11 Things You Get To Hear If You’re A Bengali
It’s only natural for people to identify someone with their ethnicity, or the culture they hail from, but hello! Sometimes, people just can’t stop with the couple of cultural stereotypes and common quips they have picked up~ that are often VERY misplaced! No shade, but as a Bengalis, you are probably tired of these done-to-death remarks you get to hear from your non-bengali friends.
“Ami tomoke baalobashi”
No, seriously, whose bright idea was it to teach everyone this really beautiful expression, just so they can walk around saying it jocularly (not to mention, in absolutely HORRIFIC pronunciations)?
“Ami tomaakey bhaalobashi” in Bengali translates to “I love you”, and it’s a beautiful set of words to say to someone, but Bengalis really don’t randomly say it to whomever. In fact, we save it up for magical moments, so this isn’t even a particularly common thing to say!
“So that means you can definitely sing or dance!”
Uh, excuse me, but we Bengalis don’t all know how to sing and dance, even though our parents would really like it. Well, to be fair, we do share our ethnicity with some artistic stalwarts, but come on! Not every Bengali is the same! We often get to hear these things.
It’s not uncommon to receive performance requests at gatherings either. It’s really sad, and it might just be even more relatable for you if you’re personally not inclined towards the fine arts. You’ve probably had to do a few minutes of awkward explaining!
“Rasgulla” and Mishti Doi
Ah yes, Bengali sweets are probably what heaven tastes like. But honestly, doesn’t it get boring for non-Bengalis to constantly link our entire existence up to Roshogolla and Mishti Doi? We have Raabri and Chhanar Jilipi and Kora Paaker Shondesh… the list is positively endless! The variety in Bengali sweets is downright amazing, it’s kind of a pity that you know only about two!
Oh, and for the last time, IT’S ROSHOGOLLA, NOT “RASGULLA”!
“What’s such a big deal about Durga Puja?”
It’s okay, we don’t expect you to get it either. We don’t expect non-Bengalis to ever fathom what the beat of a dhaak can do to our souls. But please, don’t underestimate a Bengali’s wrath. You’d be doing yourself a favour by not talking smack about Durga Pujo.
Unless, of course, you want to be struck down with a Trishul by a very angry Bengali, who will then stand by your defeated mortal shell and laugh in triumph~ that 100 watt Bengali laughter!
“You’re from Kolkata? Speak a little Bengali, please!”
So what’s the deal with turning Bengali into a whole aesthetic? It’s funny when people ask us to speak in a language that is literally something we’ve been speaking since birth~ what is even more ridiculous when people are amazed at how smooth and sweet the language is.
Like, hey, I’m not performing something spectacular, I’m only speaking a language~ that also includes some wonderfully expressive and wildly innovative swear words, just so you know!
“Haha, you people eat Water!”
Yes, and in Hindi, you drink cigarettes. What about it?
Constant references to Bengali literary characters
If you are a Bengali woman, you’re also probably tired of getting compared to popular Bengali literary characters as a form of compliment. Thanks, but we’d all really appreciate it if you didn’t tell us women that we’re all like Paro. It’s creepy and not in the least bit flattering for the majority of us.
Likewise, not all Bengali boys are emotional, and I can guarantee you that destroying oneself over lost love like Devdas isn’t all that common, either! Please relax, we love the fact that you like our literature, but it is often too dramatic to be relatable. So, no, Bengalis don’t always live novel-protagonist lives, sadly.
“Wait, is it Anjali or Onjoli?”
There it is again, the comments about how our words have “o”s instead of “a”s. We can actually form all kinds of pronunciations, and it’s often no big deal for Bengalis to pick up multiple foreign languages.
In fact, quite contrary to the generic horrible-hindi-speaking-Bengali stereotype, most Bengalis I know speak Hindi comfortably enough. Come on, you probably even had Hindi as your third language in school. It’s not all “jata hai” and “khata hai”, and Bengalis are not helpless when it comes to speaking Hindi. We often get to hear such things.
But they just HAVE to go after our “Onjoli”s and “Obhishek”s, don’t they?
“Oh, So Do you write poetry too?”
Sorry to burst the non-Bengalis bubble, but Bengalis don’t produce Tagores in every household. Some of us have trouble stringing our thoughts together~ and here we are being expected to spew soul-searching poetry like it’s nothing. You probably get to hear of this stereotype fairly often, and we are sorry for you if you’ve ever had to address it.
“Your nickname is WHAT?”
First of all, my name is Indrani and Mithi isn’t my nickname, it’s my “Daaknaam”. That is a whole different concept that you just won’t get if you’re not a Bengali. The Daaknaam doesn’t have to resemble the official name phonetically, as long as it is uttered with love!
And please, dear non-Bengali friends, stop with the queries, go ask my mom why my Daaknaam is the way it is.
Obsession with “Maachh”
If you’re a Bengali who grew up in Kolkata, you probably had Maachh-Bhaat as a staple on the menu, whether you liked it or not. But what is this preoccupation with Maachh that every non-Bengali person seems to have the moment they find out that you’re a Bengali?
Because, a Bengali person is still an individual with a personal taste palette, and there is a possibility that they might not even like maachh. Oh, and don’t forget the vegetarian Bengalis! Things Bengalis get to hear often.
At the same time, though, if you are tired of your sushis and baked fish, hit up a culinarily-inclined Bengali. They will probably know exactly how to whip up a portion of Bhapa-Ilish, or Chingri-Maachher-Malaikari!
Conclusion
If you get to hear of these very common Bengali stereotypes on a regular basis (not to mention the horrendous “rasgulla” and “baalobashi”), we absolutely don’t blame you for getting irritated every once in a while! But hey, go on a walk and treat yourself to some Bhnaarer-Chaa on the way~ you’ll feel better instantly!