interesting 😐
Thanks for the encouragement, Anoop, that was very much needed… 🙂
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lol, she needs her off time too na 😀 She can’t be a workaholic like you 😛 😛
Van Gaal made Depay play as a forward when he is a winger, he says fellaini would be a forward too. 😛 I think both of that are not great strategies. But let’s wait and see.
Kabhi toh you can write about yourself and rant something, just writing haiku and poems and reviews won’t do na 😛
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Hehe.. that’s why I’m trying to diversify the business 😛
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Smart move 🙂
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Indeed, very creative and well articulated post.Yes, every community has its own uniqueness and certain aspects are very interesting deviation, and a combination all these make such a beautiful assorted facets depicted by any society, and our’s is no exception. But in each such community in India there are some very strong characteristics that dominate the other…being an Odia and I can relate many of these things mentioned by you for Bengalis, and few are so common like roshogolla, punctuality to nickname…
I have personally always enjoyed the Benagli cuisines and the sweets are my weakness. Yes, you also feel you have more time to spend when you are in Kolkatta and many things to discuss, only look for an opportunity to start the debate.
Have a lovely weekend.
😀
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Yes, Odisha and WestBengal, being neighbouring states, share many things in common. 😀 I’ve a sweet tooth, too and every time I’m in Puri, I ritually buy at least 3 kg of Khaja 😛
And, Bengalis can start a debate on anything, from Metro Rail to Modi- they have just enough eloquence 😀
You, too , have a very happy weekend… 🙂
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hehe enjoyed reading it, Maniparna. Bongs are known to the cultured and intellectual lot with exposure during the colonial time. Your folks are quite the smart one, my former boss is a Bong. Love reading about it..hehe reminds me of Bluffmaster when Riteish tells Preiti Zinta is Bengoli…dikhte hai Rosha Gulla ke jaise:)
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Haha..yes I remember the film 😀 and thanks a lot for all the good words… 🙂
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I had a good laugh reading through this post, mani, in fact the laughter is still continuing in my mind, as I write this comment. The only thing new to me is the Bengali fixation with monkey-cap, as I did not know that. It is a new fodder for me to
pull my Bengali friend’s leg when I meet him next in Kolkata. I love most things about Bengal, it’s people, language, music, in fact the language itself is most musical among all Indian languages. There are only two things I dislike, about men folk that is; one is laziness, and the other is the obsessive attachment to smoking. The smoking habit is on the wane worldwide, but not yet in Bengal. Otherwise it is amar sonar bangla all the way…best wishes.
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Haha…so happy to know that the post made you smile… 🙂
Yes, we are obsessed with the monkey-cap 😛 (a little exaggeration though but it’s true). You are right, smoking is still very much in vogue with us, the womenfolk is not lagging behind either. 😐 and the laziness, I know what you mean 😛
It’s nice to know that you love the language, it’s really a rich one with a grammar which is almost as difficult as that of the Sanskrit. And, sonar bangla, …true.. in spite of all the bad things, “aamar sonar bangla, aami tomay bhalobshi” 🙂
Thank you very much for this wonderful comment… 🙂
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What a lovely fun read this was! 🙂 I have a few bong friends and I can vouch for one thing : they are the most melodious singers! And the ones that truly appreciate art 🙂
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Thanks, Divyakshi. Yes, painting, music, dancing…they know one or more things and yes, connoisseur of arts. 🙂 I’ll discuss the cultural points in my next post 😀
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haha …so what’s your daak naam? I agree with all except for football as I don’t understand much of it. (but maybe that’s an exception)
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I’ve more than one daak naam 😐 I’ll tell you later… 😛
Exception proves the rule… 😀
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😀 😀 😀
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I love this! 😊. Very good for me, a Norwegian living in Kolkata 😊. Especially the thing with nicknames I have encountered a lot 😊. Thank you for teaching me something new 😊💖
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Hehe, Trini, I can understand your ordeal 😀 …. glad you liked the post… 🙂 ❤
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I did! Vet much 😊
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🙂 ….
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I love the list! As a non-Bengali been brought up in Calcutta I can vouch for every point on the list. The monkey caps? You won my heart!
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😀 😀 Thank you…yes, the monkey-cap is the most important thing in a Bengali family … 😛
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