Seven things quintessentially Bengali and Calcuttan

City of potholed roads

Every now and then Calcuttan hears of huge amounts of loans sanctioned by various agencies for the
Citys infrastructure. But the potholes remain on the road especially during and after the monsoons
taking a toll on car suspensions and lumbar vertebrae. Actually the citys intellectual acumen is inversely
proportional to the health of its infrastructure. The more creaky the roads and public transport the more
the impetus for intellectual creativity.

Time stands still in Calcutta
In Calcutta---time stands still. Whoever needs to hurry---.In that humid soggy climate the slightest
movement brings on perspiration. So why move at all. An average Bengali government clerk gets up at
10AM (the time for reporting at his office). If he is lucky there might be a political rally that day for which
all public transport would have been requisitioned thus providing him with an excuse to stay at home. If
not, he arrives at his office at 12.30 and immediately leaves for his lunch break. Coming back at 2PM
there is a round of discussion with his colleagues on the latest political news before tea time. At 4 PM a
hard days work done he leaves for home.

A Bengali and Hindi films
An intellectual Bengali abhors mainstream Hindi films. In fact he avoids them like the plague. Oh ! You
liked DDLJyouve seen it thrice! -----how very droll. To whet his intellectual appetite Bengali film
directors (the new breed) churn out films ala Ray and Ghatak which are so intellectually abstract that
you sometimes wonder if the director was on a marihuana trip when he directed the film. Of course
there are mainstream Bengali films also, but the mere mention of them is like committing intellectual
hara kiri.

The argumentative Bengali
Worthy descendants of the adda generationthe intellectual Bengali is ready to argue and
Pontificate about anything at the drop of a hat from subjects as diverse as the Eskimo to the Hottentot.
Give him his tea and cigarettes a seat in his College Street coffee house and watch his ideas pour forth.
Of course if they have the remotest semblance with realtywell that is by accident.

Marxism
Though in recent years there has been a sea change in mentality, the average middle class Bengali
remains essentially a romanticist and a Marxist. Whether he possesses any capital or not Das Kapital
remains his Bible. Neruda and Camus are his favorite authors. The extensive land reforms of which West
Bengal is proud are essentially play acting the character of Robin Hood. You can spot him at any street
corner or at a political rally---dressed in Kurta and trousers, shod in Hawaii sandals which contribute to
spray painting the back of his trousers with liquid slush. He advocates armed revolution but it is doubtful
whether his frail frame can withstand the recoil of a pistol far less a rifle or machine gun.

Tagore
At any Bengali social gathering a request will invariably be made to a certain ubuquitous
Bula Masi or Mita Masi to sing a Tagore song. Invariably the response will be na bhai gola bose geche (I
have a sore throat) After further cajoling she would oblige adding that this was the song she sung when
she was being interviewed for her marriage by her future in laws. Even today in the early hours of the
morning in the by lanes of North Calcuttayou can hear young girls practicing the undulations of her
voice by singing Tagore songsa practice known elsewhere in India as Riyaz
Tagore music CDs sell the most at any music outlet and Tv programs and serials are choc a block with
Tagore stories. Such is the all pervasive influence of Tagore that many a modern Bengali poet failing to
meet the Bards intellectual standard ruefully remark thathe hasnt left any subject matter for us to
write about

The Bengali as a glutton
The Bengali loves his Rasagoolas, Doi Ilish and Alu Posto. But as providence would have it he suffers
from poor digestion. Never make an appointment with a Bengali on Monday morning. After the
weekends feasthe is too busy paying repeated visits to the toilet. Calcutta is a Mecca for health care
providers and gastro enterologists. Every fifth shop in Calcutta is a medicine shop selling to a demanding
population various concoctions of antacid tablets and digestive enzymes. Endless fodder for the
thousands who consume them before gorging intophuchkas

Well this is Calcutta---you either love it or hate it. But for someone who hasnt made up his mind about
visiting ithe would do well to remember the Hindi proverb on Delhi ka ladoojo khaya wo bhi
pastayega jo nei khaya wo bhi postayaga.