- நயன்தாரா சூரியநாராயணன்

வங்காளம் என்றதுமே எல்லோருக்கும் சட்டென நினைவுக்கு வருவது வெண்தாடி கவி ராஜன் தாகூரும், நெரிசல் மிகுந்த கொல்கத்தா நகரும், நாக்கை சப்புக் கொட்ட வைக்கும் ஸ்வீட்ஸும்தான். இல்லையா.. ஆனால் வங்கத்தின் இன்னொரு முகம் சுவாரஸ்யமானது, அழகானது, இனிமையானது.

வாழ்க்கையை அத்தனை அட்டகாசமாக பெங்காலிகள் கொண்டாடுகிறார்கள்.. கொண்டாட்டமாகவே அவர்களது வாழ்க்கை நகருகிறது. இலக்கியம், இசை, மொழி, உணவு என எல்லாவற்றிலுமே பெங்காலிகள் பிரமாதப்படுத்துகிறார்கள்.. இதையெல்லாம் தனது கட்டுரையில் அழகாக கொண்டு வந்து நம்மை விழி விரிய வைத்து ரசிக்க வைக்கிறார் நயன்தாரா சூரியநாராயணன். இனி கட்டுரை அவரது வார்த்தைகளில்..

Bengalis or Bongs as the common slang goes by have a very rich cultural heritage spanning from their love for food, festivity, literature, music, art, sports to name a few. They have some unique way of life due to a combination of distinct, long-standing habits, deeply rooted cultural tradition and a unique passionate approach to daily life. One such deep rooted culture and a part of daily life is ‘ADDA ‘ - Bengalis love to engage in long, casual conversations over tea, discussing everything from politics to literature and what not, And mind you this ADDA can be anyplace anytime it’s need not be in a cafe or a proper setup it can happen in middle of lanes ,front of someone’s house and best part it’s always accompanied by their most favourite thing that is good food and mishti( sweets). For a Bengali sweet represents more than just a dessert ,it is vital symbol of auspiciousness,hospitality and joy.

A old tradition still followed is that if you offer someone a glass of water in your house it should be accompanied by some sweets.Also no marriage ritual is finished without Mishti Doi and Mishti ( Sweet curd and sweets) .

Their love for food is also very profound from both street food ( roll, puffed rice mixtures etc ) to British era heritage food to traditional cuisines( Shukta,posto,macch) . It not just about cuisine but the preparation of food have lot if varieties and some are really unique like Poda( charring), Bhate (steaming vegetables with rice) .It’s not just food for them it’s an emotion. Everyone knows about the famous Durga Puja celebrations that happen not only in West Bengal but all across India and abroad wherever a Bengali is there. 

For Bengalis Goddess Durga coming with her children’s is a festivity that is awaited for a whole year. From buying new dress,gifting to relatives and friends, pandal hopping, meeting people sometimes who they usually meet only during puja and crying over the visarjan and the hope and expectations for next year puja is part of their life. Other than Durga Puja lot of pujas are celebrated in a big fashion all through the year. Their is a popular saying in east especially Bengal and Odisha “ Thirteen festivals in twelve months” it means that that culture is so vibrant and rich that there are more festivals than the months.

one must never forget that Bengalis have a deep appreciation for literature and poetry with famous poets like Rabindranath Tagore and Michael Madhusudan Dutt contributing to the world's literary heritage.Tagore Songs or Rabindra Sangeet is a primary example of their love for music leading to creation of songs by Rabindranath Tagore based on Bengali life and Culture which is still famous and despite been written in Bengali is widely sung and appreciated all across the globe. Steeped in history from wining the IFA shield in 1911 by Mohan Bagan by Defeating the British in football has etched a life long history for Bengalis who still are very passionate about Football.The ‘Khela’ as commonly called is engraved deeply in the life, bridging gaps across generation and backgrounds and also creating lighthearted debate over Ghoti ( West Bengal) and Bangal( East Bengal) habits which trandenced to their food preference also.

The most unique thing about Bengali is that their language Bangla has no gender specific pronouns making it grammatically unique In all the Bengali way of life is charming ,relaxed and deeply rooted in culture , literature and a love of food and conversation.