Tatonnement pokes fun at fellow Bengalis, who may just lay claim to being the French of India, Pondicherry be damned:
Q) What do you call three Bengali men?
A) Two Political Parties…We are actually a race of well-bred intellectuals interested in art, culture and the finer things of life. Gentlemen who watch cricket and… What’s that you say? Dravid is a better captain!?! …
For Bengalis more than other communities, the size of their immediate cohort almost completely determines their behaviour. The average Bengali is a pack animal… The sight of other werewolves is just the spark he needs and Dr. Bruce Bandopadhyay finds himself answering the call of the wild – transforming into a green-skinned monster… laying waste to every heavy vehicle… [the] Bonglomeration… is a sight to behold…
The Bonglomeration has risen in the past to fend of attacks from such savage races as the British and the Punjabis, who made the mistake of underestimating the capacity for violence in the Bengali, thanks probably to impressions formed based on Bengalis they personally knew… remember that however mild-mannered your Bengali colleague may seem, do not provoke him in the presence of the Bonglomeration. Your life is forfeit if you do…
And this:
Nicknames must be humiliating. If you are a tall strapping boy, with a flair for soccer, an easy charm and an endearing personality, then you shall be nicknamed – Bhondu. And every time, you have set your sights on a girl, and are on the verge of having the aforementioned lass eat out of your hand – your mother will arrive and pronounce loudly – “Bhondu, chalo”…If it took you a little too long to shed your baby fat, then years of gymming will not rid you of the nomenclature – Motka. If your face turned crimson when you cried as a toddler, you will be called Laltu… If one member of the family calls you Piklu, then another will call you Mitul, and another will call you Jumbo. The humiliation multiplies.
Is he stereotyping Bongs? IOKIYAB (it’s ok if…)
What’s IOKIYAB?
I figured it out. Note to self: If it’s 2.30 AM and you’ve been making friends with the Guinness, sleep on it.
This is classic…and much better than the analogous one I usually use, which is Hindu-centric (two puja committees).
Can you give us a music warning when there’s music involved? i can’t really read this at 4:05 a.m. without fearing waking the other house people.
I’d like to read the rest of his thing, before commenting, since tone is so important, but the mockery of the genocide sounds a little bit, ummm, crass (at best).
The French of India eh? Well maybe… for those who don’t know, Bengalis often take a lot of pride in their intellect and dandyism. My father would tell me stories about “borderline homosexuals” (his words, not mine) who would study poetry at the Jadavpur University in Kolkata. But the whole thing about being submissive and nonviolent can be easily dismissed (not necessarily something to be proud of), like the article points out. My father would also tell me stories about Naxalites burning people alive, and let’s not forget that some of the most intense hatred in Indian history was between the Hindus and Muslims of Bengal during India’s civil war.
Cmon, banglawarrior. clearly a good analogy (and not just because i made it up independently 🙂
Anyway the main point of the article seems to be that many bangalis like to hegemonize spaces when given the opportuntiy, which I think is often true (and i’m guilty of myself). We were the house n#S#@#s of British India until 1905, after all, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that has stayed inside the culture in the form of supremacism. I’m sure all the people in Puri who (I think) have to speak Bangla to deal with Bangali tourists or the Biharis in Calcutta that were treated like second class citizens are not all that thrilled with this feature of Calcuttan Bong culture. I don’t know if I would call us “pack animals” on that basis, but I also wouldn’t want to get into a car accident in Calcutta for fear of being beaten to death (or drive in Calcutta, for that matter).
But i think he didn’t do justice to some of the wonderful, warm, creative, progressive, and funny things that come out of our community–even besides the typical cliched ones like Rabindranath (which I guess is fair, given that it was satirical commentary). For example, we just had a puja at our house and the priest/engineer, after he changed out of his garb, settled into a very typical bangali male conversation with me, my uncle, and another dude; he went on a long and humorous diatribe against religion, talked about segregation he had faced, etc. Not so many priests (even part time ones) out there that do that, or take the time to explain Sanskrit slokas or make adjustments to include the White mother of the bride at a Hindu wedding on the basis of just being nice 🙂
Tagore cliche? Blashphemy! 🙂
You’re right Saurav, the Bangla community certainly doesn’t lack wonderful, positive things, and you don’t even have to look at icons like Satyajit Ray and Tagore to find them.
I must admit, however, that I learned a lot from this entry. You mean to tell me that all that loud, often angry, debating at (insert name) Auntie’s house back in the day doesn’t normally happen at non-Bangla gatherings?
Bengali’s do have a rich literature and artistic and cinematic heritage, there is no denying that. I really admire them.
I love Bengali men. Compared to many others, Bengali men are more liberal in thought, and more restrained in action. I love their poetic view of life. I also love generalizations.
In this past Sunday’s NYT Travel glossy, of all places, there’s a nice article about the art of the adda — the endless conversation on topics lofty and small that goes on in Calcutta cafes and other venues. By the way, an adda requires more than 2 people — but can’t get too big, otherwise it turns into a meeting. Distinctions! Here’s the link: http://travel2.nytimes.com/2005/05/15/travel/tmagazine/15T-INDIA.html
peace
My parents had Bengali friends, man were they fun at get togethers!
My mom more than held her own, being Punjabi, but, I must say there was a flair about our friends!
to this day I associate Bengali people with intellectualism, stimulating and broad conversation, fish, and very interesting sweaters
i really didn’t like that times article. i guess i shouldn’t be surprised, but the tone was so…i don’t know.
more importantly, other desis don’t wear those sweaters? 🙂
oh, saurav, i implore thee…WHAT sweaters? i will shamefully admit that i don’t get it.
I’m enjoying this Bengali lovefest, not the least because I am, ahem, Bengali.
We Bengalis love it when people acknowledge our culture, language, and literary and artistic achievements. The mere fact that this attention goes straight to our heads is a testament to that other Bengali trait, vanity. 🙂
But seriously, Tatonnement is right on the money with these generalizations. Which Bengali doesn’t have at least 5 nicknames, each one bestowed on him by his uncle, grandfather, brother-on-law, etc? And where would be without ‘eelesh machher jhol’, ‘jhinge posto’ and ‘shukto’? (Only true Bengalis will know what I mean.)
And finally, we’ve got the Indian movie biz on lockdown too: Sushmita Sen, Bipasha Basu, Rani Mukherjee, Sharmila Tagore (back in the day)… and as far as music… well don’t even get me started on that!
Bengali men in the 40+ age group seem to have a peculiar fetish for really ugly, drab or garish sweater. I think that’s the most pressing issue the Bengali community needs to rally around today. We’ve got bong uncles wearing sweaters that even Bill Cosby wouldn’t be caught dead in.
Saurav, what did you not like about the article?
I once heard/read (can’t remember where)Jhumpa Lahiri being referred to as a Bengali-American. IÂ’ve just googled and found out the bbc calls her a Bengali-American. I mean you already have Indian-American, Pakistani-American and South Asian. But where is this Bengali-American thing coming from? I donÂ’t think any other linguistic group would be given a separate category. Maybe the Punjabis. But I canÂ’t see someone being called a Bihari-American or a Mallu-American. Why should the Bengalis be entitled to a separate category? : )
Punjabi Boy,
Bollywood is Punjabi cinema, except they just speak Hindi. Yash Chopra vs Satayajit Ray. That is not even a fair fight. You know how much money Yash ChopraÂ’s movies have made? Would you rather dance to Bhangra or Rabindra sangeet? Have little pride puttar!
If you think about it was not India that was split up just the Bengalis and Punjabis, I wonder why?
t
Bihari-Americans s/b Hindi-Americans or Bhojpuri-Americans in the previous post.
Bogs are cool – an intelligent breed, quite cultured – and the girls are quite pretty
The only thing that makes me wary of all bongs (that I meet) is the suspicion that they might be wearing read underwear (commies put me off, totally)
ahem. if it makes you feel any better, i swear that as the reigning wannabe-bengali/bong-philic mutineer, my knickers have NOT been read. 😉
:+:
timepass: THANK YOU for the sweater explanation. i was frantic from the suspense. 😀
I beg to differ, Mallu underwear has been read for many years now. 🙂
Why didn’t I like the article? I don’t know. I think I’m too jaded. It felt to me like the reporter took something warm and fuzzy and decided to define it to death. And he used this objectifying “wow, look at me try to figure out what this interesting cultural trend is!” angle. We’re not zoo animals 🙂
Lines like this are annoying:
While this praise towards Bengalis is welcome, let’s not get full of ourselves. Let’s not overlook our propensity to talk matters to death before taking a single action.
For all the talk of the contributions Bengalis have made to Indian culture, those individual Bengalis often faced hostility from other Bengalis at the time they were making their mark. Satyajit Ray was said to focus too much on poverty. Ravi Shankar got blamed when hippies starting using his music as background filler to get high and have sex. I myself criticize Jhumpa Lahiri, since so many of her Bengali characters seem to be humorless and dour.
And for the notable 50-50 Indians making their mark in pop culture (in the U.S. or India), their Indian half is often Bengali. Norah Jones, Lisa Ray, Rhona Mitra – each have a Bengali parent
And living in Chicago, I cannot overlook Fazlur Khan, the structural engineer who designed the John Hancock Building and the Sears Tower. Of the two, Hancock has the better view.
Because we’re obnoxious like that 🙂
Wow… a lot of you certainly hold Bengalis in very high esteem… I think I have a lot to live up to.
Hey…what about us Maharashtrians? They did not call Poona (Pune) the Oxford of the East for nothing!
I think this ” we r better than others” attitude is a common trait among punjabis,bengalis and tamilians.
Warning: DonÂ’t ever get any of them started on the reasons for their geneological/geographical/meteorological/literary/cultural/culiniary/linguistic/ etc superiority.
I wonder if this is somehow related to being located at the geographic extremities of the country.
Meanwhile all of us in between think Punjabis are too ostentatious, Bengalis are too obnoxious, Tamilians are too combative, but ____(fill in your region )ians/lis are the best. 🙂
I suppose the true essense of being an Indian is like they teach us pre-school onwards is UNITY IN DIVERSITY: loving each other while constantly bickering among ourselves.
Modesty- can I get a shout out for U.P.? pehchaano, yaar!
DesiDancer:
I am ashamed to admit that my feeling of superiority goes even beyond states. Hum Hyderabad ke loga sab se behthareen hei :-)Bas aisa Kayku math poochna 🙂
Translation for ABCD’s: We Hyderabadis are the best. Just dont ask why 🙂
But ofcourse people from UP and Bihar are awesome. me agrees with Laloo: there is a vast left+right wing conspiracy to show u folks in a bad light. 🙂
I know I know, UP = Bihar is incorrect, lekin what to do? U can take a desi out of India, but u cant take India out of a Desi 🙂
Saurav, I hear you on your reservations about the NYT article, and it might have been better with a desi writer. But it was a damn sight better than the usual drivel found in NYT glossy supplements. And it did make some good points about Calcutta that are not known to the wider US audience. Folks don’t realize that Calcutta was and is a major intellectual center, and at least that is the aspect the article addressed. So, I won’t hate.
If anyone is still in doubt about the magnificence of Bengali’s, let me just ask you to take a look here, here, here , and here, oooh yes, and here too, even here, oh my gosh take an inspection here as well all you Bengali Haterz, and last but not least, look at what this naughty Bengali minx is doing here
Aami Tomake Bhalobashi
not being “hooked in” to many aspects of bengali culture (i’m illiterate), i am rather shocked at how many stereotypes i notice (me, being from a bangladeshi muslim milieu). the sweaters for sure. second KXB on the talking yourself to death stuff. my parents tended to socialize with a lot of pakistanis and they generally conceded arguments to my dad because he was the last to speak and they had other things to do (like go to sleep).
tef
My cousin got married to a Bengali girl and they said if they have a son he will be a perfect combination because he will have the body of a Punjabi and the mind of a Bengali. To which my Uncle said, knowing our luck he will be born with the body of a Bengali and the mind of a Punjabi and be useless to everyone 😉
Ah yes, sepia mutiny.. your link to glossy photoshopped portraits of bodacious brown booty. And sometimes even bootylicious bengali brahmin babes 😉
i think many tall punjabi chicks look totally phat, but i note that in comparison to other browns i have very little body hair (some of my relatives look burmese), and i hesitate to wonder at the estrogenical analog of punjabi dude back hair 🙂 though i guess greek chix just pluck than unibrow and make it work.
p.s. tamil + bengali + punjabi = a very verbose interpretation of newtonian mechanics illustrated physically through leaps and twists?
“body of a Punjabi and mind of a Bengali”
I’ve heard that one a lot.
Peeps from UP/Bihar never get any love….but I really feel bad for folks from MP/Orissa/Chattisgarh/Jharkand and all those people from the north eastern states. I’ve never met anyone from over there in the US.
My Formula by Approximations
= = ~
Punjabi ~ Southern Republican Bengali ~ East Coast Liberal Tamilian ~ Crazy Libertarian
Punjabi+Bengali+Tamilian = KABOOM!!
p.s – Sepia Mutiny ~ Jon Stewart’s Daily Show
I think this ” we r better than others” attitude is a common trait among punjabis,bengalis and tamilians.
Well, now, here’s something: a number of Bengali friends have married Tamilians, many Tamilians get along incredibly well with Punjabis and as someone mentioned, Punjabi-Bengali is a good genetic match.
So, forget the axis of evil and worry about this love-triangle, as it seems we’re out to create a master race…
What the? No Sindhis here? All probably too busy in Biz school or something. I am the lone freak that went into Intl Relations and has the time to post here.
Bengalis are in the slightly ridiculous position of having half their population stuck in Bangladesh, the other half in India. Bengali-Americans use that term to explicitly identify themselves with their cultural identity, rather than an arbitrary border line.
Identifying as Bengali American instead of Indian or Bangladesh American is sort of the same as identifying as German American instead of East or West German American.
Tef wrote:
But I canÂ’t see someone being called a Bihari-American or a Mallu-American.
There is a Bihar Association of North America, which is really just an outfit in Houston. They probably prefer to be called Bihari-Texans.
They sound like the punchline to a great many jokes. The website has a page entitled “Bihar: Our glorious history”, which has three paragraphs. Albeit glorious paragraphs.
But remember, being Bihari is not a ethnicity or a nationality, it is a state of mind. We are a all a little Bihari sometimes.
Anirvan, I think there’s a little more to it. A family member who has lived here for a long time and is no progressive on these issues observed: “hmmm, bangali people always separate themselves out.” as an expression of curiosity that 2nd gen people would do this too.
Also, if all of us were so committed to unity, more 1st gen Indian Bangalis and Bangladeshi Bangalis would hang out together. It’s not just a matter or religion either; in New York, from what I’ve been told, there are separate Bangladeshi Hindu temples and Indian Hindu temples. The first question you get from Bangladeshis you talk to in Bangla is “desher bari kothai?” which can often be code for “are you indian or bangladeshi?” And of course, there are the billion divisions within the Bangali “community.”
That said, mad props for eschewing that kind of reasoning and trying to bridge some gaps.
uh, i didn’t read through all the comments, blame it on my connection. (it’s playing up. damn.)but all this bangali centric stuff–higly entertaining. might actually read up all realted stuff and post a post myself. would you (any of you) go red in the face and scream ‘plagarisation’? and…um, my first time here, so i’m really curious…why the bit about asking about celeb info? WHO ARE YOU?!!!
oh, and could someone please please please forward the NYT adda artcle to me? dying to know what they wrote. hiccups googled a fair bit, but couldn’t find anything
Interesting..
Its good to hear we are generally seen in a favourable light my some Indians, the same can’t be said about Pakistanis (the amount of ignorant, bigoted crap I’ve heard from their mouths).
I embrace all of my Bengali man’s idiosyncrasies, several of which have been listed above.
What a culture… What a guy.
This is a rather late post, but I found this link on Google.
Unfortunately, I believe that Bengalis have long outlived their erstwhile reputation of intellect & artistic flair. Internationally, Bengalis are less known for their ancients (Rabindranath, Satyajit Ray, & co.), and more in relation to the flourishing sex trade industry of Kolkata.
“Bengalis have long outlived their erstwhile reputation of intellect & artistic flair”- in many ways true. Since last 3 1/2 decades many educated Bengalis have migrated to Delhi, Mumbai and other places for a better living. Some succeeded and many got mixed in the crucible of cultures. In recent times poor people have started migrating en-masse with families from Coochbehar, Murshidabad, Midnapore and other impoverished districts taking up manual work in all parts of India.
indian film industry should b go back to home or create something new,something like hollywood.