The Traits of a Bengali

Having lived in Bengal for almost 3 years now and on continuous observation of people in and around the area, there are certain similarities I’ve noticed between members belonging to the Bengali community. 

1.They are very simple people or rather should I say simple living, high thinking.

2.Most of them wear spectacles since an early age.

3.Most of them are brilliant students growing up to become famous scholars.

4.The elderly usually wear a half-sleeved kurta mostly with floral print, over dhoti or pyjama.

5.Their pronunciation is dominated by "O". There is no "V", only "B". They write 'rasgulla' and     pronounce it as 'roshogolla'. 'Sanjay', 'Vijay' etc. are 'Sonjoy', 'Bijoy'. An easy way to imitate would be to assume your mouth is full of a Roshogolla as you try to say these words.

6.Their handbags always contain an umbrella and a water bottle.

7.They have a habit of chewing pan after lunch or dinner and also in between.

8.They are very good at extra-curricular activities like singing, music and dance.

9.They still enjoy the theatre. i.e. dramatics.

10.They possess ultimate stamina for verbal altercation. They can argue for hours, without touching any one. They rarely get into physical disputes.

11.Their political rallies and demonstrations are are always dominated by a phrase 'cholbe na' (which means 'nahi chalega').

12.They never eat rotis for lunch. Only rice.

13.They never eat rotis for dinner. Its rice again.

14.They use fish as a suppliment of food. Maacher jhol and bhaat is an unbeatable combo for any bengali.

15.They are very good at chatting in groups at a favourite corner at any convenient time. This is formally known as 'addabazi' in thier lingo.

16.They never drink anything. They only eat. Be it tea, coffee or water.

17.Their functions are never complete without two compulsory dishes: fried-rice & mishti chutney.

18.They eat, I mean drink, very small quantities of tea and coffee but quite frequently.

19.They have a habit of eating something or the other during their journeys, however small they may be.

20.Jhaalmuri & chop-singhara are among their favourite snacks.

21.Potata is an integral part of their recipes.

22.They read their newspaper faithfully.

23.They still get lost in the music when it comes to Rabindra Sangit .

24.Almost all Bengali ladies have beautiful eyes.

25.Almost all Bengali gents have beautiful moustaches.

26.Their favourite game is football. Even children prefer football over cricket. It’s no wonder that Sourav Ganguly also wanted to be a footballer initially.

27.They will not let you occupy even a fraction of their ‘reserved berth’ while travelling, no matter how thin you maybe.

28.They are fond of sweets. Roshogolla, chom-chom, mishti doi, sondesh….

29.They are very possesive about eminent Bengali personalities and talk about them with an air of pride.

30.They are a part of one or the other club and also an ardent fan of one or the other ‘football club’.

31.They can eat muri with a variety of combinations- with water, milk, banana, onion, chilly, chana.

32.They worship more Goddesses than Gods.

33.They are very proud of the rich culture they come from.

34. They are very talented to find out suitable excuses; be it anything!

35. One Bengali can never stand other Bengali’s achievements.

36. They are fond of gossips and caricatures.

37. At least once in a lifetime,a Bengali will seriously think about doing a business; most of them never do it,but cherish the dream.

38. They are fond of Government jobs, the trend slightly changed now a days,but they are still stuck to it. 39. Most of the Bengali boys are Mom’s child; even when they are grown ups, they cant think themselves independent enough.

40. Major part of their life is spent in indecision,confusion and fear of unknown facts. 

All views expressed above are personal without any intention to hurt the sentiments of anyone.